North Carolina lands Demarcus Henry, the No. 2 recruit in '27 - ESPN

Demarcus Henry, the No. 2 senior in high school basketball, announced his commitment to North Carolina on Friday, giving first-year head coach Michael Malone a statement win days before his on-court tenure officially begins.

Henry is the program's highest-ranked recruit since No. 2 Cole Anthony committed to the Tar Heels in 2019, with only No. 1 Harrison Barnes in 2010 ranked higher than Henry among UNC recruits since the ESPN recruiting database started in 2007.

The younger brother of Ohio State wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. and the son of former NFL wideout Chris Henry, Henry chose the Tar Heels over Arkansas, Louisville and Kentucky.

«Their vision for me fits exactly what I'm looking for,» Henry told ESPN. «Coach Malone and I are like-minded. He constantly emphasizes chasing greatness, and I really like his winning mentality. He won an NBA championship at the highest level, with the best players in the world, and I want to learn from him.»

Henry has kept his recruitment close to the vest, although Arkansas appeared to be the leader for most of the past few weeks. Following his official visit to Chapel Hill last weekend, however, North Carolina emerged as the favorite.

«Coach Malone, Coach Chuck Martin, and Coach Sean May always emphasized that I was a priority. I could always feel how much they believed in me,» Henry said. «Coach Malone was relentless in recruiting me. He was in Mexico at my USA Basketball games, he was at almost every one of my games, and he was at my school on the first day of contact.

»Most people don't know I'm from Charlotte, North Carolina, and I lived there until middle school, so this is going back home, and it means something. I grew up watching Duke and North Carolina, so this is a surreal