On The Trail With UNC Hoops Recruiting

Another North Carolina target will come off the board Monday night when Angelo Brizzi announces his college destination. It won’t be UNC, so the Virginia guard whom THI has previously featured will no longer be on the radar.

That and a few other items mark this week’s look at the recruiting trail:

*Angelo Brizzi jumped onto the radar in May when he picked up some impressive offers, including from Arizona, and THI learned conversations between the point guard and Carolina’s staff had picked up. He spoke mostly with Brad Frederick but also had a conversation (or more) with Roy Williams. Brizzi also told THI he was on campus last fall the weekend the football team played Appalachian State and played pickup with the then-UNC team. He expressed considerable interest in the Tar Heels.

But Villanova, among other schools, really started turning up the heat and things with Brizzi stopped materializing.

*Harrison Ingram will reveal his top six schools this weekend, and it’s expected UNC will make the cut, though the Tar Heels are not considered the favorite right now. Tennessee, Purdue, Stanford, Louisville and Michigan could also comprise the final six schools on his list. Duke, which has not yet offered, could become a factor if the Blue Devils extend.

Ingram cut his list to 10 schools on May 11, with Arkansas, Baylor, Texas A&M and Memphis joining the programs noted above.

So, what does the 6-foot-7 small forward and No. 8 overall player in the class of 2021 think about the Tar Heels?

“I love UNC,” he told THI in the spring. “Still a surreal feeling receiving any offers, especially from schools like UNC. And I’ve watched tons of film and live games and think I could be very successful in their system. I really love the family atmosphere that I experienced on my visit.”

And how does UNC see Ingram fitting in?

“What they say if they can use me in so many different ways,” he said. “Point guard initiating the play, posting up smaller guards, on the wing attacking and hitting open shots, etc. They think I can be extremely special in their fast break style of play.”

*There were some rumblings over the weekend that Carolina could offer Rahsool Diggins and either use it as leverage with its recruitment of Hunter Sallis or genuinely make a push for the Pennsylvania point guard. But that won’t happen now after Diggins (the No. 41 overall prospect in 2021) committed to UConn on Sunday.

He chose the Huskies over Florida, and whileUNC is out of the picture, the staff continues to look at other point guards. UNC has been working to possibly get involved with Jalen Warley, who is from Norristown, PA, and is the No. 21 overall player in the nation.

Warley has a huge offer sheet that includes Virginia, Florida State, Louisville, Ohio State, Michigan and Oregon, among many others. The 6-foot-5, 180-pounder is rated the No. 4 point guard in the class and released a top 10 list on June 7 that included Memphis, Michigan, Florida State, Louisville, Miami, Ohio State, Oregon, Virginia, LSU and Maryland.

Rivals recently did a Ranking The Contenders piece on Warley.

*Here’s a new name on the radar for UNC basketball fans: Robert Dillingham, a class of 2023 point guard from Charlotte who attends Combine Academy.

Dillingham’s high school coach is former Tar Heel and longtime NBA guard Jeff McInnis.

At 6-foot-1 and 160 pounds, Dillingham has a handful of Division One offers, including from South Florida, but he’s been in conversations with some elite programs, as well, including Kansas and recently UNC.

Being coached by McInnis has helped enhance Dillingham’s full awareness of the UNC program and what it’s like playing for the Tar Heels.

“It’s great because he’s (McInnis) already been there and been through it,” Dillingham told THI. “So, he’s teaching me his ways and how to become a better player.”

THI will post a full interview with Dillingham later this week.