Pursued by blue bloods, what are the chances Zion Williamson stays home?

The Zion Williamson official visit tour will make a stop at North Carolina this weekend. That’s the latest piece of info surrounding the Spartanburg Day star and No. 2 basketball recruit in the country. Corey Evans of Rivals.com was the first to report the news Tuesday afternoon.

Williamson, a 6-foot-6, 272-pound forward, now adds UNC to an official visit list that already included Duke, Kansas and Kentucky. Prospects can take up to five official visits. South Carolina and Clemson are considered to be among the contenders for Williamson’s fifth and final trip, should he take one at all.

But just how realistic are the chances that Williamson stays local for his college stay?

Evans, who covers the national recruiting scene for Rivals, believes hope still exists for both the Gamecocks and Tigers.

“Zion is different,” Evans said by phone Monday evening. “Zion, he’s a homebody. Zion’s about staying home. So I think a school like South Carolina, a school like Clemson does have a fair chance there.”

Last month, Williamson attended football games on unofficial visits to USC and Clemson. He also had in-home visits with Frank Martin and Clemson’s Brad Brownell.

The Duke roster for the 2017-18 season includes players from Florida, Arizona, Illinois, Texas, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Virginia and Delaware. There are now Kansas Jayhawks from Tennessee, Washington and California, among other states. John Calipari’s latest Kentucky team is represented by the likes of North Carolina, New York and New Hampshire.

No matter where the blue chippers play, the blue bloods will usually find them. The Blue Devils, Jayhawks, Wildcats and Tar Heels – programs with a combined 22 national titles and 67 Final Fours between them – are exhibiting that with their pursuit of Williamson, a YouTube sensation who averaged nearly 37 points per game last season for Spartanburg Day.

But recent history suggests Mike Krzyzewski, Bill Self, John Calipari and Roy Williams have been let down before. Homebodies can be persuaded to stay in-state.

Some examples:

▪  Among the Rivals top 50 recruits in the 2017 class, No. 16 Trae Young – a Norman, Ok., native – signed with the Sooners over Kansas and Kentucky; No. 28 John Petty – a Huntsville, Ala., native – signed with the Crimson Tide over Kentucky, Kansas and Connecticut; No. 35 Nick Weatherspoon – a Camden, Miss., native – signed with Mississippi State over North Carolina, Kansas and Louisville.

▪  Among the Rivals top 50 recruits in the 2016 class, No. 8 Jonathan Isaac – a New York native who played high school ball in Florida – signed with Florida State over Kentucky; No. 15 Jarrett Allen – an Austin, Texas, native – signed with the Longhorns over Kansas and Duke; No. 22 Andrew Jones – an Irving, Texas, native – signed with Texas over Arizona and Louisville; No. 28 Dewan Huell – a Miami native – signed with the Hurricanes over North Carolina, Kansas and Louisville.

▪  There are 10 such examples among the Rivals top 50 in the 2015 class. No. 7 Ivan Rabb – an Oakland native – signed with Cal over Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina. No. 8 Malik Newman – a Jackson, Miss., native – signed with Mississippi State over Duke, Kansas and Kentucky. (Newman has since transferred to the Jayhawks.) No. 11 Henry Ellenson – a Race Lake, Wisc. native – signed with Marquette over Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA. No. 15 Stephen Zimmerman – a Las Vegas native – signed with UNLV over Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina. No. 19 Caleb Swanigan – a Fort Wayne, Ind., native – signed with Purdue over Arizona and Duke. No. 37 P.J. Dozier – a Columbia native and Spring Valley High product – signed with the Gamecocks over North Carolina and Louisville.

Dozier was the last top 50 recruit Martin got inked to USC. Can Williamson be the next?

Evans said he expects Williamson to make his decision soon.

“Zion’s a guessing game, totally,” Evans said. “I would say he signs early or at least he commits in the next two, three, four weeks. I think that Kentucky’s in a great spot and I think that Duke and Clemson’s in a great spot as well.

“South Carolina doesn’t have as much traction compared to Clemson. Clemson’s done a really good job there.

“But I do think (his decision is a) lot closer to the end than it is the middle or beginning.”

The early signing period for recruits starts on Nov. 8 and ends on Nov. 15.

This story was originally published October 24, 2017 at 5:10 PM.