By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Lexi Donarski, one of No. 16 North Carolina’s six former five-star recruits, brings many qualities to Chapel Hill.
A true two-way player, tenacious on defense with a diverse offensive skill set and a drive to get better, she also gives UNC “commas.” More about that latter later.
Donarski, a 6–0 combo guard with two years of remaining eligibility, wanted to challenge herself, expand her game and play on a high level after three seasons, 95 starts, 1,251 points, 301 rebounds, 203 assists, 73 steals and 28 blocks at Iowa State.
“I just knew I was gonna come here,” said Donarski, the No. 3-ranked player to enter the 2023 transfer portal, explaining why she canceled a planned official visit to Ohio State after she got a taste of Chapel Hill and the UNC program. “It was a place that I could really see myself. The staff cares about you. They want you to get better individually and as a team. So, I wanted to be somewhere that would really push me to do that.”
Last season’s Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year saw the perfect opportunity to do that with a North Carolina program full of talent and national championship potential.
“I think we play with a little more freedom than she’s used to,” UNC coach Courtney Banghart said. “It’s been fun for us to say, ‘no, no, that’s a good time for you to attack’ or ‘that’s a shot you turn down.’ It’s been fun for us to expand her game and the options that she has.”
Donarski relishes the chance to make decisions with the ball in her hands, with various looks to create shots for herself and her teammates. Little did she know the significant academic push it would take to gain that on-court freedom.
Donarski could only come to UNC as a graduate transfer and was 18 credits short of her Iowa State management degree. Donarski earned those credits with the same determination she shows on the court, graduating in August. She accomplished all of this during a summer when she played on the U.S. three-on-three team, started the MBA program at UNC and waited to be allowed to practice with her new teammates.
Donarski is the third guard in Banghart’s program to enter the MBA program after Carlie Littlefield and Eva Hodgson graduated with their MBAs last spring.
“I really give her a lot of credit for what she endured this summer to make herself eligible to be a Tar Heel,” Banghart said.
Give Banghart a lot of credit for Donarski picking the Tar Heels. Banghart knew transfers Maria Gakdeng and Indya Nivar from recruiting them as high school players, but Donarski had never spoken to Banghart before entering the transfer portal in March.
“She reached out to me right away,” said Donarski, who led Aquinas in La Crosse, Wisc., to two state titles. “They were one of the first schools that expressed interest, and Coach Banghart herself was the one who was in contact with me the whole time, sending me texts, getting on the phone whenever we could and just really expressing that she wanted me to come here.”
The process was all new for Donarski, who committed to Iowa State in eighth grade. As the No. 14 player in the Class of 2020, she became the highest-rated recruit in program history to play for the Cyclones.
“This was my first time with the recruiting process,” Donarski said. “It was an overwhelming couple of weeks, honestly. But I was really able to talk to my parents a lot, talk to some of my old coaches, and just figure out the things that I really wanted from the program that I was going to go to and seeing what schools could fit into that the best.”
Donarski saw Carolina’s style of play firsthand last season at the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland. Her Iowa State team lost to UNC 73–64, and she tied a season-low with six points before fouling out in the final minute. Watching the Tar Heels made an impression.
“That did help,” said Donarski, whose sister Macy is a freshman guard at Montana. “Originally, I wasn’t thinking about it. But as I started to look at the schools, I could see myself [playing there]. I remember the scout. I remember preparing to play against them and just the personnel that they have returning.”
Scouting her potential college transfer destinations was easier since both of Donarski’s parents are coaches. When Donarski was the Wisconsin girls state player of the year as a senior, her coach was the state girls coach of the year — her dad, Dave, who earned his 200th win last season. Mom Pam has coached Lexi and Macy for many years, particularly when they were younger.
Carolina was one of several schools that sent Donarski game tapes she requested so she could review them with her parents, who both played at Cardinal Stritch University, to assess which program’s style would best suit her game.
When Donarski committed to UNC, Banghart gave credit to the returning players.
“I told our guys because of how they competed — and our style of play and the energy that we brought to games — was what gave us a chance to get someone like Lexi,” Banghart said.
Donarski will help the Tar Heels in many ways, but she fills two significant needs: a lockdown defender to go against the opponents’ best guards — after Kennedy Todd-Williams transferred to Ole Miss — and another perimeter shooter who can stretch out the defenses.
