By R.L. Bynum

Roster management presents many more challenges than just a few years ago, with NIL opportunities and the transfer portal luring players away from programs.

Constructing a roster from one season to another can lead to mind-numbing changes. Carolina’s men saw that last offseason when seven players transferred out and five transferred in.

There were some uneasy weeks for fans. They were stunned when all of those players left Coach Hubert Davis’ program. But the roster he put together last offseason produced an ACC regular-season champion and a No. 1 seed one season after missing the NCAA tournament.

Similarly, women’s basketball fans were sad to see four players depart after a season that didn’t live up to the expectations many had for the team. Casual fans may not realize the challenges the Tar Heels faced with season-ending injuries to four scholarship players, including two in the backcourt, that forced the remaining guards to play big minutes.

Some who thought four players entering the transfer portal so soon was a terrible sign for Coach Courtney Banghart’s program should trust the process. 

There has been some panic from fans on social media and message boards and other observers who don’t see the big picture or understand all the dynamics in play.

“Roster management is the new thing,” Banghart said after UNC’s season-ending loss at South Carolina. “The game has changed; if you don’t like it, you should get out, because it’s the only way to do it.”

UNC’s women didn’t have quite that much upheaval last offseason when guard Kennedy Todd-Williams left for Ole Miss (she announced Tuesday that she’ll return there for a fifth season) and forward Destiny Adams transferred to Rutgers. Banghart brought in three transfers: Center Maria Gakdeng from Boston College, guard Lexi Donarski from Iowa State and guard Indya Nivar from Stanford. Gakdeng and Donarski each started 32 games and Nivar started six.

That was still a jolt for fans not used to the new normal. But the new normal has struck them a little differently this offseason. Only a couple of weeks have passed since the Tar Heels’ season ended, and they’ve already seen twice as many players enter the transfer portal as during the last offseason.

“These kids have an annual decision to make,” Banghart said. “Is that a bad thing? Maybe not. I have an annual decision to make. They don’t [want to be] held hostage to where they’re located anymore.”

As had been expected, two days after the season ended, sophomore guard Paulina Paris hit the portal and, a week later, committed to Arizona. On Monday, senior centers Ali Zelaya and Anya Poole went into the portal and redshirt sophomore forward Teonni Key followed on Tuesday.

Roster math and anticipated playing time allocation play into these decisions. That dynamic includes the option for players who just finished their senior seasons to play a fifth season.

Paris, who was medically cleared late in the season but was never in uniform after suffering a knee injury in January, likely saw the glut of guards and wasn’t happy with her possible role at UNC.

Should Deja Kelly decide to return for a fifth season, Paris would have competed for backcourt playing time with her, redshirt junior Kayla McPherson, sophomore Reniya Kelly, freshmen Lanie Grant and Jordan Zubrich and sophomore Sydney Barker.

Paris knew that she came off the bench to start last season, with Reniya Kelly starting, and only cracked the starting lineup after Kelly got hurt.

Zelaya, Poole, and Key’s departures were likely driven by playing time and roster math. All three were reserves last season and didn’t play in some games despite not being injured. Poole started only six times after starting 31 times during her junior season.

Zelaya and Poole will be graduate transfers who will use their fifth season elsewhere. Key will seek a new start after only playing in two of her three seasons in Chapel Hill and battling to find her rhythm after recovering from a torn ACL.

When the season ended, the roster math suggested that Zelaya and Poole would likely not be able to return for their fifth seasons on the 15-player roster.

Even before we knew that Grant would reclassify and begin her college career next season, the math didn’t work. At that point, with two incoming freshmen, there were only two spots for the four seniors eligible for fifth seasons.

If UNC was going to welcome back only two seniors, the obvious two choices were always going to be co-captains Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby. Neither has announced their plans.

The crunch got greater with Grant’s decision. The chance of Sarah Strong, the No. 1-ranked player in the Class of 2024, picking UNC adds to that. The two-time Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year and co-MVP in Tuesday’s McDonald’s All-American Game, will pick either UNC, Duke or UConn in the next week.

If the 6–3 point forward picks Carolina, the playing time for Zelaya and Poole figured to be even more sparse, considering that they’d be competing with Strong, 6–3 Gakdeng, 6–4 redshirt freshman forward Ciera Toomey, freshman 6–5 center Blanca Thomas and 6–3 sophomore forward Rylee Grays.

Banghart has four roster spots, assuming all of the other underclassmen and Donarski return, and hopes that Strong fills one. Banghart has shown that she’s a masterful recruiter, and will no doubt fill the roster with impactful transfers.

She’s done it before with guards Stephanie Watts, Petra Holešínská, Carlie Littlefield and Eva Hodgson, as well as Gakdeng, Donarski and Nivar.

Fans who are panicking because of the departures in the last week should be patient and wait for the offseason process to play out.

With the talent the Tar Heels already expect to be on the roster, Banghart could very well work the sort of magic we saw from Davis last offseason.

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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	Clemson
RS junior	Teonni Key	April 2	F	6–4	Kentucky
Sophomore	RyLee Grays	April 5	F	6–3	Virginia
Graduate	Deja Kelly	April 8	G	5–8	TBA

Photos courtesy of the ACC