Tag: UNCWBB

Four-star forward Ella Hobbs to announce her commitment June 11th

Four-star forward Ella Hobbs set to announce her commitment next month.

All eyes are on four-star forward [autotag]Ella Hobbs[/autotag], who will announce her commitment next month.

The dominoes continue to fall for Courtney Banghart, as recruiting is becoming a strength for the North Carolina women’s basketball program. On June 11th, Hobbs will announce which school will be her next home, choosing between Ohio State, Michigan, Miami, Virginia Tech, and UNC.

The four-star from the 2024 class is out of Concord NC, repping Jay M. Robinson High School. Hobbs had spent the first few years playing at 1 of 1 Prep Academy before announcing her decision to play her senior season at Robinson High School. In the two years at Prep Academy, Hobbs averaged 14.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game.

Hobbs, known for her sharpshooting will be the ideal piece to Banghart’s puzzle. Hobbs averaged 56% from the field, shooting 85% from the free throw line.

If Hobbs commits to UNC, it will be the third 2024 class committee, joining five-star Blanca Thomas and four-star Jordan Zubich. Hobbs will announce her decision on June 11th, at noon from the Jay M. Robinson High School gymnasium.

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Former UNC coach Jennifer Alley inducted into the Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame

First North Carolina women’s basketball coach Jennifer Alley was inducted into the Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame.

Former North Carolina women’s basketball coach Jennifer Alley was inducted into the Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame.

Alley was inducted into Wilmington’s HOF, joining Eddie Biedenbach, William Murphy III, Al Pastore, Mark Scalf, and Nora Lynn Finch.

Alley went down in history as UNC’s first women’s basketball coach. Alley coached the Tar Heels from 1977 to 1986, with a 107-48 record in her last five seasons. In four of those five seasons, UNC appeared in the NCAA tournament and won its first conference championship in 1984. That was Alley best season with the team, finishing with a 24-8 record and 14th on the Associated Press Poll.

Since Alley’s days at Carolina, she has stayed involved in women’s athletics, with 13 years under her belt as the executive director for the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators.

In 2020, Nike awarded Alley the Lifetime Achievement Award, celebrating her work in women’s athletics.

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North Carolina gets five-star transfer Indya Nivar

The North Carolina women’s basketball program lands five-star transfer Indya Nivar.

The North Carolina women’s basketball program continues to build momentum heading into next season, this time by getting Stanford player Indya Nivar from the transfer portal.

It was announced Sunday evening that Nivar would return to her home state to lace up for UNC. Before committing to Stanford, Nivar was a five-star recruit out of Apex, North Carolina, spending one year before putting her name in the transfer portal. Nivar appeared in 35 games, averaging 3.2 points with an average of 12.5 minutes per game.

This is another excellent addition for Courtney Banghart, whose already been busy grabbing talent like Maria Gakdeng from Boston College. UNC also has some of the nation’s best recruits coming in the fall, such as five-star recruits Ciera Toomey and Lexi Donarski.

Banghart is heading into her fifth year with the Tar Heels, and snagging another talent like Nivar is huge for UNC championship hopes.

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UNC women’s basketball signee named Ms. Basketball in Indiana

Future North Carolina Tar Heel Leila Hull named Ms. Basketball.

The North Carolina women’s basketball program took a hit in the transfer portal. However, despite the talent leaving, some amazing players like Indiana’s Ms. Basketball Leila Hull are coming.

The four-star forward of the 2023 class received the honor of Ms. Basketball during the 2023 Indiana High School Sports Awards show. Hull received the honor a month after being named the Gatorade Indiana Girls basketball player of the year.

The amount of talent coming to UNC is fulfilling, especially with the return of Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby. Hull will be a perfect addition to the program, teaming up with other incoming recruits like Reniya Kelly and Ciera Toomey.

Hull led Zionsville high school to a 20-3 record, eventually making it to the Class 4A sectional semifinals. The four-star recruit averaged 22.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists a game. In addition, the 6’1 small forward was a nightmare for opposing offenses, averaging 2.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.

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UNCWBB incoming freshman selected as 3A state player of the year

Future North Carolina Tar Heel Ciera Toomey has been selected as 3A state player of the year.

As the North Carolina Tar Heels are enjoying their offseason, many incoming players, including [autotag]Ciera Toomey[/autotag], are earning high accolades.

The five-star recruit out of Dunmore, Pennsylvania, was awarded Player of the Year in Class 3A, an honor the Pennsylvania Sports Writers voted on. The honor stems from a historic tournament run where Toomey led the Dunmore Bucks to a championship.

According to NEPASportsNation, the championship win ended a 24-year drought by District 2 girls’ basketball teams at the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Championships. Toomey received the award alongside her mother, Carrie Toomey, who earned Coach of the Year in Class 3A.

The most notable thing about Toomeys’ tournament run is that she was expected to be out her entire senior season to rehab from reconstructive knee surgery. Instead, Toomey added to her high school legacy while giving UNC fans a glimpse of what was coming.

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Where UNC women’s basketball lands on early ESPN Bracketology

The North Carolina women’s basketball program lands on the 2023-2024 bracketology.

