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UNC Basketball: Dontrez Styles rising and poised for big season

By Blake Cockrum

CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 25: University of North Carolina mascot Rameses poses for a photo during a game between NC State and North Carolina at Dean E. Smith Center on February 25, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 25: University of North Carolina mascot Rameses poses for a photo during a game between NC State and North Carolina at Dean E. Smith Center on February 25, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images) /
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The lone 2021 commitment of the UNC basketball program, Dontrez Styles, is rising the recruiting ranks and poised for a big season.

After assembling what could easily be considered the best group of talent in any one recruiting class of the Roy Williams era at North Carolina, the Tar Heels are working hard to match next year’s class to this one.

Things are off to a bit of a slower start this year than they were last, though Williams and company do have a commitment from 4-star small forward Dontrez Styles. And although Styles may not be the elite wing that has eluded North Carolina over the past few years, he does hold tremendous value as a versatile forward that can play multiple positions.

The 6-foot-6, 205-pound junior from Kinston, North Carolina can hit shots out to the three-point line, play tenacious defense and use his athleticism to impact the game in a myriad of ways. He plays with a tremendous amount of energy and effort, and would fit well into the Tar Heels’ fast-paced, up-and-down style of play. He’s a terrific rebounder, and uses his size well in the paint. His ball handing skills and ability to shoot beyond the arc are facets of his game that need some improvement.

All of that, and Styles doesn’t appear to have even hit his ceiling. He’s improved his 247Sports Composite ranking by 61 spots since this time last year, and 18 spots just since the start of 2020. That puts him at No. 53 overall in the class of 2021, 13th among players at his position and No. 1 in the state of North Carolina. Not only that, but Styles is also up to No. 54 in the latest ESPN 100, where he has a scout grade of 85.

Styles is the first No. 1-ranked in-state prospect to commit to UNC since Theo Pinson in 2014. He will be a terrific addition to a North Carolina roster that will likely boast a senior Leaky Woods and a sophomore Puff Johnson on the wing when he arrives on campus next year.

Next. 'Must have' recruit for Tar Heels in 2021. dark

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