“I like the challenge of guarding the other team’s best guard. I just try to take away what their tendencies are and what they like to do,” Donarski said. “I was blessed with kind of quick feet, so that helps. And it’s really just a want. I don’t want my kid to score. I don’t want my kid to do what they want to do. So I’m just doing whatever I can to take that away.”
Iowa star Caitlin Clark shot 47.3% last season, but Donarski — who has faced her several times, including in high school and AAU action — held her to 7 of 20 shooting. Clark, who could face UNC on the third day of the Gulf Coast Shootout, only shot worse than that three times in 38 games.
“She plays with great length, moves her feet well and is just incredibly competitive,” Banghart said of Donarski. “And then she’s just a great shooter. She brings a lot of accountability and tenacity to both ends. She might actually be faster in a race than Alyssa [Ustby]. It’s really fun to watch them on the floor in that way.”
Donarski, who can shoot on drives to the basket with either hand, hasn’t replicated the 41.1% 3-point shooting of her freshman season, which included seven 3-pointers against Texas Tech. Her percentage slipped to 37.1% as a sophomore and 31.8% last season, but she has a pure shot, is lethal with step-back 3s and often hits from a few feet behind the arc. She scored at least three 3-pointers seven times last season, including five against Southern.
“I transitioned more into a 3-point shooter, just attempt-wise [in college]. I took more attempts than I would have in the past. But that was just adapting to the college game and seeing where I could help my team,” said Donarski, a career 85.8% free-throw shooter who was perfect at the line in 40 games.
Banghart said that in Carolina’s system, the Tar Heels will take advantage of all of the elements of Donarski’s game — the “commas.”
“Her shot chart should be as diverse as her skill set,” Banghart said. “We talk about that a lot. You’re not just a set shooter, you’re not just a driver, a finisher at the rim, you’re not just a defender. Your game has commas, and so, therefore, the stat sheet should have commas and your stat sheet that’s connected to your video — which is your shot chart, your impact — needs to be commas, too.”
It wasn’t until the team had already practiced a couple of weeks that Banghart saw Donarski go from a player who looked like she was just trying to fit in with her new team to the player she expected. Banghart said she was “all over her” before that change happened.
“She’s gotten a lot more aggressive, having much more of a presence on the defensive end,” Banghart said. “Instead of letting people figure it out, she’s pretty adamant about the way we defend here now. She just gets better and better. I think she’s being pushed. I think she’s really happy. She loves the level of competition because she’s playing against good players every day.”
Read about the humble beginnings of the Carolina women’s basketball program, from coaches driving teams to games to playing and practicing in a dangerous gym, the program has come a long way. Learn interesting stories about the program in this Tar Heel Tribune story.
Carolina already had plenty of good ball handlers and Donarski, a point guard until college, adds to the list. Her parents helped her develop those skills by having her do a daily 15-minute ball-handling drill beginning in second or third grade, and she’s comfortable dribbling up the court with either hand.
“I would say growing up, most parents or coaches are only focused on the offensive side of things, getting your shot down, working on ball handling, stuff like that,” Donarski said. “But, from my mom, defense was also a focus, not necessarily drill-wise. When I would get into games and practices she was like, ‘you need to be thinking about both ends of the floor; you need to be a well-rounded player, not only focused on scoring the ball.’ ”
UNC has the ability to go faster because there are so many players who can easily dribble the ball down the court past a defender, with Deja Kelly, Paulina Paris, Kayla McPherson, and now freshmen Reniya Kelly and Sydney Barker, Stanford transfer Indya Nivar and Donarski. The Tar Heels don’t hesitate since the ball doesn’t have to go to just one player since several can fill that role.
The versatility that had many coaches coveting Donarski will have many of those same coaches frustrated by the impact she’ll have for the Tar Heels over the next two seasons.
Her “commas” will give them pause — and add up to a dangerous player. Period.
