By R.L. Bynum
Five-star wing Nyla Brooks, the No. 14 player in the Class of 2025, committed to North Carolina on Thursday.
The 6–1 Brooks, from Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Va., had also considered Maryland, Georgia and Tennessee. She announced her decision in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
“Feeling incredibly blessed & grateful as I reflect on my journey! Huge thanks to God, my amazing family for their unwavering support,” she said in the post. “[Blessed emoji] to all the colleges/AAU/HS coaches, basketball evaluators & trainers [for] your guidance & believe have been pivotal.”
Brooks’ commitment comes six days after five-star Class of 2025 recruit Taliyah Henderson committed to the Tar Heels.
In the Class of 2025, Carolina is a finalist for No. 6 Thunder Bay, Ontario, wing Agot Makeer; No. 23 Norman, Okla., point guard Keeley Parks; No. 24 Chicago point guard Destiny Jackson; No. 36 Overland Park, Kansas, combo guard Aubrey Shaw; No. 40 Melbourne, Fla., wing Jaida Civil; No. 43 Olney, Md. point guard Caliyah DeVillasee; No. 63 Wasilla, Alaska, center Layla Hayes; No. 72 four-star guard Taissa Queiroz; and No. 79 Boca Raton, Fla., guard Lena Girardi.
Brooks originally committed to Tennessee but reopened her recruitment after Coach Kellie Harper was fired in April.
“It was a good process,” Brooks told 247Sports. “Before I committed to Tennessee, a lot of the schools were talking to me. After I de-committed, those programs still showed love and tried to recruit me, which meant a lot. I made relationships with a lot of schools who wanted me before (I committed to) Tennessee. This time around, I had in mind staying close to home on the East Coast.”
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Brooks, who plans to study sports management, led Bishop Ireton to the school’s first Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I state title, scoring 17 points in the championship game. She had a 6–0 run in the game as Bishop Ireton ended a run of 16 consecutive titles for Paul VI with a 56–52 victory.
Last season, she averaged 19.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and one steal.
“I had been focused on defense and rebounding to that point,” Brooks told The Washington Post. “But I knew that fourth quarter was crucial, and I wanted to do whatever I could to help us close out the game.”
(UNC is one below the 15-player limit)
| Year | No. | Players | Pos. | Height | |
| Freshman | 11 | Kate Harpring | PG | 5–10 | |
| Freshman | 52 | Noelle Bofia | F | 6–4 | |
| Sophomore | 3 | Gabby White — W | G | 5–10 | |
| Sophomore | 7 | Nyla Brooks | W | 6–1 | |
| Sophomore | 26 | Taissa Queiroz | G | 6–1 | |
| Junior | 34 | Blanca Thomas | C | 6–5 | |
| Junior | 1 | Jordan Zubich | G | 5–11 | |
| RS junior | 21 | Ciera Toomey | F | 6–4 | |
| RS junior | 4 | Laila Hull | W | 6–1 | |
| Senior | 5 | Sophie Burrows — X | G | 6–2 | |
| Senior | 8 | Achol Akot — Y | F | 6–1 | |
| Senior | 10 | Reniya Kelly | G | 5–7 | |
| Senior | 15 | Sydney Barker | G | 5–6 | |
| Graduate | 13 | Chloe Clardy — Z | G | 5–9 |
W — Virginia transfer; X — Syracuse transfer; Y — Oklahoma State transfer; Z — Stanford transfer
Former players who entered transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elina Aarnisalo | Junior | G | 5–10 | UCLA |
| Lanie Grant | Junior | G | 5–9 | TCU |
| Taliyah Henderson | Sophomore | W | 6–1 | Clemson |
| Liza Astakhova | Sophomore | G | 6–2 | BYU |
Photo via @ball_7b
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