By R.L. Bynum
Carolina’s women’s basketball program could make history Saturday.
That’s when 6–2 point forward Sarah Strong (left in photo, next South Carolina recruit Joyce Edwards, with whom she shared co-MVP honors for the McDonald’s All-American Game), the No. 1-ranked girls player in the Class of 2024, will announce where she will play college basketball.
If the five-star former star at Sanford’s Grace Christian High School picks UNC over Duke and UConn, she would become the first top-ranked recruit to pick the Tar Heels. She’ll make the announcement around 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN during halftime of the Chipotle Nationals championship game, which starts at 10 a.m.
Strong, the Naismith Player of the Year, scored 11 points and 12 rebounds to help her East team beat the West 98–74 in Tuesday’s McDonald’s All-American Game. In the first few minutes of the game, she scored a pair of 3-pointers.
She would join an incoming class that already includes two other five-star recruits (6–5 Charlotte center Blanca Thomas, No. 30 in the class, and 5–10 Midlothian, Va., point guard Lanie Grant, No. 22 in the Class of 2025 before reclassifying) and a four-star recruit (5–11 Mountain Iron, Minn., guard Jordan Zubich, No. 80 in the class).
Subscribe to read Tar Heel Tribune ad-free
Subscribe for a cleaner, smoother reading experience without the flashing banners, slow-loading elements, or those especially annoying pop‑up ads that interrupt the flow of the story. You’ll also get the first version of each story emailed to you. The only ads you’ll see are static, non-intrusive ads for UNC‑related books, and there are none currently on the site.
Strong would give UNC five McDonald’s All-Americans on next season’s team if Deja Kelly (2020), Lexi Donarski (2020), Kayla McPherson (2021) and Indya Nivar (2022) all return.
After averaging 25 points and 19 rebounds as a freshman at Fuquay-Varina High School, Strong led Grace Christian to a 91–4 record and three consecutive North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association state titles. Last season, Strong averaged 21 points, 16.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.8 steals.
Strong, who has a 3.68 GPA, has earned North Carolina Miss Basketball honors and Gatorade North Carolina Girls Player of the Year the last two seasons.
Projected roster if all players with eligibility other than Elina Aarnisalo, Lanie Grant,, Taliyah Henderson and Liza Ashtakhova and Liza Ashtakhova return, with years listed for next season (UNC is one below the 15-player limit)
| Year | No./ Stars | Players | Pos. | Height | |
| Freshman | 5 star | Kate Harpring | PG | 5–10 | |
| Freshman | 52/4 star | Noelle Bofia | F | 6–4 | |
| Sophomore | 3 | Gabby White — W | G | 5–10 | |
| Sophomore | 7 | Nyla Brooks | W | 6–1 | |
| Sophomore | 26 | Taissa Queiroz | G | 6–1 | |
| Junior | 34 | Blanca Thomas | C | 6–5 | |
| Junior | 1 | Jordan Zubich | G | 5–11 | |
| RS junior | 21 | Ciera Toomey | F | 6–4 | |
| RS junior | 4 | Laila Hull | W | 6–1 | |
| Senior | Sophie Burrows — X | G | 6–2 | ||
| Senior | 11 | Achol Akot — Y | F | 6–1 | |
| Senior | 10 | Reniya Kelly | G | 5–7 | |
| Senior | 15 | Sydney Barker | G | 5–6 | |
| Graduate | 13 | Chloe Clardy — Z | G | 5–9 |
W — Virginia transfer; X — Syracuse transfer; Y — Oklahoma State transfer; Z — Stanford transfer
Former players who entered transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elina Aarnisalo | Junior | G | 5–10 | UCLA |
| Lanie Grant | Junior | G | 5–9 | TCU |
| Taliyah Henderson | Sophomore | W | 6–1 | Clemson |
| Liza Astakhova | Sophomore | G | 6–2 | BYU |
Photo via @McDAAG
1 Comment