Fresh off the block: A look at incoming UNC athletes

Incoming athletes for several UNC teams have achieved successes in high school and look to make an impact in Chapel Hill right away.

Men’s basketball

Kenny Williams:

From Chesterfield, Va., Williams is one of two incoming freshman for the North Carolina basketball team and looks ready to make an impact during the 2015-16 season.

Ranked 84th in ESPN’s top 100 recruits for 2015, Williams will look to help the Tar Heels in a facet of the game they struggled with last season: 3-point shooting. UNC tallied just 184 made 3-pointers on 35.8 percent shooting in 2014-15. And over half of the team’s 3-point production came from one player in Marcus Paige.

Williams’ ability to shoot from behind the arc should help lift some of the burden off of Paige during the upcoming year and may even earn Williams solid minutes this year.

Women's basketball

Destinee Walker:

From Orlando, Fla., Walker looks primed to make an instant impact on the North Carolina women’s basketball team with the departure of both Allisha Gray and Jessica Washington.

Her senior year, Walker averaged 24.6 points, 4.2 assists and 3.9 steals per game while leading Lake Highland Prep to a state championship.

Stephanie Watts:

From Wesley Chapel, Watts, like Walker, earned both McDonald’s All-America and Naismith All-America honors in 2015 and will look to find a place in the starting lineup in 2015-16.

During her senior season, Watts averaged 29.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 4.7 steals and 2.4 blocks per game.

Men's tennis

Anudeep Kodali:

From Cary, Kodali, ranked by tennisrecruiting.net as the nation’s 23rd best player, is part of the North Carolina men’s tennis team’s No. 11 2015 recruiting class.

Kodali has participated on the International Tennis Federation junior world tour and in several United States Tennis Association junior tournaments.

Blaine Boyden:

From Raleigh, the other member of the Tar Heels’ 2015 recruiting class is Boyden, who is ranked No. 33 in the nation and No. 3 in North Carolina by tennisrecruiting.net.

As a senior in 2014, Boyden led Wakefield High School to a state championship and was named the 2014 North Carolina High School player of the year.

Women's tennis

Jessie Aney:

From Rochester, Minn., Aney, ranked No. 13 in the country by tennisrecruiting. net, has already put together quite the resume — even before playing in a match for the North Carolina women’s tennis team. She has won several United States Tennis Association singles and doubles titles.

Aney began that resume as an eighth grader in 2011, where she became the youngest high school singles champion in Minnesota. She also won the state 2A doubles title with her sister Katie the next year.

But Aney experienced more than just tennis success during her high school career. She was also the top scoring ice hockey player in Minnesota. During her senior year, Aney led the state in assists and points while also tallying 44 goals.

Women's soccer

Dorian Bailey:

From Mission, Kan., Bailey has been viewed by many as the North Carolina soccer team’s best incoming freshman for the upcoming 2015 season.

The 2014 Missouri Gatorade High School Player of the year is currently a member of the United States’ U20 national team and has been a part of four other U.S. teams as a player.

Samantha Leshnak:

From Liberty Township, Ohio, Leshnak earned 27 shutouts in 68 career games and allowed just three goals as a senior in 2014 in four years as a goalkeeper for Mount Notre Dame High School, .

Like Bailey, Leshnak has seen playing time with the U.S. national team. Both will look to contribute during the 2015 season.

Field hockey

Austyn Cuneo:

From Waterford, N.J., Cuneo holds the national high school record for career goals with 328, smashing the previous record of 191.

During her senior season, Cuneo tallied 95 goals, one short of the national record she set one year before, and 27 assists.

During high school, the forward never lost a game.

Ashley Hoffman:

From Mohnton, Pa., Hoffman has been enrolled at UNC since January 2015 and will look to earn a solid role with the Tar Heels this fall.

Even before stepping onto campus, Hoffman had already gotten the chance to play with several UNC players. She was a member of the 2014-15 U.S. U21 National Team, along with four other Tar Heels.

sports@dailytarheel.com

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