'She's Coming Here to Win' - Inside Kate Harpring's UNC Commitment

There’s a parallel world out there where Kate Harpring didn’t become UNC’s highest-rated signee under head coach Courtney Banghart.

It’s not because Harpring, the consensus No. 1-ranked point guard in the 2026 class, has ever questioned her decision to commit to the Tar Heels. On the contrary, everything that’s happened since her summer announcement has confirmed the choice, she recently told Inside Carolina.

In that world, though, it’s because Harpring became a phenom in something other than basketball.

“She loved to play soccer so much,” her mother Mandy Harpring said. “She was really good, had a nose for it, and just enjoyed the competition.”

Unfortunately for Harpring, soccer’s season and offseason schedule is similar to basketball. And, while Harpring was good at soccer, “she was probably better at basketball and played it 50-percent less,” Mandy Harpring said.

“From an early age she excelled athletically,” said Mandy Harpring. “All the way back to when she was a toddler, she just did coordinated things that were different for a young kid to do. As she got older, the way she moved, kicked a ball, hit a ball, or dribbled a ball was just a little different. We knew probably around eight years old that she had a chance to be special.”

And balancing multiple sports and a busy family schedule meant Kate often had to choose between disappointing her soccer or basketball team. Tennis was easier to keep because it was just her playing, but soccer and basketball overlapped a bit too much. Doing all three wasn’t sustainable, she had to pick one.

“Being a basketball player myself, you kind of just recognize talent right away,” her father, and NBA veteran Matt Harpring, told Inside Carolina. “It was close between soccer and basketball, but I remember telling her ‘however good you think you can be in soccer, the basketball coach is telling us the same thing.’ I think she made the right decision.”

Since choosing basketball full-time, Harpring has emerged as one of the sport’s most recognizable faces at the high school level. She chose Carolina over offers from many of the country’s best schools including Iowa, LSU, Maryland, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and UConn.

“The entire program is on the way up,” Harpring said of UNC. “The recruiting class last year was good with a lot of talented freshmen. The program in general, with it being led by Coach Banghart and what she’s done, that’s one of the reasons I chose Carolina. I really do think we can win – and win big.”

Inflection Point

Time is at a premium in a family of seven with two parents working full time. Sacrifices have to be made. Just down the street from their suburban Atlanta home, the Harprings let one of their sons play recreational basketball at a local gym. It made sense then, to limit travel, to let Kate Harpring tag along with her older brother instead of playing elsewhere.

But something funny happened during those games. Harpring, then in 4^th grade, started playing with the 5^th grade boys. She held her own, competed, and, through her play, convinced her parents to allow her to continue.

What started as a convenient way to maintain order over the family’s hectic schedule, turned into a key inflection point of Harpring’s origin story.

“We never really intended for her to play with boys,” Matt Harpring said. “But then she was excelling playing with the boys and playing up in age. Even at eight or nine, she enjoyed the competition. Plus, I’m a proponent of playing to your skill level rather than your age. And as a young girl, her skill level was commensurate with the young boys who were a little older. It’s funny how things happen… juggling schedules is impossible when you have five kids.”

Basketball came easy to Harpring, and the family responded in kind. Matt Harpring coached her – on a team full of boys – in local tournaments through elementary and most of middle school, before joining a local all-girls team.

At 13, Harpring truly started to separate herself from the other players her age. That’s also around the time she picked up her first scholarship offer.

“That blew me away,” explained Matt Harpring. “Coming where I came from (All-ACC player at Georgia Tech in the 1990s), I wondered how she was going to stay focused, hardworking, and wanting to be the best when she has an offer before high school. I had a hard time dealing with that and I would tell her ‘this doesn’t mean anything.’ It’s truly a different recruiting world than the one I had.”

Carolina Was Always at the Top

Banghart wasn’t the only reason Harpring chose North Carolina, but she was undeniably a major part. Carolina’s head coach personally managed the star guard’s recruitment from the moment she extended a scholarship offer to the day of Harpring’s signing ceremony.

Simply put, she made Harpring her top – and at times only – priority.

“She recognized Katie’s talent and potential early on,” said Mandy Harpring. “The way she recruited Katie and our whole family, it was a great mix of ‘you’re going to be a good player, but I can make you a great player and help you be a part of something special.’ Through the years, that definitely resonated with Katie, being a part of a basketball community like UNC.”

