By R.L. Bynum
Redshirt sophomore guard Kayla McPherson will miss the rest of Carolina’s women’s basketball season after suffering a knee injury that required surgery.
The 5–8 guard redshirted during her first season (2021–22) in Chapel Hill while she rehabilitated from surgery after tearing her right ACL in high school. She missed the first of 13 games last season before making her college debut Jan. 29 at Clemson, and averaging 6.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 20.4 minutes.
“While I’m devastated to miss the rest of the season, I know that I can play an important role on the team even when I’m not in uniform,” said McPherson, who used crutches to get around at Thursday’s Syracuse game. “I’ll be cheering for my teammates from the bench and continuing to work hard to get back on the court. I want to thank our sports medicine team, our coaching staff, my teammates, my family and all of our fans for their support.”
Since she has already taken a redshirt season, she would have only two more seasons of eligibility unless the NCAA grants her a medical redshirt.
“I continue to be amazed and inspired by Kayla’s resilience,” UNC coach Courtney Banghart said. “We are all heartbroken on her behalf as she faces more time away from playing the game she loves and excels at, but her mindset remains so positive. While she attacks this setback, she is determined to impact our team in every way she can. We’re a better team with Kayla, even when she is on the sidelines. Our entire program is behind her as she faces this new challenge.”
Before the season started, UNC announced that two freshmen, forward Ciera Toomey (recovering from a torn right ACL) and guard Laila Hull (torn right labrum), would redshirt.
After sitting out this season’s opener, she played seven games, averaging 4.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 17.7 minutes. In her last game against No. 1 South Carolina on Nov. 30, she had three points and three assists in 27 minutes.
During her high school career at Madison County High School in Hull, Ga., McPherson earned McDonald’s Girls All-American Team and the Jordan Brand Classic Girls National team honors.
As a junior, she led the nation in scoring at 36.3 per game and scored 63 points in one game. McPherson was the Georgia Player of the Year in her sophomore and junior seasons.
She arrived at UNC the same year as redshirt sophomore forward Teonni Key, who also redshirted during the 2021–22 season after tearing her right ACL before the season. Key played 28 games last season, averaging 2.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.4 of a block and 10.1 minutes.
Key didn’t debut this season until scoring seven points in the Dec. 15 home 96–34 victory over Western Carolina.
UNC season statistics
ACC standings
| Team | League | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| No. 11 Virginia Tech | 14–4 | 23–6 |
| No. 10 N.C. State | 13–5 | 25–5 |
| No. 20 Syracuse | 13–5 | 23–6 |
| No. 14 Notre Dame | 13–5 | 23–6 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 12–6 | 23–8 |
| Florida State | 12–6 | 21–9 |
| Duke | 11–7 | 19–10 |
| North Carolina | 11–7 | 19–11 |
| Miami | 8–10 | 18–11 |
| Georgia Tech | 7–11 | 16–14 |
| Virginia | 7–11 | 15–14 |
| Boston College | 5–13 | 13–18 |
| Clemson | 5–13 | 12–18 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–16 | 8–23 |
| Wake Forest | 2–16 | 6–24 |
Sunday’s games
North Carolina 63, Duke 59
Boston College 84, Pittsburgh 58
No. 10 N.C. State 75, Wake Forest 57
No. 14 Notre Dame 74, No. 24 Louisville 58
Georgia Tech 71, Miami 66, OT
Florida State 82, Clemson 79
Virginia 80, No. 11 Virginia Tech 75
ACC tournament
Greensboro Coliseum
Wednesday-Sunday
| 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 |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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