We are a good ways away from the start of the North Carolina women’s basketball season from kicking off. Nevertheless, we already have predictions on where they might land next March Madness, with ESPN releasing their first bracketology for the 2023-2024 season.

The Tar Heels are the sixth seed in the Portland 4 bracket, tipping off against South Dakota St. The bracket also offers a potential matchup with the Tar Heels and NC State meeting in the elite eight.

Unsurprisingly, the bracketology is ACC-heavy, with the conference featuring the second most teams (8) to make the tournament, one shy from the leader Pac-12. One of the more significant shocks is that Virginia is listed as one of the first four teams out. Meanwhile, South Carolina sits at two seed despite a legendary run the last few seasons.

The placement for UNC is unique, especially with the loss of Kennedy Todd-Williams to Ole Miss. However, with the expected emergence of Paulina Paris coming off an outstanding freshman campaign, with the return of Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby, a sixth seed may need to be higher.

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Paulina Paris, Alyssa Ustby and Alexandra Zelaya named to All-ACC Academic Team

North Carolina’s Paulina Paris, Alyssa Ustby, and Alexandra Zelaya were named to All-ACC Academic Team.

The North Carolina women’s basketball program is well represented on the the All-ACC Academic team for the 2022-23 year. The conference announced last week that Paulina Paris, Alyssa Ustby, and Alexandra Zelaya received the honors.

This honor marks Ustby’s third time in a row making the All-ACC Academic team.  Meanwhile, Paris and Zelaya received recognition for the first time in their career.

In addition to the three current Tar Heels on the list, former UNC wing Kennedy Todd-Williams also received recognition as she has found a new home in the transfer portal. Todd-Williams announced she is transferring to Ole Miss but did make the All-ACC Academic team for her time at North Carolina.

All three Tar Heels should have a significant impact on the upcoming season. Ustby led the team in rebounding (233). Paris had a breakout freshman year, displaying her scoring abilities throughout the season, including a 22-point performance against Clemson, eventually earning her ACC Rookie of the Week. Finally, Zelaya, who’s been with the program the last three seasons, earned her first start this season and would go on to start two more games, becoming a contributor when called on.

The North Carolina women’s basketball program continues to build its culture on and off the court, leading by example for the incoming players.

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Deja Kelly named Phil Knight Invitational MVP

UNC Junior guard Deja Kelly was named MVP for the Phil Knight Invitational after leading the Heels to victory over No. Iowa State.

The North Carolina women’s basketball team earned their first trophy of the season, winning the Phil Knight Invitational, with [autotag]Deja Kelly[/autotag] earning the tournament’s MVP honor. 

Kelly has been playing great basketball for the 6-0 UNC program but turned it up another notch during the Phil Knight Invitational. North Carolina qualified after beating No.18 Oregon, where Kelly poured it on, finishing with 17 points, seven assists, and four rebounds.  

The Junior guard stepped it up even more in the championship game in the Tar Heel comeback win over No. 5 Iowa State. Kelly finished with a season-high 29 points, adding eight rebounds and four assists to her dominating night. 

This award could be the first of many Kelly wins this season, as she is on the watch list for the Wooden Award, Naismith trophy, and the Nancy Lieberman Award. 

Kelly and the Tar Heels will be back in action on Thursday, December 1st, as they travel to take on No. 6 Indiana. 

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UNC women’s basketball team moves up two spots in the AP Top 25 poll

The North Carolina women’s basketball team moves up two spots to No. 6th ranked in the AP Top 25 poll.

The North Carolina women’s basketball team has been a team to watch this, and thanks to their unblemished start, they earned another leap in the Associated Press Poll.

UNC had a great weekend, winning the Phil Knight inventional over No.5 Iowa State in a 73-64 comeback. Thanks to that win, and their established status, North Carolina has moved into the No. 6 spot in this week’s AP Poll.

UNC has steadily climbed the ranking since the season started. They came in the year ranked 12th, then down to 13th, to move up five spots to eighth last week before moving into the sixth spot this week.

During their 6-0 start, UNC has dominated weaker opponents and secured two wins over top 25 ranked schools, No. 18 Oregon and No.5 Iowa State. The team clicks on all cylinders, with ball movement being the focal point. North Carolina averages 17 assists per game, with a 1.4 assist/turnover ratio.

UNC will be back in action Thursday, December 1st, when they hit the road to take on No.6 Indiana.

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UNC women’s basketball team moves up five spots in the AP Top 25 poll

The North Carolina women’s basketball team moves up five spots to No. 8th ranked in the AP Top 25 poll.

The North Carolina women’s basketball team has been flourishing this season and is now seeing some of that paid off by moving up to the eighth spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

UNC started the season ranked 13th and quickly moved up five spots after their 4-0 start. In those four games, North Carolina did not just slide by…they dominated. They are averaging 83.8 points while holding opposing teams to a 49.3-point average per game.

A key factor to the team’s success has been their lockdown defense and decisive decision-making, averaging 17.7 assists per game. UNC’s defense has been stout, forcing an average of 21.0 turnovers per game.

The team came in with much hype and has lived up to it so far. However, the competition has not been noteworthy. That will change on Thanksgiving when they travel to take on No. 18 Oregon. It will be interesting to see if UNC can deliver a statement game against a top team.

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