(Photo: Jim Hawkins/Inside Carolina)
A standout at Hillsborough (NC) Orange High School, Cole Cloer is North Carolina’s first offering to its growing junior class. He got the call from UNC head coach Hubert Davis on Tuesday, he announced.
Cloer is ranked No. 18 overall in 2026 and No. 1 in North Carolina by 247Sports. He has offers from Georgetown, Illinois, Iowa, Mississippi State, NC State, Tennessee, VCU and Wake Forest. Cloer made his first recruiting visit to UNC in September, attending a football game and meeting with Hubert Davis. He made at least two more visits to UNC during the 2023-24 season.
“That’s one of the best programs that’s ever existed in college basketball,” Cloer said. “Especially being from around there… 30 minutes from my house, (the offer) is very exciting.”
During the single spring evaluation period, several North Carolina coaches (Davis and assistants Jeff Lebo and Brad Frederick) observed Cloer and the CP3 16U team on multiple occasions. Starring alongside the dynamic duo of Dionte Neal and Kendre Harrison from Reidsville (NC) High School, the CP3 team is arguably the best team in the 16U division. In six games this EYBL season, Cloer is averaging 16.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and a block while shooting 46.2% on three-pointers (12-26) and 82.1% on free throws ( 23-28).
“I definitely noticed them (the UNC coaching staff) in my games, but I try not to pay too much attention to them,” Cloer said. “Being a kid is what you always wanted, for them to show their faces. North Carolina has really done a good job of watching me and engaging. It shows they’re really interested when they bring in a bunch of different coaches, it’s not just one coach. “
The Tar Heels’ pursuit of Cloer began last summer, after Cloer starred on the CP3 team’s Peach Jam 15U championship team, where he averaged 12.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.7 blocks per game. National evaluators, and the UNC staff, took notice of his stroke and shooting ability, which led to his inclusion in 247Sports’ initial sophomore rankings.
“I understand the game a lot more now than I did last year at this time,” Cloer said. “I want to understand the timing, the defense that other teams are in, myself… Defensively too. I’m much more involved in defense, I play harder and I’ve gotten stronger. I’m a better scorer, in all senses. I have improved.”
UNC had assistant coaches at several of its games in July 2023, a rare act for such a young player, and followed up with an assistant coach who attended a team workout in Orange in September 2023. Hubert Davis was on hand to watch to Cloer address. -head to head with Tar Heel signee Drake Powell at the John Wall Invitational in late December 2023.
“He’s a 6-7 guard, essentially,” Orange head coach Derryl Britt said. “He is commonly called a winger, but he does everything a guard does and more. He shoots with great accuracy from deep, can take defenders in the post, mid and low, and put defenders on his back.”
As a sophomore, Cloer averaged 21.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 2.6 assists per game for the Orange. As a freshman, Cloer averaged 20.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 3.1 assists.
“His pull-up and mid-range game is good, and he was about 85 percent from the free throw line (last season),” Britt explained. “He rebounds well, has great shot-blocking timing and is the leader of our team. You can see him talking during timeouts…he’s the person who gets my message back to the team, emphasizes key points and makes sure everyone are doing what they should do.” they’re supposed to do.”
Aside from their basketball acumen, Britt praised the academic prowess and overall friendliness of his star players.
“From a basketball standpoint, he makes plays and has a tremendous IQ,” he said of Cloer. “But off the court, he’s fantastic too. He’s fantastic in the classroom and he’s friends with all the kids on the team. If I could clone this kid, I would, in basketball or in real life, I swear.”
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