Harpring’s official visit to Carolina in October 2024, ironically, included UNC’s football game against Georgia Tech, where Matt Harpring starred for Bobby Cremins. Luke Harpring, Kate’s older brother, is a sophomore tight end for the Yellow Jackets.

“I loved watching my brother play, but also it was fun attending the game,” said Harpring. “I hung out with pretty much the whole team, went to dinner, and played games with the girls.”

The time spent on an official visit is the most players will have with their future teammates prior to enrolling. So, recruits have to treat it like a scouting trip. What were the other players like? Are they fun to be around? Are they a tight-knit group? Do you like each other?

“Getting a glimpse of their personalities, and watching practice was what I wanted to see,” she said. “And then I wanted to have some time with the coaches, so they could show me how I would look at Carolina, how they would develop me, and make me a better player and person. They did a great job, because the school and program are amazing. After my visit, I was like ‘wow, I can see myself there.’”

Though she was months from committing, Harpring had a good feeling about Carolina. A feeling that didn’t dissipate as time went by. During her junior season at Atlanta (Ga.) Marist School, Harpring averaged 32.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, 5.1 steals, 3.7 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game.

Her performances in high school and on the AAU circuit led to a selection to the 2025 USA Women’s U19 National Team. Averaging 8.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists as one of the youngest players on the team, Harpring won a gold medal at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup in Brno, Czechia this past summer.

After returning home to Atlanta, Harpring knew it was time to think about a college choice.

“All my visits were done early, so when I got back, I was just writing out pros and cons lists, and discussing stuff with my family,” she said. “Every time I’d do that Carolina was always at the top of my rankings of all the schools. I’ve had a relationship with Coach (Banghart) forever. When you spend time being recruited by a bunch of coaches, you can tell who is interested in you, and who is interested in you as just a basketball player. She was a big reason Carolina kept coming back to the top.”

Not one to rush into a decision or act hastily, Harpring slept on it for a few nights. She called Banghart after that and started asking a series of questions, without making a commitment.

“I was like “OK, who am I going to be living with?” Harpring recalled. “It was just a bunch of questions that weren’t really about basketball. And once all I figured all that stuff out, that was it. I knew Carolina is where I was going.”

In the modern college basketball calendar, August is probably the least busy month. There’s a three-week dead period in which coaches can’t visit recruits off campus nor hold team practices. It’s maybe the best time on the calendar for them to spend time with their families and get away from the gym.

“When I called to commit, she was actually on a family vacation,” said Harpring. “I just said ‘Coach, I’m committing to UNC. I think it’s the perfect program for me.’ She was super excited, and it was just a great moment. She recruited me forever, and she got to know me so well. It made the call so special… to be able to know the coach I’m going to play for wanted me for the person and basketball player I am. It was a great day and I’m so happy with my decision.”

Ready to Work — and Win

Harpring will play both guard spots for the Tar Heels next season.

“Kate is a fierce competitor…,” Banghart told Inside Carolina. “She’s probably the most understated number one player in the country or number two, just like (UNC freshman) Nyla (Brooks). I mean, Nyla is one of the best players in the country. She’s in all the conversations for rookie of the year, rookie of the week, rookie of everything, but she is this joyful kid every day. So, Kate really fits us in that way, but she’s going to bring a competitive edge that we have come to expect. And she can really hoop. She’s coming here to win. She feels like we’re almost there, and she wants to be a part of that, getting us there.”

But Harpring doesn’t expect to be handed the keys to Carolina basketball. Like everything else in her life, she’s ready to earn it.

“It’s a whole new game at the college level,” Harpring said. “And so honestly, I feel like I want to go in and be the best player, the best basketball player I can be. I know that there’s going to be a lot of pressure with that… Obviously I want to be an all-American, I want to be the best. But I know I have to go in and work. I have to get used to the college game. The speed, strength, and athleticism in the ACC is incredible. I’m going in knowing there will be pressure, but I know I can achieve my goals.”

Added Matt Harpring: “When she steps on campus at UNC, she’s got to prove herself all over again, and that’s the motivation she’s carried through her whole life. I love how she competes at both ends of the floor and isn’t just worried about scoring and offense. We’re excited to watch it all happen.”