UNC Basketball: Tar Heels’ top 2023 target shines on amateur circuit

A 5-star prospect and the top target of the UNC basketball program, Robert Dillingham continues playing brilliantly after leading his high school team to a state championship in 2021.

Robert Dillingham is ranked among the top point guards in the class of 2023, so it makes sense why Roy Williams and the Tar Heels are showing so much interest in him this early in his recruitment.

Currently just a sophomore at Combine Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina, Dillingham received his scholarship offer from the Tar Heels in late December. Since then, North Carolina has become the prohibitive favorite to land a commitment from the consensus 5-star prospect. On the other hand, Dillingham is yet to receive any other high major offers, or ones that match the history and prestige of the Tar Heels. His other offers consist of DePaul, Middle Tennessee State, Ole Miss, Tennessee Tech, USF, Wichita State and Winthrop, but look for that list to grow exponentially over the next year.

For the Tar Heels, in particular, Dillingham would be an important piece in getting back to the UNC offense of old. He’s a score-first, pass-also lead guard that can not only get his own offense, but also get his teammates involved — more similar to Ty Lawson than Cole Anthony or Caleb Love.

Dillingham can do all of the things that you’d expect your floor general to be able to do — dribble, drive, shoot, distribute — but he’s so good at all of them, and doesn’t have a ton of glaring weaknesses. He’s an effective shooter from inside and outside the arc, and he’s got a knack for making acrobatic finishes in the painted area. And as good as he is at putting a move on his defender and finishing strong at the basket, he’s just as good at dishing out to an open teammate once he’s drawn the attention of two or three defenders.

The 6-foot-1, 160-pound guard had that on display in some recent amateur circuit action, as Rivals’ Jamie Shaw was courtside to watch Dillingham score 26 in his first game, followed by a 35-point encore performance.

"“Dillingham has been on fire in 2021, leading his Combine Academy team to a state championship with an average win margin over 20-points per game,” Shaw writes. “These performances have not stopped in travel ball as Dillingham showed up in Rock Hill and exploded for 26-points in his first game, only to follow that up with 35-points in his second game. Dillingham is the 2023 Rivals150 No. 12 prospect, with his shot making ability and slippery way to get a clean look with the ball hands. Dillingham’s innate scoring ability continues to shine every time on the floor.”"

Dillingham is truly the type of point guard that the Tar Heels need to run their offense at an optimal level, that is unless you have a bunch of future NBA players surrounding a pass-first, shoot-seldom guard like Kendall Marshall. But since we have no idea what the Tar Heels’ roster will look like in the fall of 2023, Dillingham should be considered a must-get target for Roy Williams and his coaching staff. And even if North Carolina were to end up packing future NBA players around Dillingham, it would only make their offense that much more potent.

Dillingham is the No. 10 prospect in the class of 2023 according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s ranked second among players at his position, and No. 2 in the state of North Carolina. And he’s bound to be one of the most sought after recruits in the nation by the time it’s all said and done.

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