Top Women's Basketball Recruit Sets Official Visit to North Carolina

Brooklynn Haywood, a 5-foot-9 guard from Vancouver Union High School in the state of Washington, has announced she will take five official visits. She plans on visiting Baylor (July 31), North Carolina (Aug. 23), Utah (Sept. 7), Houston (Sept. 19) and Oregon (Sept. 26).

“I’m looking for a family atmosphere, for sure,” Haywood told Rivals in a prior interview. “I want to make it somewhere that will feel like home. I also want to have a good relationship with the coaches – them being approachable. There are some coaches that just don’t want to hear from players and things like that.”

Haywood is the 26th ranked prospect in the country according to Rivals. She told Rivals the most important issue for her is how she communicates with the coaches and how the communication will translate to in-game situations.

“A big thing for me is that, as a point guard, I can see things on the floor that they can’t really see, so I like to have a relationship where we can banter back and forth with what we should do,” Haywood said in a previous interview. “I want to be able to play with the ball in my hands. I think I do really well with that, especially under pressure, I find my teammates and get my own shots.” 

She also holds offers from other programs such as Southern Methodist University, Brigham Young University, Houston, Virginia Tech, Stanford and Oregon. Haywood plays for the Cal Stars on the Nike EYBL circuit and is averaging 17.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game thus far over the summer.

Haywood, who is a big Jonas Brothers fan, per The Columbian, is also a black-belt in karate and is a blossoming crooner when it comes to karaoke. There apparently is a whole different side to Haywood other than basketball and she deserves credit for it.

“I’m always so straight faced and don’t really have an emotion on the court other than when my teammates make a play,” Haywood said. “I don’t let anything bother me, but off the court, I’m just loud and singing and dancing all the time.”

She earned her black belt at the age of 10. However, after that, basketball became a priority and her full-time endeavor.

During her junior high school season she averaged 35 points, eight rebounds and five assists per game. Her coach at Union, Gary Mills, said she is the most skilled player he has ever coached.

“And what she has to go with is the mindset of an assassin,” Mills said. “She feels like she can make a shot at any time, and that confidence is there almost all the time that she can do something great.

“A smart basketball player knows when it’s their time to go and their time to shine, and then they also know when they need to get their teammates involved.”

Now it is time for Courtney Banghart, the women's basketball coach at UNC, to turn on the Chapel Hill charm and reel this sniper home.

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