CHAPEL HILL — Derek Dixon joins UNC basketball as a top-50 recruit and he’s already turning heads as an underrated player who could have a regular role in the Tar Heels ’ rotation this season.

“I try not to pay attention to it,” Dixon said of the recruiting rankings. “Obviously, I see it, but just trying to focus on being the best version of myself.”

Seeing an opportunity in Chapel Hill with RJ Davis exhausting his eligibility, along with departures via the transfer portal in Elliot Cadeau and Ian Jackson, Dixon felt like he had a shot to see the court right away as a freshman at UNC.

A 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard from Vienna, Va., Dixon played at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., where he led the team to a state championship. The title-winning pedigree is present.

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