UNC basketball recruiting prospect Toni Bryant Ernst Peters/The Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

UNC Basketball Encounters Rivals in Battle for Coveted Forward

Originally posted on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI
By Matt Giles | Last updated May 18, 2025 9:31 PM ET

Roughly three months after extending an offer to North Tampa Christian Academy (Fla.) junior phenom Toni Bryant, the UNC basketball recruiting team appears to remain firmly in the mix for the 6-foot-9, 200-pound forward.

At this weekend's loaded PUMA PRO16 League grassroots session in Wichita, Kan., the Tar Heels were among almost two dozen programs with a presence in the stands to watch Bryant compete against other top-tier preps. And UNC wasn't the only blueblood on hand, as Duke, Kentucky, and Kansas also sent assistants to check in on the five-star and his development as an explosive talent.

Others in attendance for Bryant included head coaches from Missouri, LSU, Miami, and Kansas State, League Ready's Sam Kayser reported on Sunday, plus assistants from Cal, USF, Ole Miss, Ohio State, Texas, Gonzaga, Cincinnati, Xavier, Georgia, Clemson, Michigan, Arizona, and Purdue.

2026 5⭐️ Toni Bryant had the following schools into watch him this weekend, source told @LeagueRDY:

Missouri (head coach)
LSU (head coach)
Miami (head coach)
Kansas State (head coach)
Kentucky
Cal
USF
Kansas
North Carolina
Duke
NC State
Ole Miss
Ohio State
Texas
Gonzaga… pic.twitter.com/Wf8lONvCAJ
— Sam Kayser (@247HSHoops) May 18, 2025

Toni Bryant currently stacks up at No. 13 overall, No. 4 among power forwards, and No. 2 in Florida on the 247Sports 2026 Composite.

He has visited several schools, including his recent NC State basketball tour, and he's scheduled an official visit to Missouri in September. For now, though, Bryant has neither taken nor scheduled a trip to Chapel Hill to check out the UNC basketball program.

This article first appeared on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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