UNC Women's Basketball: Lena Girardi narrows recruitment to five schools

The UNC women's basketball program received more good news on the recruiting trail, as four-star Class of 2025 guard Lena Girardi included the Tar Heels among her five finalists.

Talia Goodman of On3 was the first to report the news, as Girardi is still considering North Carolina along with Arizona, Northwestern, Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech.

If you're a sports fan (particularly of baseball), the last name Girardi likely rings a bell. Lena is the daughter of former MLB catcher and manager Joe Girardi, a four-time World Series champion.

Currently, Girardi is viewed by ESPN HoopGurlz as the No. 79 overall prospect in the Class of 2025. A Fort Lauderdale, Florida native, Girardi competes for IMG Academy, one of the most prestigious high schools in the country for athletics.

When she broke down her recruitment in an interview with Talia Goodman, Girardi had very positive things to say about Courtney Banghart and the University of North Carolina as a whole:

“Coach Courtney [Banghart] started recruiting me very young, but she offered me a little later. UNC is such a beautiful campus and is known for basketball. She’s really fun and bubbly and I’m kind of like that too. We hit it off talking and I like watching them play. I like their style a lot. I’m definitely excited to go back for an official. How she saw me fitting in, I really took that to heart.”

If you are into looking deeper into the recruiting connections that student-athletes have, Girardi has strong ties to Northwestern. Both her parents and grandmother are alumni of the university, as the Wildcats might have an advantage in this particular recruitment due to that factor.

Regardless, that won't deter Banghart and the UNC women's basketball program from heavily recruiting this highly-regarded talent up until the final buzzer of her recruitment.