By R.L. Bynum
Star Carolina guard Deja Kelly is headed to Mexico to represent her country.
USA Basketball named Kelly on Thursday to one of the last four spots on the U.S. team that will play in the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup starting July 1 in León, Mexico, 250 miles northwest of Mexico City.
Kelly, a 5–8 rising senior, missed the initial tryouts in mid-May for the team because she was still recovering from an injury suffered in Carolina’s season-ending loss to Ohio State. On Wednesday, she joined the team in Colorado Springs, Colo., with five others competing for the final four spots.
“Being a part of USA Basketball has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl,” Kelly said. “To have the opportunity to rep the red, white and blue to compete for gold is an honor. Mexico, here we come!”
Last season, Kelly was first-team All-ACC, leading the team with 16.5 points per game, which was sixth in the ACC.
The United States will try to become the first country in the event’s history to win three consecutive titles.
It will be a talented American roster, featuring center Angel Reese, who led LSU to the national championship last season, averaging an NCAA-leading 23.0 points and 15.4 rebounds.
Washington State’s Kamie Ethridge is the coach for the team, which includes former Wake Forest star Jewel Spear of Tennessee, former Stanford star Lauren Betts of UCLA, Tennessee’s Rickea Jackson, South Carolina’s Raven Johnson, Southern Cal’s Rayah Marshall, UCLA’s Charisma Osborne and Michigan’s Laila Phelia.
Also added to the squad on Thursday were Oregon’s Chance Gray, Columbia’s Abby Hsu and Michigan’s Laila Phelia.
Osbourne was a member of the gold-medal-winning U17 World Cup team in 2018. Betts won gold medals at the Americas U16 Championship in 2019 and the U19 World Cup in 2021.
The Americans are in Pool A and begin pool play on July 1 against Venezuela before meeting Argentina on July 2 and Brazil on July 4, with each game starting at 4:40 p.m. The United States’ final pool-play game is at 2:10 p.m. on July 5 against Cuba.
The U.S. only needs to finish in the top four of its five-team group to advance to the quarterfinals, which are on July 7. The semifinals are on July 8, and the championship is on July 9.
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Projected roster if all players with eligibility other than Elina Aarnisalo, Lanie Grant,, Taliyah Henderson and Liza Ashtakhova and Liza Ashtakhova return, with years listed for next season (UNC is one below the 15-player limit)
| Year | No./ Stars | Players | Pos. | Height | |
| Freshman | 5 star | Kate Harpring | PG | 5–10 | |
| Freshman | 52/4 star | 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 | Sophie Burrows — X | G | 6–2 | ||
| Senior | 11 | 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 |
Photos courtesy of USA Basketball
