WBB: Minnesota Guard Jordan Zubich Commits to Courtney Banghart, UNC

Perhaps there shouldn't have been much suspense surrounding Jordan Zubich's commitment to North Carolina on Sunday during a ceremony at Mountain Iron (Minn.) Buhl High School. After all, the 5-11, class of 2024 guard -- who slots as a '2' for head coach Courtney Banghart -- and her family are lifelong Carolina fans. Her father "rarely" misses men's basketball games, it's the only school to which she took an unofficial and official visit, and her trips to UNC's summer camps are some of her fondest memories. She picked the Tar Heels over fellow finalists Utah, Creighton, Ohio State, Minnesota, and Nebraska. "Obviously, it's been my dream for a long time (to play at UNC)," Zubich told Inside Carolina. "My middle name is 'Carolina.' I think there was kind of a thought throughout my recruiting process that everyone knew it was my dream school. But, it was never a situation where I was going to get an offer and sign right away. Sometimes going to the right place for you means you don't go to your dream school. I got lucky that UNC is both." Though North Carolina didn't offer a scholarship until last December, Zubich and her family took an unofficial visit a month earlier. They followed it up with an official visit in late January. "It was never awkward," said Zubich of the official trip. "Sometimes you can tell the team is just being nice because you're a recruit. But all the girls were so genuinely nice... I thought I would fit in really well." Soon thereafter, Zubich shared with Banghart her decision to commit. "I took lot of unofficial visits, just because for me the most important thing was the people," said Zubich. "You can listen over the phone, but you don't get to see who they are and how they are until you're there, with them. Every school is trying to sell themselves, but I believe all the coaches in my top six were genuine, great people overall. (The UNC) coaching staff is amazing. They're all so different and work so well together. That's one of the reasons I wanted to go there. I FaceTimed with Courtney after practice one day when she was recruiting at a different high school. She put the phone down and started doing like a dance while she was in the school. It was really funny." Zubich first entered the UNC staff's radar in June 2021 during camp in Chapel Hill. "They just kind of noticed me while I was there, and asked what grade I was in," she said. "I was talking to Courtney and had some phone calls with her after that. We started talking a lot after that." While at camp, Zubich's counselor was former UNC player Taylor Koenen, a fellow Minnesotan who played for the Minnesota Fury on the Under Armour AAU circuit. "When I first got to camp, she was kind of like my coach for a couple of drills," explained Zubich. "She asked where I'm from and I told her I was from Minnesota too. That kind of was like a little bit of a comfort in a way. She talked about the transition to college and from a place like home to North Carolina. Even now, she's just very helpful and has regularly reached out on social media. (Since the visit), I've talked to (UNC junior guard/forward) Alyssa Utsby a lot. She played for Minnesota Fury and she loves it there. (UNC). She could not say enough good things." The journey to be a high-major college player started at a young age for Zubich. Her father played basketball throughout high school, and her brother, Asher, is the all-time leading scorer for the Mountain Iron-Buhl boys program. She spent a lot of days rebounding for him in their driveway, and that rebounding eventually turned into shooting. So, early in elementary school Zubich and her father started her development journey. "My strongest skill is my three-point shooting ability," she said. "It's really helpful to stretch the floor, even when I'm not making them. People know that I can shoot (which) helps create open lanes for my teammates. I think my basketball IQ is pretty good too. I have a good idea when to kick it out and when to shoot. Sometimes you'll make the wrong read, but overall I'm a pretty smart player." Zubich has been playing varsity basketball since 8th grade, and recalls a game against Minnesota redshirt freshman guard Katie Borowicz as a seminal moment in her young career. "It was my first varsity start as an eight grader and she was my assignment," Zubich recalled. "We were going head to head -- she was a junior -- and we kind of canceled each other out. We both had 18 points. That's when I realized basketball was something I could do seriously moving forward." Through 20 games this season, Zubich is averaging 28.8 points (57% FG, 44% 3pt, 71% FT), 5.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.7 steals per game and has led Mountain Iron-Buhl to a 17-3 record. "I think I've kind of always shot it farther away than anyone else," said Zubich. "A couple of summers ago, a trainer I met told me that not a lot of girls can shoot from the volleyball line. (They said) being able to do that can separate you at the next level, and that's really great for spacing in AAU and high school." Though she's in pursuit of a state title, Zubich is happy to have her college decision behind her. "It's so exciting because we grew up watching them (UNC) compete for national championships," she said. "You can't really beat Carolina blue. It's the best color."
Courtesy of: 247sports.com