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UNC Basketball: Tar Heels’ in-state target rises up the recruiting rankings

By Blake Cockrum

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 11: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts during their game against the Syracuse Orange in the second round of the 2020 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 11, 2020 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 11: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts during their game against the Syracuse Orange in the second round of the 2020 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 11, 2020 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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An up-and-coming in-state UNC basketball target is rising up the recruiting rankings.

When Roy Williams extended a scholarship offer to Fayetteville, North Carolina native D’Marco Dunn last month, the up-and-coming in-state prospect was ranked just 90th in the nation according to 247Sports’ Top247. Apparently Williams knew something that we didn’t know, because Dunn has moved up 27 spots in the site’s updated recruiting rankings that were released on Wednesday.

A 6-foot-4, 180-pound senior at Westover High School, Dunn and his family moved to the East Coast from Tucson, Arizona prior to his junior season. He quickly established himself as the leader of a Westover squad that recorded a perfect 30-0 record last season. According to Maxpreps, Dunn averaged 20.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, two assists and 2.7 steals per game as a junior. He also knocked down 45 percent of his shots from three-point range.

As a result, Dunn is already holding on to nearly 20 scholarship offers from some of the nation’s top basketball programs. In addition to North Carolina, Arizona, Clemson, Houston, Louisville, Marquette, Maryland, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Wichita State and Xavier highlight Dunn’s growing list of schools. He’s also gotten interest from New Mexico, Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA and Virginia Tech, among others. And it’s likely that his options only continue to multiply over the next several months.

Dunn’s smooth, high release helps him knock down a good percentage of his shots beyond the arc, and has garnered the attention of coaches across the country. He’s improving as a ball handler, too, and can hit shots from mid-range. He’s got speed in the open court, and runs the floor well on the fast break. He’ll also drive the lane, and finish strong in the paint from time to time. All of those things have helped Dunn’s ranking improve over the past month, and turned him into a popular back court option in the 2021 class.

Despite being ranked just 145th overall in the 247Sports Composite, the Top247 places him at No. 63 in the class of 2021. ESPN, on the other hand, ranks Dunn 87th in the class, while Rivals pegs him as the No. 78 recruit in the nation.

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