HIGH POINT, N.C. — Home — or closer to home — was where Theo Pinson’s heart was.

It was the draw of playing closer to home that led Pinson, a 5-star recruit in the class of 2014 and top target of Indiana, to commit to play basketball at North Carolina on Wednesday.

Pinson, a 6-6, 190-pound wing, made the announcement in the gym at Wesleyan Christian Academy flanked by his parents, sister, and high school coach Keith Gatlin.

About 100 fellow students and school supporters were in attendance. Pinson said that making the announcement Wednesday was important since it was the last day of school for the students and he wanted them to be a part of it.

Seated at a small table, Pinson thanked God, all his coaches, teammates, and the “Red Sea” — the student cheering section at the school — and said he came to the decision because he thought his recruiting process was over.

He leaned down and to his left and placed a Carolina Blue hat on his head while saying “I’ll be playing college basketball for the University of North Carolina.”

The decision was met with loud cheers and applause from the faithful in attendance. Pinson, who had just wrapped up his final exam in French class before he went into the gym, said he made a call to Crean this morning to notify him of his decision.

“One of the toughest things I’ve ever done, really,” Pinson said. “I was just hurt by talking to him, but I wanted to be big about it and call him with the news and not text him or something. That would be lame. I’m glad we had a good understanding about it and we will still have a good relationship. But it’s hard to do that, as hard as they had worked during the recruiting process. I knew it was going to be a hard decision and that I was going to have to let someone down.”

Gatlin said he wasn’t aware where Pinson was headed until the announcement came, only that he knew one of his standout players was ready for the recruiting process to be over.

“He called me last week and told me ‘Coach, I really need to talk to you. I think I’m ready,’” Gatlin said. “Then he told me what he had in mind as far as making the announcement. But yeah, I’m a little surprised it wasn’t Indiana. But now that it’s over, I think he’ll be able to relax next season.”

Jon Adams is one of Pinson’s coaches on the CP3 All-Stars AAU team, and went so far Wednesday morning to say that he was “almost certain” Pinson was going to pick Indiana.

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In the end, the chance to play close to home for one of the nation’s top programs was too much for Theo Pinson to turn down.

The class of 2014 wing, rated a consensus five-star prospect, ended his recruitment on Wednesday with a verbal commitment to North Carolina.

Pinson announced his decision at his high school, Wesleyan Christian Academy, in High Point, North Carolina. He was heavily recruited by Indiana and also considered Duke, Georgetown and Louisville.

He’s the third member of North Carolina’s recruiting class for 2014, joining point guard Joel Berry and small forward Justin Jackson.

Indiana offered Pinson in May of 2012 and hosted him on an unofficial visit last June and for an official visit in early February for a primetime game against No. 1 Michigan on ESPN’s College GameDay.

The Indiana staff also attended the final three games of his high school season when he led Wesleyan Christian to its first state championship in 20 years and many of his games this spring for the CP3 All-Stars in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL).

As recently as May 11, Pinson told Inside the Hall that the Hoosiers were “looking good” in his recruitment and that he planned to trim down his list in the coming weeks.

But his timeline accelerated as he decided late last week that he was ready to end the process.

The Hoosiers have one verbal commitment in the 2014 class — James Blackmon Jr. — but are well positioned with several top players including Dante Exum and Goodluck Okonoboh.

Video of Pinson talking about his decision after the jump.

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You may have heard that 2014 Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC) wing Theo Pinson will announce his college decision tomorrow afternoon at approximately 12:15 p.m. ET in front of friends and family.

It’s been a while since Indiana has been involved in a high profile recruitment with some suspense leading up to an announcement, so here’s a primer with all you need to know on the Pinson recruitment:

The Essentials

Forward, 6-6, 180-pounds, Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC), CP3 All-Stars
ESPN: 5-star (13); Rivals: 5-star (11); Scout: 5-star (18)
Schools: Duke, Georgetown, Indiana, Louisville and North Carolina
Visits: Indiana (official and unofficial), Duke (several unofficials), North Carolina (several unofficials), Georgetown (unofficial), Louisville (none)

The Primary Contenders

When word broke of Pinson’s impending announcement via Dave Telep of ESPN.com, the five schools mentioned above were listed. So in theory, he’s choosing from a handful of the top programs in the country. The reality is that this appears to be a two-team race between Indiana and North Carolina.

· The IU recruitment: The Hoosiers have recruited Pinson more diligently than anyone having already hosted him on an official visit for a primetime game against Michigan in early February. IU followed up that visit with several stops to watch him play in both the North Carolina state tournament and this spring on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) circuit. We’ve listed Pinson in the top spot on our 2014 recruiting board for several months now and for good reason: He’s been a high priority for Indiana.

· The North Carolina recruitment: The Tar Heel pursuit has been less consistent with the staff already having secured a verbal commitment from five-star wing Justin Jackson and also pushing for a commitment from five-star guard Rashad Vaughn. What can’t be ignored, however, is the proximity of Chapel Hill to where Pinson has grown up (approximately 65 miles), the allure of staying home and playing for a state school that also happens to be a blue blood program and also the fact that he took at least four unofficial visits to UNC this past season.

The Timing

A couple of things could be driving the timing of the decision, which is a bit curious after Pinson recently said he would be trimming down his list soon.

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