Louisville basketball is pursuing one of the nation’s top prospects, DeMarcus Henry. The unanimous 5-star is an elite small forward who has turned heads for years. He is one step closer to deciding, as he cut his list to four schools this morning and set his announcement date for this Friday, October 30.
Louisville just got a huge 5-star DeMarcus Henry update as commitment date announced
Pat Kelsey has positioned Louisville to be one of the top candidates, making it his official final four this morning. However, Louisville now faces some of the top college basketball programs, including North Carolina, Kentucky, and Arkansas.
Louisville was once considered a favorite in this race by Rivals' Prediction Meter, but since then their ACC rival has emerged and taken over. Now, as Louisville tries to make a last-second push to leapfrog the Tar Heels, head coach Michael Malone just pulled the ultimate move Kelsey simply can’t match.
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Both ACC programs have an extremely storied history. However, the Tar Heels have one alum that no one can compare with, and that is one of the best (the best in many eyes), Michael Jordan. The 6-time NBA champion went to UNC from 1981 to 1984, and now Michael Malone is using Jordan as a huge recruiting pitch.
“At the facility, Coach Malone gave me the phone and said somebody wanted to talk to me, and it was Michael Jordan,” stated Henry. “So, I am on the phone with Michael Jordan, and he said he knew me, so I was like, that is crazy that Michael Jordan knows me, and he said he is a big fan. I am like, man, that is crazy coming from Jordan. And he was like I want to see you in Carolina blue, and I was like That is tuff.”
Michael Malone is pulling out all the stops to land top 5 recruit Demarcus Henry.
— Tar Heel Dynasty (@heelsdynasty) October 26, 2026
Malone hit up Michael Jordan, who gave a recruiting pitch for Henry to join the Tar Heels next year.
Henry is down to UNC, Arkansas, Louisville, and Kentucky. He will announce his commitment on… pic.twitter.com/Ef6G6Kurxh
Kelsey and the Cardinals have been consistently pushing for Henry, earning an official visit and taking one in September, but Malone just pulled the ultimate move to try to land Henry. Getting one of the greatest basketball players of all time to pitch Henry is extremely hard to compete with, and apparently it is working.
Rivals has UNC as the slight favorite, giving the Tar Heels and Malone a near 20% chance of landing him. Louisville is looking to land its third 5-star in three straight years, but now it appears they are going up against Michael Jordan as well.
Cardinals and Tar Heels fans will learn shortly, as Henry is set to announce this Friday, October 30. He is a 5-star small forward ranked No. 2 overall and the unanimous top small forward in the 2027 recruiting class.
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