On Saturday afternoon, USA Basketball unveiled the 18 finalists from the pool of 28 prospects gathered in Colorado Springs, Colo., vying for a spot on the team set to compete in Buenos Aires at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup from June 3-9. Among the 28 invitees, including prospects from the 2024, 2025, and 2026 cycles, five are part of the 2025 UNC basketball recruitment wishlist.
Remarkably, all five survived the cuts made on Saturday.
The selected players are Nate Ament, a five-star forward from Highland School (Va.); Nikolas Khamenia, a four-star forward from Harvard-Westlake School (Calif.); Malachi Moreno, a four-star big man from Great Crossing High School (Ky.); Jasper Johnson, a five-star guard from Link Academy (Mo.); and Caleb Wilson, a five-star forward from Holy Innocents Episcopal School (Ga.).
Wilson, one of the earliest prospects targeted by UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis for the 2025 recruiting class, received his offer around this time last year. Johnson secured his offer in September. In early February, both recruits visited Chapel Hill and sat together to witness the Tar Heels defeating their archrival Duke at the Dean E. Smith Center.
The remaining three UNC targets, who are still in contention for a spot on the 12-man roster, are newcomers to the Tar Heels’ offer list. Moreno and Khamenia received their offers from Hubert Davis on Monday, while Ament received his on Tuesday night.
