By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina’s women’s basketball program lost a member of its coaching staff Friday when new Virginia Tech head coach Megan Duffy hired Itoro Coleman as her associate head coach.
Coleman, a former WNBA player, had been on the Tar Heels’ staff since the 2020–21 season. She was part of Duffy’s staff at Marquette for the 2019–20 season before joining Coach Courtney Banghart’s staff at UNC.
Duffy replaced head coach Kenny Brooks, who left Virginia Tech to become the coach at Kentucky.
A 2000 Clemson graduate and a member of the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame, Coleman was the head coach at Clemson for three seasons before the school fired her in 2010 after her teams went 25–63.
During her tenure at UNC, the Tar Heels have made the NCAA tournament four times, including a run to the Sweet 16 in 2022. Coleman has also been an assistant coach at Penn State, Butler and Liberty.
On Thursday, Duffy hired former Penn State assistant coach Sharnee Zoll-Norman as a Hokies assistant coach.
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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 @HokiesWBB
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