So why did 5-star basketball recruit Blanca Thomas pick UNC? ‘It was the family feel’
Charlotte Catholic 5-star forward Blanca Thomas made her college commitment via her social media page Monday.
Thomas, a top 10 national recruit, will attend North Carolina.
“It was honestly just the family feel,” Thomas said led her to pick the Tar Heels. “It was the school that I would always compare the other ones to. So I always knew, in my heart that, that was the place I needed to be.”
The Tar Heels are coming off a season where they went 22-11 before losing a close 71-69 game in the NCAA tournament to Ohio State. Thomas, a 6-5 forward with shooting range, feels like she is bringing a unique skill set to the program with her height and abilities.
“I think I am bringing a new look for them,” Thomas said. “They’ve definitely had post players, but they haven’t had one with the size that I do. It will be cool to see how I’m used and how they fit me in and work with me.”
Thomas said she has developed a strong relationship with the Tar Heels head coach Courtney Banghart.
“I’d say she was the lead recruiter on me,” Thomas said. “I talked to all the coaches but I talked with her the most. I just feel comfortable going to her where at some other schools I wouldn’t talk to the head coaches as much. I’m just lucky to have the relationship that I was able to build with her from our first-ever call.”
A collection of women’s basketball programs offered Thomas a spot during the past few years. Last August, she narrowed her list to 10 schools — Duke, Louisville, Michigan, North Carolina, N.C. State, Notre Dame, Stanford, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia Tech.
Thomas’s selection process wasn’t easy, but she set a list of criteria, and she felt UNC checked all the boxes.
“I really looked at things that were important to me,” Thomas said. “Obviously the academic side of things was really important to me. I looked at playing time. I didn’t want to go to a place where I would be on the bench my first year. I wanted to go somewhere where they had enough belief in me to go out there and make an impact on the team the year that I get there.”
Thomas is entering her senior year at Charlotte Catholic, and she looks to lead her team to a third consecutive Southwestern 4A conference championship. The Cougars will also try to reach the N.C. 4A Western Regional round for the third consecutive season. Charlotte Catholic has lost in the past two state semifinal games.
Last season, Thomas led Charlotte Catholic to a 25-7 record. She averaged 16.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.2 blocks, leading her team in each category.
She was named The Charlotte Observer defensive player of the year after the 2022-23 season ended.
