Jarin Stevenson, among North Carolina’s top basketball prospects, makes college choice

Jarin Stevenson, among the top high school basketball prospects in North Carolina, will play collegiately at Alabama, he announced on Wednesday night.

He is planning to graduate high school a year early and enroll in college in time to play next season for the Crimson Tide.

Stevenson’s announcement brings an end to a long, winding recruitment, and one in which North Carolina had been heavily invested. Stevenson lives on the outskirts of Chapel Hill, about a 10-minute drive from UNC’s campus, and his first college scholarship offer came from UNC.

He received that offer in October 2021, when UNC coach Hubert Davis invited Stevenson into his office and tried to sell him on playing in Chapel Hill. In the 20 months since, UNC had hoped that Stevenson would stay home and choose the Tar Heels.

Instead, he picked Alabama, a late arrival to Stevenson’s recruitment but one that nonetheless made an impression. The Crimson Tide didn’t offer Stevenson until early last month, but Stevenson liked Alabama coach Nate Oats’ pitch — namely that Stevenson would have the chance to play early.

“They already have a solid spot for me,” Stevenson said, of Alabama, during a recent interview. “I still have to prove myself, get better. I like their offense.” Oats “thinks I fit well with their style,” Stevenson added.

The chance to play early was arguably the most important factor in Stevenson’s recruitment, which The News & Observer has documented in an ongoing series about a top prospect’s navigation of a changing high school and college basketball landscape. Stevenson, a 6-foot-10, 200 pound forward, also had scholarship offers from Georgetown, Missouri, N.C. State, Virginia and Wake Forest.

In addition to Alabama, UNC and Virginia were among Stevenson’s three finalists. The Tar Heels had long been considered the favorite, both because of proximity and family legacy. Stevenson’s mom, Nicole, played women’s basketball at UNC in the mid-1990s.

Stevenson spent most of his childhood in South Korea where his father, Jarod, played professionally. The family moved back to the United States, and to Chapel Hill, when Stevenson was in middle school.

He spent his first year of high school at Northwood, playing alongside Drake Powell, who is part of UNC’s 2024 recruiting class. Stevenson then transferred to Seaforth, outside of Pittsboro, where his parents coached his high school team. Stevenson averaged 21.5 points and 11.6 rebounds per game during his junior season. He earned Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year honors.

Before his decision to reclassify, Stevenson was considered a top-20 prospect in the Class of 2024, according to 247Sports’ composite ranking. He began considering graduating high school early midway through his junior season. In the months since, Stevenson had focused his college choice on which school would provide the best chance to contribute early. He believes he’s found such an opportunity at Alabama.