By R.L. Bynum
The United States team, which includes five-star Carolina Class of 2025 commitment Lanie Grant, plays three pool play games at the FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championship beginning Tuesday night.
Grant, a 5–9 guard ESPN ranks as the No. 20 player in her class and No. 11 in the below video, is one of four players her age on the team.
The U.S. team plays three games in Pool A: Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. against Puerto Rico, Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. against Colombia and Thursday at 10 p.m. against host Mexico. In Pool B are Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Argentina and Canada.
The top two teams from each pool advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals. The semifinals are on Sunday, and the championship game is on Monday.
The United States is 34–1 all-time in women’s U16 competition and has won the last three gold medals. The games will stream on FIBA’s YouTube channel.
Grant is a rising junior at James River High School in Midlothian, Va. Last season, Grant averaged 28.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 41% from 3-point range and 86% from the free-throw line.
Potential UNC 2024–25 roster
| Year | No. | Players | Pos. | Height | |
| Freshman | — | Lanie Grant (5 star) | PG | 5–10 | |
| Freshman | — | Blanca Thomas (5 star) | C | 6–5 | |
| Freshman | — | Jordan Zubich (4 star) | G | 5–11 | |
| RS Freshman | 21 | Ciera Toomey | F | 6–4 | |
| RS Freshman | 4 | Laila Hull | W | 6–1 | |
| Sophomore | 10 | Reniya Kelly | PG | 5–7 | |
| Sophomore | 15 | Sydney Barker | PG | 5–6 | |
| RS Junior | 11 | Kayla McPherson | PG | 5–8 | |
| Junior | 24 | Indya Nivar | G | 5–10 | |
| Senior | 5 | Maria Gakdeng | C | 6–3 | |
| Graduate | — | Grace Townsend | G | 5–5 | |
| Graduate | 20 | Lexi Donarski | G | 6–0 | |
| Graduate | 1 | Alyssa Ustby | F | 6–1 |
2023–24 UNC players to enter transfer portal
| Class | Player | Date entered | Pos. | Hgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | Paulina Paris | March 26 | G | 5–9 | Arizona |
| Graduate | Ali Zelaya | April 1 | F | 6–4 | UNCW |
| Graduate | Anya Poole | April 1 | F | 6–2 | TBA |
| RS junior | Teonni Key | April 2 | F | 6–4 | Kentucky |
| Sophomore | RyLee Grays | April 5 | F | 6–3 | TBA |
| Graduate | Deja Kelly | April 8 | G | 5–8 | TBA |
Photo courtesy of USA Basketball
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