6/6/2023 basketball Edit

Simeon Wilcher Requests Release Frrom NLI To Carolina

Class of 2023 guard and UNC signee Simeon Wilcher has requested North Carolina release him from his NLI. (Simeon Wilcher/Twitter)

Andrew Jones • TarHeelIllustrated

Publisher

Andrew Jones has covered sports for 26 years, including all major college & professional sports for daily newspapers & national sites. He's done radio and TV & is entering his seventh year at THI.

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Simeon Wilcher, a 4-star point guard rated the No. 31 overall prospect in the nation for the class of 2023, has requested a release from his National Letter of Intent from North Carolina, a source close to the situation has confirmed to THI.

Wilcher committed to UNC before his junior season at Roselle (NJ) Catholic, announcing his intentions of playing for the Tar Heels on October 15, 2021. He had been staunchly committed to Hubert Davis’ program ever since, and recently told THI he couldn’t wait to get to Chapel Hill and help the team in any way possible.

I’m going to say I'm going to do whatever my team needs me to do to win,” he said.

Wilcher acknowledged nothing would come easy at UNC, noting his game needed work, but also the competition for minutes is what a player gets when playing for a blue blood.

“I know there are going to be areas for me to grow when I get down there, so I'm really excited for that,” he said. “I'm really not looking at that as pressure, because I'm doing what I usually do, and I'm being myself."

As for Carolina and all things blue, Wilcher even wore Carolina blue sneakers to his prom two weeks ago, and his father, Sergio, told THI just last week that Elliot Cadeau reclassifying to 2023 and enrolling this summer wasn’t an issue for the family. Simeon has been steadfast in his desire to be a Tar Heel.

“I actually just love Carolina for what it is, because you realize when people go down there and they love Carolina they become successful regardless of what they're doing,” he said. “It's really just about playing for my team, and playing for each other. It's not just about playing for self, because that's not something that works, and that is not something that gets you where you want to go."

With Wilcher moving on, UNC is down to ten scholarship players now for the 2023-24 season. Seven players entered the transfer portal, and Wilcher leaving means eight players that were slated to be on the roster are no longer a part of the program.

Stay with THI for more on this developing story, as David Sisk will have a report later, and David and Jacob Turner hope to get a podcast up tonight.