McDonald makes five for UNC

Roy Williams is putting together a 2009 recruiting class with the potential to rival North Carolina's No. 1 ranked class from 2006. The latest addition to the five-man class is Memphis (Tenn.) Briarcrest Christian shooting guard Leslie McDonald.

"When I went on the visits, I had no idea I'd commit," said McDonald. "Once I spent some time at North Carolina, it set my mind into committing.

"I've seen most of the schools I've been considering, except for Georgetown. But with North Carolina when I went into the facilities and began looking around and meeting people, a good feeling came over me."

Briarcrest Christian coach John Harrington echoed McDonald's sentiments.

"He decided he wanted to get it over with up at summer league on Monday night," said Briarcrest Christian head coach John Harrington. "He gave both North Carolina and Duke the thumbs up after visiting them over the weekend.

"But when this all started North Carolina was the school where he wanted to go. Mainly for the fact that he grew up a fan of the school. It wasn't that any of the other schools did anything wrong. He just finally got a chance to see North Carolina, and he loved what he saw."

McDonald, 6-foot-4, 195-pounds, chose North Carolina over Tennessee, Memphis, Georgetown and Ohio State as well as Duke.

Coach Harrington sees McDonald as being a perfect fit for the North Carolina system.

"He fits in well with their up tempo style of play," said Harrington. "His athleticism on defense should also help them a lot with the way they like to pressure the ball. And I think Coach Williams has a coaching style that will work well with Leslie. I see the two of them being a very good fit."

McDonald also noted that Coach Williams was a major factor in his choosing North Carolina.

"Coach Williams was a big factor," said McDonald. "One of the main things I was looking for was a personal and good relationship with the coach. Getting to sit down with Coach Williams and the other coaches and get to know them really helped me make my decision."

McDonald is the No. 32 ranked prospect in the Rivals150 and joins five-star recruits John Henson and Dexter Strickland and four-star recruits David Wear and Travis Wear in North Carolina's 2009 recruiting class.

Leslie McDonald scouting report:

A solid athlete with a smooth shooting stroke, McDonald is in the process of extending his range and improving his consistency from deep. When crowded he loves to take the ball left and shoot either a pull up or floater, and he has a good feel for moving without the ball. He also has the length and quickness to be a lockdown defender.