Even though the recruiting dead period has been extended by the NCAA through May and could last well beyond then, Roy Williams and his staff are still marching forward gathering intel about prospects he hopes to eventually watch play this summer.

Such is life during the mass shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s forced the North Carolina staff to adjust accordingly.

“Well it is a bad situation, but more, a hundred times worse is what the health concerns are in our country…,” Williams said Tuesday morning during a virtual press conference. “Just trying to do as much as you can on the phone. Getting more tapes probably than we’ve ever asked for just to see other people. But basically, just staying on the phone.”

UNC currently has five members of its 2020 recruiting class signed and ready to enroll whenever the school opens again. There could be another addition to the class, as well, but for now, the emphasis is on the current high school juniors.

“Needless to say, we had already done a little work, average probably, with this year’s junior class in high school,” Williams said. “But that’s the biggest focus right now.”

The spring and much of the summer recruiting events have been wiped out and Williams typically holds off on offering prospects until he’s seen them a lot in person. He relies on those periods to make determinations on many kids.

The hope is some of the recruiting season will be salvaged, but if not, Williams and his staff simply must continue adjusting.

“I guess what I’m hoping for is to get the July period so you can see people in person,” he said. “But I don’t have any idea if that’s going to come. And if it doesn’t, that means it’s not the safest thing. So just got to put up with it.

“Our guys on my staff who are good with social media, I’m sure they’re doing some things. Since I don’t get there, I don’t have any idea what they’re doing. I’m very confident that they’re doing some great things.”

The thing is, and it’s certainly frustrating to everyone in the sport, is the unknown factor, which is significant. That’s the case in all walks of life right now, but not knowing what will be allowed or available even in three months, and certainly well beyond, makes planning difficult.

There are much bigger other issues going on, but for the people in their various professions, resuming normalcy and getting back to work as they always have is also important.

“I’ve been talking to NBA people, I’ve talked to other college coaches. The general consensus is what it should be: that nobody has any idea what is going to happen,” Williams said. “I think to me, I think June is out of the question also. So I’m just hoping for the July period.

“And if not, then what you’re going to do is you’re going to rely more heavily on tapes. You’re going to rely more heavily on high school coaches recommendations, word of mouth from people that have seen them. I’ve been around a long time so I do know a lot of people around the country, but it’s going to be very uncomfortable, there’s no question, if you don’t get to put your eyes on somebody.”

And that’s the crux of it for Williams. He hasn’t built one of the greatest careers in the sport’s history without following a plan that has worked well for him.

He doesn’t roll the dice, he doesn’t deviate when it’s unnecessary and he doesn’t lick his finger, stick in the air to see which way the wind is blowing and head on in that direction. That’s just how Williams operates.

But he may be faced with making some uncomfortable decisions if things don’t return to near-normal within a few months.

“Gracious sakes, I hate trying to make a decision scholarship or no scholarship on a guy just by watching him on tape,” he said. “But it’s the world we’re in right now and we’ve got to go with what we have. I’m not looking forward to making those kinds of decisions without being able to put my eyes on somebody in person.”

The thing is, he may have to.