By R.L. Bynum
CHARLOTTE — It wasn’t supposed to end like that. She refused to let it end like that.
Guard Deja Kelly hurt her knee and got carried off the floor in the fourth quarter of Carolina’s second-round NCAA tournament in a game at Ohio State.
She returned to the locker room, and most figured she wouldn’t return. But they don’t know Kelly’s passion and determination.
“My thought process would be, ‘wrap me up, whatever it is, and put me back in, and we’ll recover and get treatment later,’ ” said Kelly, who returned 4½ minutes later and finished with 22 points. But UNC — ranked No. 16 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll — couldn’t make a play at the end, and the Tar Heels’ season ended. “I was like, ‘OK, doc, check me; just clear me. Two minutes left; I need to go out there and finish this game whether we win or lose.’ ”
That’s the competitive nature of Kelly, who was back at the ACC Tipoff in Charlotte for the third consecutive year. Although she could not attend initial tryouts for the U.S. AmeriCup team she eventually was part of because of the injury, there’s no doubt she would have tried to play in the next round had the Tar Heels advanced.
Entering her fourth season along with three other fellow returning seniors, Kelly is intent on a much-later ending and NCAA tournament games in Carmichael Arena after the Tar Heels figured they had done enough during the last regular season to be a host for the first two rounds.
As the sign next to the locker room door at Carmichael Arena suggests — “DO NOT ENTER final four team loading” — the Tar Heels’ goals are high.
“I think there’s a different type of mentality, a different feeling going into this year, especially with all the new pieces we’ve added,” Kelly said of the five freshmen and three transfers. “There’s a different hunger to us, I think because we know there’s a lot more on the list of goals we have that we haven’t reached. We know we’re good, but the sky’s the limit for how great we can be.”
Kelly’s game has improved every year since enduring an up-and-down freshman season. She’s proven to be one of the most dangerous scorers in the ACC and has expanded her game. For the second consecutive season, she’s on the watch list for the Nancy Lieberman Award for the top point guard in the country.
“When I first got here, I was so locked in to just the scoring role, that I wasn’t as effective,” said Kelly, who led the team last season with 15.9 points and 35.4 minutes per game and made All-ACC. “But me now knowing that I’m a playmaker, a combo guard, I can just make things happen. I think that’s definitely allowed me to be more effective.”
Kelly has learned when to score and when to be a playmaker with the experience of three college seasons.
She’ll be one of many lead guards on the team this season, including redshirt sophomore Kayla McPherson, sophomore Paulina Paris, freshman Reniya Kelly and walk-on freshman Sydney Barker. In addition, transfer shooting guards Indya Nivar from Stanford and Lexi Donarski from Iowa State have ballhandling skills, as does wing Alyssa Ustby.
Kelly said the depth of good ballhandlers is “amazing for our team” and will help the Tar Heels accelerate the tempo.
“Obviously, it starts with the defensive end,” Kelly said. “To be able to have anybody push it up the floor, we can just get out and run and not worry about, ‘oh, this specific person has to push up the ball.’ That’s a great dynamic to have. To have that versatility is really special.”
The ACC has stars and challenges, including No. 8 Virginia Tech, No. 10 Notre Dame, No. 17 Louisville and No. 18 Florida State. In addition, the Tar Heels face No. 2 UConn, No. 6 South Carolina and, potentially, No. 3 Iowa. After rolling to a closed scrimmage win at Charlotte on Sunday, they also face No. 4 UCLA in a closed scrimmage in Dallas this weekend.
“I think being able to play against some of the best players in the country and also in the league … helps you see the game a little differently,” Kelly said. “Also watching film, seeing how they score, seeing where what their go-tos are, and how effective they are.”
Kelly, a broadcast journalism major, has been as effective in business off the court as with basketball on the court, with numerous NIL deals as well as hosting two shows: “NILosophy,” in which she talks to college athletes about their NIL stories, and “The 411 with Deja Kelly.” She’s interviewed many athletes, including Aliyah Boston, Armando Bacot and, this week, Alyssa Thomas.
“I call myself a businesswoman for sure because I know that there’s a lot of things I have produced,” Kelly said. “That’s been something that I’m really proud of, and just being able to start that myself and being how I want it.”
Those NIL opportunities and journalism ventures are secondary to her basketball goals, but they work hand-in-hand.
“Keeping basketball and school as my top priority because I know that’s what brings the money as well,” said Kelly, who works with an agency for her NIL deals.
She says balancing her time is important with so much going on and ensuring that all the activities help her career in and out of basketball.
“Whatever I’m doing — whether it’s basketball, business, journalism, anything like that — I have to give that my all and know that that’s going to set me up for a really good career and, in the long run, and I’m thinking about 40 years from now,” Kelly said, noting that UNC is the No. 1 journalism school in the country.
“I am way more than just a basketball player, and I’m multifaceted and there’s a lot of layers to me,” Kelly said. “So, really trying to explore all of those options rather than just knowing that I’m here for the basketball and general school.”
Those NIL opportunities could also make it tempting for Kelly to return for a fifth college season, an option because of the NCAA’s COVID-19 rules.
“There’s a lot of options to weigh out,” said Kelly, who isn’t sure when she’ll decide. “I know definitely NIL does have a big impact on probably everyone who has this fifth year that they are thinking about taking. It’s definitely into consideration. I’m just trying to weigh out all my options and just see what the best route is for me. I’m not trying to look too far ahead.”
Whichever route she takes, Kelly will no doubt attack it with passion.
| 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 |
Photo by Nell Redmond/theACC.com
tarheeltribune.com 
