By R.L. Bynum
The next stops for former North Carolina women’s basketball players Kennedy Todd-Williams and Destiny Adams have been known for a few weeks, but their new schools both made their moves official Monday.
Todd-Williams, a 6–0 guard from Jacksonville, N.C., who will be a senior with two years of eligibility, is one of three transfers at Ole Miss and Adams, a 6–3 junior forward, is headed to Rutgers.
In an Ole Miss release with a headline that starts, “Damage Done,” Rebels coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin praised Todd-Williams, who ESPN ranked as the No. 11 player in the transfer portal, as well as former Auburn forward Kharyssa Richardson, a 6–2 sophomore, and fifth-year guard KK Deans, a former Florida player originally from Greensboro.
“Kennedy is a two-way player that will immediately impact our roster,” said McPhee-McCuin, who just completed her fifth season in Oxford, Miss. “From our first conversation, I knew that our visions aligned, and she would be a great fit! I look forward to the Oxford community embracing ‘Toddy’ and helping her accomplish all of her goals while being here in the Sip!”
Todd-Williams, who committed to Ole Miss on March 29, started all 33 games for UNC last season, averaging 13.4 points and leading the team with 52 3-pointers.
“Just finished my last exam at Carolina!!” Todd-Williams tweeted Friday. “It’s been real man … but we move!! Thank you to everyone who have supported me throughout this journey. The love remains.”
The Rebels were 25–9, losing 72–62 to Louisville in the Sweet 16.
In addition to the three transfers, Ole Miss welcomes a five-player freshman class.
Going to Rutgers, located in Piscataway, N.J., is a return home to the Garden State for Adams. In 2021, she was Manchester Township’s first New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year.
“We are thrilled to bring Destiny Adams back home to New Jersey,” Rutgers coach Coquese Washington said. “Destiny brings so many gifts to the table: she can score at all three levels, she is a tough defender, rebounds like crazy and excels on the defensive end of the floor. She is going to bring speed, toughness and mismatches to our lineup. Our fans will absolutely love watching her play and it will be fun watching her go to work in front of her family and friends.”
Adams, who committed to Rutgers on April 15, played 61 games over her two seasons at Carolina. In 33 games last season, she averaged 4.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 17.2 minutes per game. One of the Tar Heels’ best defenders and most physical players inside, Adams was 16th in the ACC in steals (1.5 per game) and 23rd in blocks (0.8).
Rutgers went 12–20 last season.
Although Coach Courtney Banghart lost Todd-Williams and Adams to the transfer portal, she brought in three transfers: former Iowa State five-star recruit Lexi Donarski, ESPN’s No. 3-ranked player in the portal, former Boston College center Maria Gakdeng, the No. 15 player in the portal, and former five-star Stanford guard Indya Nivar.
| Year | No. | Players | Pos. | Height | |
| Freshman | 5 | Liza Astakhova (LEE-zah uh-STAH-koh-vuh) | W | 6–2 | |
| Freshman | 7 | Nyla Brooks | W | 6–1 | |
| Brooks brings dazzling skills, confidence to UNC | |||||
| Freshman | 3 | Taliyah Henderson | W | 6–1 | |
| Long wait, journey for 5-star freshman Henderson after second knee surgery nearly over | |||||
| Freshman | 26 | Taissa Queiroz | G | 6–1 | |
| Queiroz came to USA from Brazil to chase her dreams | |||||
| Sophomore | 17 | Elina Aarnisalo (EH-lee-nah AHR-nee-sah-loh) | G | 5–10 | |
| Aarnisalo brings flash, IQ and pro experience to backcourt | |||||
| Sophomore | 0 | Lanie Grant | G | 5–9 | |
| Sophomore | 34 | Blanca Thomas | C | 6–5 | |
| Sophomore | 1 | Jordan Zubich | G | 5–11 | |
| RS sophomore | 21 | Ciera Toomey | F | 6–4 | |
| RS sophomore | 4 | Laila Hull | W | 6–1 | |
| Junior | 10 | Reniya Kelly | PG | 5–7 | |
| Junior | 15 | Sydney Barker | PG | 5–6 | |
| Senior | 2 | Nyla Harris | F | 6–2 | |
| It was hard for Harris to say ‘no’ to UNC again | |||||
| Senior | 24 | Indya Nivar | G | 5–10 |
Class of 2025
| Player | Rating | ESPN rank | Position | Height | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nyla Brooks | Five star | No. 13 | Wing | 6–2 | Alexandria, Va. |
| Taliyah Henderson | Five star | No. 27 | Wing | 6–1 | Vail, Ariz. |
| Taissa Queiroz | Four star | No. 77 | Guard | 6–1 | Santa Rosa, Calif. |
| Liza Astakhova | — | — | Wing | 6–1 | Moscow, Russia |
| Date | Day/month | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 30 | Thursday | L, 91–82 | No. 3 South Carolina in Atlanta | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 90–42 | vs. N.C. Central | 1–0 |
| 6 | Thursday | W, 71–37 | vs. Elon | 2–0 |
| WBCA Challenge Las Vegas | ||||
| 13 | Thursday | L, 78–60 | vs. No. 4 UCLA | 2–1 |
| 15 | Saturday | W, 82–68 | vs. Fairfield | 3–1 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 20 | Thursday | W, 85–50 | at N.C. A&T | 4–1 |
| 23 | Sunday | W, 94–48 | vs. UNCG | 5–1 |
| Cancun Challenge Cancun, Mexico | ||||
| 27 | Thursday | W, 83–48 | vs. South Dakota St. | 6–1 |
| 28 | Friday | W, 85–73 | vs. Kansas State | 7–1 |
| 29 | Saturday | W, 80–63 | vs. Columbia | 8–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge | |||
| 4 | Thursday | W, 79–64 | at No. 2 Texas | 8–2 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 82–40 | vs. Boston Univ. | 9–2 |
| 14 | Sunday | L, 76–66, OT | vs. No. 16 Louisville | 9–3, 0–1 ACC |
| 17 | Wednesday | W, 84–34 | vs. UNCW | 10–3 |
| 21 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Charleston Southern | ACCN Extra |
| 29 | Monday | 8 p.m. | at Boston College | ACCN |
| January | ||||
| 1 | Thursday | Noon | vs. California | ACCN |
| 4 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | vs. Stanford | ESPN |
| 11 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at No. 20 Notre Dame | ESPN |
| 15 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. Miami | ACCN Extra |
| 18 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | at Florida State | The CW |
| 22 | Thursday | 8 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| 25 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | The CW |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 6 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN2 |
| 5 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. Clemson | ACCN |
| 8 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 12 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | vs. SMU | ACCN |
| 15 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at Duke | ABC |
| 19 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | at Virginia Tech | ACCN |
| 22 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Pittsburgh | ACCN |
| 26 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | at Virginia | ACCN Extra |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Duke | ESPN |
| ACC tournament | ||||
| 4–8 | Wed.-Sun | Gas South Arena, Duluth, Ga. | ||
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 20–24 | Fri.-Mon. | First, second rounds | ||
| 27–30 | Fri.-Mon. | Regionals Fort Worth, Texas, and Sacramento, Calif. | ||
| April | ||||
| 3, 5 | Fri., Sun | Final Four Phoenix |
Photo via @OleMissWBB
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