All Tar Heels

Several UNC Basketball Recruits Heading to Istanbul

The star-studded USA Basketball U17 National Team features potential UNC basketball recruiting prizes galore.

Matt Giles

UNC basketball recruiting target AJ Dybantsa
UNC basketball recruiting target AJ Dybantsa / Jason Snow / The Enterprise / USA TODAY
In this story:

Defending the country's six gold medals and combined 44-0 tournament record at the FIBA U17 World Cup since the biannual event's 2010 inception, the USA Basketball U17 National Team is stacked and gearing up for group play in Istanbul beginning on Saturday. The collection consists of a dozen prep phenoms between the 2025 and 2026 recruiting cycles. And UNC basketball targets account for almost half of them.

ALSO READ: Footage Surfaces From UNC Intrasquad Scrimmages

It's unfair to all five of the squad's active Tar Heel offer holders to refer to just one of them as the headliner of the bunch.

Utah Prep five-star forward AJ Dybantsa ranks No. 1 overall on the 247Sports 2025 Composite. Columbus High School (Fla.) five-star forward Cameron Boozer is right behind at No. 2, then comes Perry High School (Ariz.) five-star forward Koa Peat at No. 5 and Columbus five-star guard Cayden Boozer at No. 19. Meanwhile, Prolific Prep (Calif.) five-star forward Tyran Stokes is the top-ranked talent in the 2026 arena.

Peat and the Boozer twins have been on UNC basketball's wishlist for well over a year. Dybantsa officially landed on it back in October.

As for Stokes, the admitted lifelong Tar Heel enthusiast picked up his offer from head coach Hubert Davis just last week, joining Caldwell Academy (N.C.) four-star forward Cole Cloer as the only rising high school juniors who have become full-fledged Tar Heel targets.

By all accounts, UNC remains in contention for any of the five.

The FIBA U17 World Cup, featuring 16 teams, tips for Team USA against France at 10:30 a.m. ET Saturday. Guinea and China are the other two in Group B.

ALSO READ: Crafty 2025 Guard Reportedly Set to Visit UNC

Published
Matt Giles
MATT GILES

Matt Giles is the editor and publisher of North Carolina Tar Heels on SI, Duke Blue Devils on SI, and NC State Wolfpack on SI, making him a key source for comprehensive coverage of these storied college basketball programs. Since joining UNC on SI in 2023, Matt has been dedicated to providing in-depth analysis, breaking news, and exclusive content on all three teams. He covers everything from game previews and recaps to player profiles and recruiting updates. Matt's expert knowledge of these teams has made his work a go-to resource for fans and followers of Duke, NC State, and UNC. As publisher, he shapes the editorial direction, ensuring that the most relevant and timely information reaches his audience.

Home/Basketball