By R.L. Bynum
Deja Kelly won’t return to Carolina for a fifth college season, saying she is a “Tar Heel for life” but that it’s time to move on.
The three-time All-ACC first-team selection made the announcement Friday on social media but didn’t reveal her plans further than that.
“These last four years have been nothing short of amazing,” Kelly wrote. “The love and support the community has given me from day one has truly been special, and I’ll forever be grateful.”
She is eligible for a fifth college season under the NCAA’s COVID-19 rules. Kelly’s 1,858 career points rank eighth in UNC program history.
“I believe it is time to move on, but please know Chapel Hill will always and forever be my home,” Kelly wrote. “Please rest assured that I gave you all everything that I had, while earning a degree along the way. As I write this letter, I feel confident that I am leaving UNC Women’s Basketball in a bettr place than I found it.”
Even with the versatile 5–8 Kelly not returning, UNC has numerous point guard options, including graduate transfer Grace Townsend, redshirt junior Kayla McPherson, sophomore Reniya Kelly, freshman Lanie Grant and sophomore former walk-on Sydney Barker.
Kelly is the only one of the six UNC players to enter the transfer portal hasn’t revealed her next school. Paulina Paris committed Arizona, Ali Zelaya to UNCW, Teonni Key to Kentucky, Anya Poole to Clemson and RyLee Grays to Virginia.
Kelly expected to play more off the ball last season until injuries to Kayla McPherson, Reniya Kelly and Paris forced her to become the primary ball-handler most of the time.
Kelly has started 120 of 121 games in her four seasons. She has led the team in scoring with more than 16 points in each of the last three seasons and has averaged 3.2 assists per game in the last two seasons.
Kelly has scored at least 25 points 10 times in her career, including 29 on Feb. 25 at Virginia Tech last season.
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 | |
| Junior | — | Trayanna Crisp | G | 5–8 | |
| 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 | Oregon |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
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