SI All-American Candidates: 2 North Carolina Commits and 3 Tar Heels Targets Named

SI99 revealed on Dec. 2; position rankings begin on Dec. 4

Roy Williams entered his 18th season with his alma mater in unfamiliar territory, hoping to revive a North Carolina program coming off its first losing season since 2001–02. Even if the Tar Heels disappoint again during college basketball's shortened 2020–21 campaign, though, don't be surprised to see them chasing NCAA championships soon.

Why? North Carolina, unsurprisingly, has shrugged off those recent struggles to re-emerge as a force to be reckoned with on the recruiting trail.

Two UNC verbal commits and three key Tar Heels targets from the high school class of 2021 have been named Sports Illustrated All-American candidates.

Listed below is the full breakdown of North Carolina commits and prime targets who rank among SI's top-99 high school seniors in the country. 

COMMITS

SF Dontrez Styles/6-6, 190/Kinston, N.C.

SG D'Marco Dunn/6-4, 180/Fayetteville, N.C.

TOP TARGETS

SF Patrick Baldwin Jr./6-9, 200/Sussex, Wisc.

SG Hunter Sallis/6-5, 175/Ohama, Neb.

C Efton Reid/7-0, 225/Bradenton, Fla.

Hundreds and hundreds of student-athletes were evaluated for the SI99—Sports Illustrated’s ranking of the top-99 senior high school basketball players in the country—before the list of All-American candidates was finalized. Video highlights, scouting analyses and a breakdown of each player’s college verbal commitment and/or top college contenders can be found on their bio pages at SIAllAmerican.com.

The SI99 was unveiled on Dec. 2, accompanied by lists of prospects ordered by state and college choice/contenders. Position rankings, in-depth videos on top-rated players and more will be released throughout the remainder of December. Sports Illustrated’s final All-American teams for the 2020-21 prep hoops season will be announced in coming months.