NEW ORLEANS — D’Marco Dunn adds some Tucson flavor to a Tar Heel State Final Four showdown.
“The West Coast and East Coast just have different styles of basketball,” Dunn said Friday, shortly before taking to the Caesars Superdome court for North Carolina’s open practice.
A reserve guard, Dunn is the westernmost product on the Tar Heels’ roster. He is a native and a Tucson native and former Marana High School student. Teammate Puff Johnson spent time at Phoenix’s Hillcrest Prep, though Johnson — the younger brother of Suns guard Cam Johnson — is actually a native of the Pittsburgh area.
Dunn made the move in the opposite direction, transferring east to Westover High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in 2019. His was a family decision — his mom, Veronica Johnson, “got a better job,” he said — but it was in Fayetteville that Dunn’s game blossomed.
He averaged better than 20 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game for Westover in 2019-20. Ahead of his senior season, Dunn grew into a high four-star prospect and top-100-ranked recruit, per 247Sports.com.
As a high school senior, Dunn averaged 23.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Dunn’s short time at Westover proved so transformative that the school retired his No. 3 jersey in a ceremony last November.
Even though the 19-year-old Dunn made his name in North Carolina, the Tar Heels guard credits Tucson for shaping his style of game.
“West Coast (basketball players) just (have) a little bit more swagger, the way they move, that whole vibe,” he said. “I took that with me the most.”
Dunn also brought to the East Coast experience from the Marana volleyball team.
A decidedly Western sport still at the high-school level, Dunn said he joined the Tigers; volleyball team to build his jumping ability. Westover didn’t sponsor the sport, but benefited all the same given how Dunn attacked the rim.
The dual-sport background in basketball and volleyball is reminiscent of some revered names in Tucson. Former Arizona Wildcats Jud Buechler and Chase Budinger both played on the beach and indoors as high-schoolers. But that was a long time ago: Dunn was a kindergartener when Budinger played wing for the Arizona basketball team.
North Carolina's D'Marco Dunn played both volleyball and basketball at Marana High School.
Dunn, like most Tucson kids, grew up a fan of the Wildcats. UA even came calling on the recruiting trail. Then-coach Sean Miller offered Dunn a scholarship in May 2020.
“I had a lot of options, including Arizona, but I just felt Carolina was right for me,” he said, adding that the Tar Heels’ coaching staff emerged “later in the recruiting process.”
“I didn’t know until maybe a couple weeks before I committed,” he said of UNC’s interest. “I did a lot of research on the schools that I had (scholarship offers from), and I just felt Carolina was the best fit.”
Year 1 in Chapel Hill has primarily been a time for Dunn to learn. He has played 94 total minutes over 23 games, including NCAA Tournament wins over Marquette and Saint Peter’s, dishing an assist against the Golden Eagles and grabbing a rebound in the East Regional blowout of the Cinderella Peacocks.
Acclimating to the college game alongside UNC star Caleb Love is not a bad introduction, though.
“That’s my dog,” Dunn said of Love. “He’s shown me the ropes.”
Learning from the 15.7-points-per-game Love has been a perk for Dunn in his first college season. Another is reaching a Final Four.
Dunn will be suited up when the Tar Heels face rival Duke in Saturday’s national semifinal. UNC spoiled Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s regular-season home finale; a win Saturday would end the retiring coach’s career.
With UA bounced from the tournament and one of its own in the national semifinal, how much Carolina Blue is Dunn expecting to be donned in the Old Pueblo?
“Not too much,” he laughed. “But all my friends are supporting me personally and they’re glad to see me here.”
