Basketball Recruiting Mailbag: UNC Scholarship Numbers

Posted Nov 11, 2016
I recently received a great email question regarding UNC's basketball scholarship numbers and how they factor into recruiting, so I thought I'd share the response online.

How many scholarships are available for 2017, especially if Joel Berry and Justin Jackson enter the NBA Draft next spring?

NCAA Division I teams have a limit of 13 scholarship players per season. UNC has 12 scholarship players on the roster this season and 4 of them are seniors (Nate Britt, Stilman White, Kennedy Meeks, Isaiah Hicks). This means that there are 5 scholarships available for the 2017 recruiting class if no players leave early.

Roy Williams said at his press conference on Thursday that he's got 4 2017 scholarships committed (Jalek Felton, Andrew Platek, Brandon Huffman, Sterling Manley) and hopes to use one more in the 2017 class (presumably Kevin Knox or Jarred Vanderbilt). That would put UNC at the limit for next season if Berry and Jackson stay. If either of those two leave, then their scholarships would be used for future recruiting classes. Here's the breakdown:

Seniors (4)
Nate Britt
Isaiah Hicks
Kennedy Meeks
Stilman White

Juniors (3)
Joel Berry
Justin Jackson
Theo Pinson

Sophomores (2)
Luke Maye
Kenny Williams

Freshmen (3)
Tony Bradley
Brandon Robinson
Seventh Woods

2017 Commitments (4)
Jalek Felton
Brandon Huffman
Sterling Manley
Andrew Platek

2018 Commitments (2)
Leaky Black
Coby White

If you have a question you'd like answered, please let me know and I'll be happy to answer it for you. --James