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Nation's No. 2 women's basketball recruit Kate Harpring commits to North Carolina

Wg0vf-nP_400x400by: Keegan Pope08/09/25bykeeganpope
Kate Harping
@Kate_Harpring26 on X/Twitter

Kate Harpring, the nation’s No. 2 women’s basketball recruit in the 2026 class, has committed to North Carolina, she announced on Saturday.

The Atlanta (Ga.) Marist star chose the Tar Heels over offers from Iowa, South Carolina, UCLA and dozens of others. Harpring, the daughter of former NBA player Matt Harpring is one of the most decorated recruits in the country.

As a junior, the 5-foot-10 point guard averaged 32.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per game this past season, leading Marist to the Georgia AAAA state semifinals. In addition to that, Harpring poured in 5.1 steals, 3.7 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. 

On top of her exploits at the high school level, Harpring has been a rising star in the USA Women’s Basketball world. As a sophomore, she was named a finalist for the USA Women’s U17 National Team. A year later, she attended mini camp for the U19 squad and ultimately earned a spot on the team that played in the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup in Brno, Czechia.

That team went on to win the gold medal with Harpring averaging 8.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists in 16 minutes per game.

Her commitment gives the Tar Heels and head coach Courtney Banghart another major to piece to build around in the coming years. Last cycle, UNC signed a pair of consensus top-25 recruits in forwards Nyla Brooks and Taliyah Henderson.

The Heels are coming off their fifth straight NCAA Tournament trip under Banghart and their second Sweet 16 appearance since 2022.

Harpring is now the third top-10 recruit in the 2026 class to come off the board in the past two weeks, joining No. 1 overall Saniyah Hall (USC) and No. 7 prospect Jordyn Jackson (Maryland).