Derek Dixon, a 4-star shooting guard in the class of 2025, who attends Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC, has committed to play basketball at North Carolina.

The No. 44 overall prospect in the Rivals150, Dixon is 6-foot-4 and weighs 195 pounds. He is rated the No. 12 player in the nation at his position.

He chose UNC over Pittsburgh, thought it appeared for a while Pitt was the team to beat. Virginia and Vanderbilt were also in contention.

Jeff Capel and Pittsburgh were on Dixon longer than any other school, and there is a connected with one of Pitt’s assistant coaches and Dixon’s family. Yet, UNC ultimately won out. And the reasons were many for Dixon.

“Being around him he is just such a good person,” Dixon told THI referring to UNC Coach Hubert Davis. “He cares for his players and sticks up for his players. He really just wants to see us succeed and build a relationship with us. That was the thing I saw that made an impact on me.”

Dixon was in Chapel Hill for his official visit a few weeks ago, which included taking in the Tar Heels’ football win over Charlotte.

“I got to learn a lot about the school and the tradition,” he said. “It was my first time being in Chapel Hill, and my first time in the Dean Dome. That stuff was cool to see in person, because it is stuff you see on TV, and hear about. Then just meeting staff and seeing how good of people they were, and how genuine they were was really cool to see.”

Dixon averaged 13.6 points, 3 assists, and 2.2 rebounds in five Peach Jam pool play games. He shot 39.3% overall, and 38.5% from three-point range. He went for 14.5 points, 4.5 assists, and 2 rebounds in three playoff games.

In addition, Takeover went 21-2 in the EYBL last spring and summer and made their way to the Peach Jam semifinals. Gonzaga went 28-6 last winter and finished in second place in the Washington Catholic League.

The 6-foot-4 high school senior also made a major jump up the Rivals 2025 updated rankings that were released Tuesday. He climbed 24 spots from No. 68 to No. 44.

Also factoring in Dixon’s decision is the possibly of early playing time.

“They (say) this is RJ’s fifth year, and he will have to leave,” Dixon said. “Then Elliot (Cadeau) is looking to take it to the next level after this year. They think guard is going to be a position they will need, and I will fit well in that role, and I could be a true mix like an RJ and Elliot, like their shooting ability, the passing ability, and all that kind of stuff. They think they can really help me improve my game.”

Dixon is the first member of the class of 2025 to commit to UNC.