Tar Heels ink two women’s basketball recruits

UNC has signed a pair of high school seniors to letters of intent in women’s basketball.

Playing for Sylvia Hatchell’s Tar Heels next season will be 5-9 guard Latifah Coleman of Pageland, S.C., and 5-7 point guard Shannon Smith of Gastonia, N.C.

Coleman, who attends Central High, is a three-time all-state performer who has over 1,000 career points and has played for three AAU state champions.

Coleman, ranked among the nation’s top 100 shooting guards by ESPN HoopGurlz, averaged 22.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.8 steals last season.

Smith, who attends Forestview High, was the 2009 North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Year after leading her team to the state 3A final and being named most outstanding player of the tournament. Last season she averaged 26.3 points, 6.6 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game while leading her team to a third straight conference title.

Smith was a Sporting News All-America honorable mention as a junior. She is ranked in the All-Star Girls Report Top 100 and as the nation’s No. 26 point guard by ESPN HoopGurlz.