Lexi Donarski career-highs
| Category | Value | Date | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 32 | Feb. 13, 2021 | TCU |
| Minutes | 48 | Feb. 18, 2023 | at Baylor |
| Field goals | 10 | Three times, last on Dec. 19, 2021 | Prairie View |
| Field-goal attempts | 19 | Three times, last on Jan. 15, 2022 | at Oklahoma State |
| 3-pointers | 7 | Jan. 10, 2021 | at Texas Tech |
| 3-point attempts | 13 | Nov. 10, 2022 | Southern |
| Free throws | 9 | Feb. 17, 2021 | at Kansas |
| Free-throw attempts | 10 | Feb. 17, 2021 | at Kansas |
| Rebounds | 8 | Dec. 12, 2021 | Northern Iowa |
| Assists | 7 | Jan. 25, 2023 | at TCU |
| Blocks | 2 | Four times, last on Nov. 24, 2022 | vs. Michigan St. |
| Steals | 3 | Four times, last on Nov. 29, 2022 | SIUE |
| Date | Day/month | Score | Opponent/event (current rank) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | ||||
| 8 | Wednesday | W, 102–49 | vs. Gardner-Webb | 1–0 |
| 12 | Sunday | W, 74–70 | vs. Davidson | 2–0 |
| 15 | Wednesday | W, 62–32 | vs. Hampton | 3–0 |
| 18 | Saturday | W, 68–39 | vs. Elon | 4–0 |
| Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla. | ||||
| 24 | Friday | W, 54–51 | Vermont | 5–0 |
| 25 | Saturday | L, 63–56 | No. 15 Kansas State | 5–1 |
| 26 | Sunday | L, 65–64 | Florida Gulf Coast | 5–2 |
| ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge | ||||
| 30 | Thursday | L, 65–58 | vs. No. 1 South Carolina | 5–3 |
| December | ||||
| 6 | Wednesday | W, 81–66 | vs. UNC Greensboro | 6–3 |
| Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase in Uncasville, Conn. | ||||
| 10 | Sunday | L, 76–64 | No. 10 Connecticut | 6–4 |
| ——————— | ||||
| 15 | Friday | W, 96–36 | vs. Western Carolina | 7–4 |
| Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte | ||||
| 19 | Tuesday | W, 61–52 | No. 18 Oklahoma | 8–4 |
| ACC season | ||||
| 31 | Sunday | W, 82–76 | vs. Clemson | 9–4, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 4 | Thursday | W, 75–51 | vs. No. 22 Syracuse | 10–4, 2–0 ACC |
| 7 | Sunday | W, 61–57 | at No. 9 Notre Dame | 11–4, 3–0 ACC |
| 11 | Thursday | L, 70–62 | at Florida State | 11–5, 3–1 ACC |
| 14 | Sunday | W, 81–68 | vs. Virginia | 12–5, 4–1 ACC |
| 18 | Thursday | W, 73–68 | at Georgia Tech | 13–5, 5–1 ACC |
| 21 | Sunday | W, 79–68 | vs. No. 23 Louisville | 14–5, 6–1 ACC |
| 25 | Thursday | W, 66–61 | vs. Miami | 15–5, 7–1 ACC |
| 28 | Sunday | L, 81–66 | at Virginia | 15–6, 7–2 ACC |
| February | ||||
| 1 | Thursday | L, 63–59 | at No. 11 N.C. State | 15–7, 7–3 ACC |
| 4 | Sunday | L, 70–61, OT | vs. No. 13 Virginia Tech | 15–8, 7–4 ACC |
| 11 | Sunday | L, 68–60, OT | at Duke | 15–9, 7–5 ACC |
| 15 | Thursday | W, 75–62 | vs. Pittsburgh | 16–9, 8–5 ACC |
| 18 | Sunday | W, 58–50 | at Wake Forest | 17–9, 9–5 ACC |
| 22 | Thursday | W, 80–70 | vs. No. 11 N.C. State | 18–9, 10–5 ACC |
| 25 | Sunday | L, 74–62 | at No. 13 Virginia Tech | 18–10, 10–6 ACC |
| 29 | Thursday | L, 78–74 | at Boston College | 18–11, 10–7 ACC |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Sunday | W, 63–59 | vs. Duke | 19–11, 11–7 ACC |
| ACC tournament Greensboro Coliseum | ||||
| 7 | Thursday | L, 60–59 | Second round: vs. Miami | 19–12 |
| NCAA tournament Columbia, S.C. | ||||
| 22 | Friday | W, 59–56 | First round: Michigan State | 20–12 |
| 24 | Sunday | L, 88–41 | Second round: No. 1 South Carolina | 20–13 |
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 |
Photos courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
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