Before the start of the season, many had it pegged that there were a few players in the state of North Carolina that had separated themselves from the rest in the class of 2021. Many were looking at the talents of Dontrez Styles from Kinston and Carter Whitt from Leesville Road battling it out for the top spot.
Now we sit in the month of May and that discussion has gotten a lot more interesting with the hoop heads around the state, the region, and even nationally.
Westover’s D’Marco Dunn came onto the scene quickly in North Carolina and has entered his name into that discussion with authority.
This past season, Dunn displayed that he had something special to his game. The 6’4 prospect averaged 20.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.7 steals, and shot 54 percent from the floor, including 45 percent from three.
When we spoke with Dunn back in January, right before his recruitment started to really take off, he mentioned that the game seemed to be coming easier to him and the coaching staff at Westover really helped him hit his stride. Dunn’s game has continued to grow and develop since Phenom Hoops first saw him in November of 2019 at the Phenom Hoops High School Jamboree (highlights below).
“It has really evolved,” Dunn said about his game. “Coach Stack has really helped me simplify my game, so I would like to say its straight to the point with me looking to be aggressive on the offensive end. I feel like I can do a little bit of everything, so when I catch, I’m looking to shoot first, drive, and then swing. And of course, competing on the defensive end.”
With what Dunn has shown though, he should quickly be moving up the ranks by all media outlets around the country, just like what he has seen with his recruitment with college coaches.
Already holding an offer before coming to Westover, his recruitment has sky-rocketed over the last few months. He received an offer from VCU and East Carolina during the start of the high school season.
However, since the start of the 2020 year, Dunn has added offers from UC Riverside, Vanderbilt, North Carolina A&T, Wichita State, South Florida, Appalachian State, Marquette, Xavier, Texas, Clemson, Maryland, UNCG, and now capping it off with his latest offer from North Carolina.
His rise and recruitment don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon either, as more offers should be adding on to his impressive list already. But Dunn has firmly planted himself in the discussion as one the top players in the class in 2021 for North Carolina; it certainly is a different outlook from where we were at the start of the high school season just months ago.
Dunn has arrived and is not looking back; it seems like he has his eyes on that top spot…