5-Star Guard Ryan Carter Commits to UNC Women's Basketball

Another highly coveted prospect will be joining the Tar Heels next season.

Ryan Carter, who 247 Sports rates as a five-star recruit and the No. 10 overall player in her class, announced her commitment to head coach Courtney Banghart and UNC Monday evening. Carter is the second five-star recruit from the Class of 2027 to commit to Carolina in the last week, after No. 6 overall prospect Micah Ojo did so Thursday.

Breaking: Ryan Carter, the No. 13 ranked player in the SC Next 100 for the Class of 2027, has committed to North Carolina, she tells ESPN’s @ShaneLaflin. pic.twitter.com/pdOG3I6mpA

— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) October 12, 2026

A six-foot guard from the Philadelphia suburb of Wynnewood (the same town that produced former UNC men’s star Wayne Ellington), Carter chose the Tar Heels over offers from Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Indiana and Duke. She will join UNC for the 2027-28 season after finishing her high school career at Wynnewood’s Friends’ Central School.

Last season, Carter averaged 17.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while leading Friends’ Central to a Pennsylvania state title, its first in school history. She also won a gold medal with Team USA at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup.

“Carter’s size and skill level makes her unique,” writes Brandon Clay, Director of Women’s Basketball Scouting for 247 Sports. “She projects more as an off the basketball option at this stage of her development.”

Clay added that Carter “has the tools to be a mid-to-high 30 percent shooter from beyond the arc” and that “there’s a lot of run room left” before Carter enrolls in college next fall.

“Carter’s biggest strengths are in creating offense in transition, attacking gaps in the half court and making plays after drawing secondary defenders,” ESPN’s Shane Laflin wrote. “Her decision-making going to the rim, particularly in traffic, will be an indicator of her continued improvement as an all-around guard.”

Basketball won’t be the only thing on Carter’s mind when she arrives in Chapel Hill. An aspiring doctor, Carter told Rivals and ESPN that selecting a school with a strong pre-med program was important in her recruitment.

“There is so much support here at UNC to ensure my success on and off the court,” Carter told ESPN after announcing her decision.

Carter is the fourth five-star prospect to commit to UNC in the last three years. Aside from Ojo, the Tar Heels also earned pledges from Nyla Brooks in 2025 and Kate Harpring in 2026.

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Anthony Sorbellini

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5-Star Guard Ryan Carter Commits to UNC Women’s Basketball

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