By R.L. Bynum
Redshirt sophomore forward Teonni Key became the fourth UNC women’s player to enter the portal in eight days.
Key entered the portal on Tuesday, her mother Tammy Brown confirmed to Tar Heel Tribune.
Sophomore guard Paulina Paris, who committed Tuesday night to Arizona, entered her name into the portal on March 26, followed by senior centers Anya Poole and Ali Zelaya on Monday. The four UNC players in the portal combined to average 13.5 points per game last season.
The other 10 schools on Key’s final list coming out of Cary High School were Auburn, UConn, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi State, N.C. State, Notre Dame, South Carolina and Tennessee.
UNC will have plenty of competition for front-court playing time with senior 6–3 center Maria Gakdeng, 6–4 redshirt freshman forward Ciera Toomey and freshman 6–5 center Blanca Thomas, as well as 6–3 sophomore forward Rylee Grays.
Former UNC guard Kennedy Todd-Williams returning for a second season at Ole Miss.
In addition, Carolina is among the final three schools that 6–2 point forward Sarah Strong out of Sanford’s Grace Christian Academy, the No. 1-ranked player in the Class of 2024, is considering, along with Duke and UConn. Strong said Tuesday afternoon during an interview with ESPN that she would make a decision “in the next week or so.”
Carolina has four roster spots if the Tar Heels don’t add to their three-player incoming freshman class and all other underclassmen and graduate guard Lexi Donarski return.
Senior co-captains Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby have yet to announce their plans, but both are eligible to play for a fifth season under NCAA COVID-19 rules.
Elsewhere in the ACC, Clemson has five players in the portal, Miami four and Pittsburgh four.
Teonni Key’s sister Tamari, who was a senior at Tennessee last season, also has another year of eligibility but will not use it. That comes after the school fired head coach Kellie Harper on Monday.
Teonni Key sat out her first season at Carolina, the 2021–22 season, while recovering from torn ACL, then played 51 games the last two seasons, starting once.
Key averaged 9.8 minutes, 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in her two seasons at UNC. She scored in double figures four times: 13 points on Nov. 13, 2022, against South Carolina State, 11 points on Feb. 15, 2024, against Pittsburgh, and 10 points each at Indiana on Dec. 1, 2022, and at Georgia Tech on Jan. 18, 2024.
WFMY story on Tar Heel Tribune
Key played a career-high 22 minutes in UNC’s season-ending 88–41 loss at South Carolina, going scoreless with four rebounds and two assists. She played 21 minutes in Carolina’s first-round 59–56 victory over Michigan State, collecting five points and seven rebounds. Key never played more than 19 minutes in any other game for UNC.
ESPN ranked Key No. 9 in the Class of 2021. Her departure leaves redshirt sophomore guard Kayla McPherson (who ESPN ranked No. 17 in the class) as the only remaining member of that four-player Carolina recruiting class. Morasha Wiggins (No. 18) transferred to Arizona State after her freshman season at UNC and Destiny Adams (No. 20) transferred to Rutgers after her sophomore season at UNC.
| Year | No. | Players | Pos. | Height | |
| Freshman | 5 | Liza Astakhova (LEE-zah uh-STAH-koh-vuh) | W | 6–2 | |
| Freshman | 7 | Nyla Brooks | W | 6–1 | |
| Brooks brings dazzling skills, confidence to UNC | |||||
| Freshman | 3 | Taliyah Henderson | W | 6–1 | |
| Long wait, journey for 5-star freshman Henderson after second knee surgery nearly over | |||||
| Freshman | 26 | Taissa Queiroz | G | 6–1 | |
| Queiroz came to USA from Brazil to chase her dreams | |||||
| Sophomore | 17 | Elina Aarnisalo (EH-lee-nah AHR-nee-sah-loh) | G | 5–10 | |
| Aarnisalo brings flash, IQ and pro experience to backcourt | |||||
| Sophomore | 0 | Lanie Grant | G | 5–9 | |
| Sophomore | 34 | Blanca Thomas | C | 6–5 | |
| Sophomore | 1 | Jordan Zubich | G | 5–11 | |
| RS sophomore | 21 | Ciera Toomey | F | 6–4 | |
| RS sophomore | 4 | Laila Hull | W | 6–1 | |
| Junior | 10 | Reniya Kelly | PG | 5–7 | |
| Junior | 15 | Sydney Barker | PG | 5–6 | |
| Senior | 2 | Nyla Harris | F | 6–2 | |
| It was hard for Harris to say ‘no’ to UNC again | |||||
| Senior | 24 | Indya Nivar | G | 5–10 |
Class of 2025
| Player | Rating | ESPN rank | Position | Height | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nyla Brooks | Five star | No. 13 | Wing | 6–2 | Alexandria, Va. |
| Taliyah Henderson | Five star | No. 27 | Wing | 6–1 | Vail, Ariz. |
| Taissa Queiroz | Four star | No. 77 | Guard | 6–1 | Santa Rosa, Calif. |
| Liza Astakhova | — | — | Wing | 6–1 | Moscow, Russia |
| Date | Day/month | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 30 | Thursday | L, 91–82 | No. 3 South Carolina in Atlanta | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 90–42 | vs. N.C. Central | 1–0 |
| 6 | Thursday | W, 71–37 | vs. Elon | 2–0 |
| WBCA Challenge Las Vegas | ||||
| 13 | Thursday | L, 78–60 | vs. No. 4 UCLA | 2–1 |
| 15 | Saturday | W, 82–68 | vs. Fairfield | 3–1 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 20 | Thursday | W, 85–50 | at N.C. A&T | 4–1 |
| 23 | Sunday | W, 94–48 | vs. UNCG | 5–1 |
| Cancun Challenge Cancun, Mexico | ||||
| 27 | Thursday | W, 83–48 | vs. South Dakota St. | 6–1 |
| 28 | Friday | W, 85–73 | vs. Kansas State | 7–1 |
| 29 | Saturday | W, 80–63 | vs. Columbia | 8–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge | |||
| 4 | Thursday | W, 79–64 | at No. 2 Texas | 8–2 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 82–40 | vs. Boston Univ. | 9–2 |
| 14 | Sunday | L, 76–66, OT | vs. No. 16 Louisville | 9–3, 0–1 ACC |
| 17 | Wednesday | W, 84–34 | vs. UNCW | 10–3 |
| 21 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Charleston Southern | ACCN Extra |
| 29 | Monday | 8 p.m. | at Boston College | ACCN |
| January | ||||
| 1 | Thursday | Noon | vs. California | ACCN |
| 4 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | vs. Stanford | ESPN |
| 11 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at No. 20 Notre Dame | ESPN |
| 15 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. Miami | ACCN Extra |
| 18 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | at Florida State | The CW |
| 22 | Thursday | 8 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| 25 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | The CW |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 6 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN2 |
| 5 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. Clemson | ACCN |
| 8 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 12 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | vs. SMU | ACCN |
| 15 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at Duke | ABC |
| 19 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | at Virginia Tech | ACCN |
| 22 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Pittsburgh | ACCN |
| 26 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | at Virginia | ACCN Extra |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Duke | ESPN |
| ACC tournament | ||||
| 4–8 | Wed.-Sun | Gas South Arena, Duluth, Ga. | ||
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 20–24 | Fri.-Mon. | First, second rounds | ||
| 27–30 | Fri.-Mon. | Regionals Fort Worth, Texas, and Sacramento, Calif. | ||
| April | ||||
| 3, 5 | Fri., Sun | Final Four Phoenix |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
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