Kate Harpring, the No. 4 player in the 2026 ESPNW 100 class, has committed to North Carolina, she announced Saturday.
The 5-foot-10 guard had taken official visits to North Carolina, UCLA, Iowa and Vanderbilt and had offers from nearly every major program, including UConn, South Carolina, Duke, Texas and Tennessee.
"I'm so excited to be committing to North Carolina after an incredibly difficult decision process," she told ESPN. "Coach [Courtney] Banghart's confidence in me has me ready to join the UNC family."
Most recently seen helping the USA under-19 team to a gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Cup, Harpring is a tough combo guard who broke out last year. Named Overtime Select MVP in 2024, she averaged 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game on the adidas 3SSB circuit.
Although known as a talented scoring guard, Harpring is a fierce and physical defender on the ball and fantastic rebounder.
She is the daughter of former NBA player Matt Harpring, who was three-time All-ACC at Georgia Tech and played for four teams in an 11-year pro career.
It has been a fruitful weekend for Banghart and the Tar Heels, who were nearly at the finish line with No. 1 Saniyah Hall before she announced her commitment to USC in late July.
Harpring will be the highest-rated perimeter player to sign with North Carolina ever and the highest-rated recruit since No. 4 Ciera Toomey in 2023.
North Carolina also picked up the commitment of top-100 forward Irene Guiamatsia (No. 48) on Friday night.
