Courtney Banghart earned another big win on the recruiting trail Monday, as five-star forward Blanca Thomas announced her commitment to the Tar Heels.

Thomas chose the Tar Heels over several other elite programs, including South Carolina, NC State, Stanford, Notre Dame and Duke.

Thomas, who currently plays at Charlotte Catholic High School, is the first member of the 2024 recruiting class to commit to Carolina. ESPN ranks Thomas as the No. 10 overall player in the class, a five-star recruit and a 96 overall. She’s the highest-ranked recruit from North Carolina in the class.

As a junior at Charlotte Catholic, Thomas averaged 16.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game. She also played for Team USA at the FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup last summer. At six-foot-five, Thomas is taller than any member of the 2022-23 Tar Heels, and will likely team up with five-star center Ciera Toomey down low when she arrives in Chapel Hill in 2024. Toomey is the highest-ranked member of Carolina’s 2023 recruiting class.

 

Featured image via ASGR Basketball

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