By R.L. Bynum
Ali Zelaya will play her fifth season at UNCW.
The 6–4 Zelaya, who entered the transfer portal on April 1, is the third of the six Carolina players to enter the portal to commit to a school after commitments by Paulina Paris to Arizona and Teonni Key to Kentucky.
Three others — guard Deja Kelly, center Anya Poole and forward RyLee Grays — still haven’t announced their plans.
Her commitment became official with a UNCW release on Wednesday morning, and Zelaya also posted about her commitment on Instagram, saying “Next stop … Wilmington.”
“Ali is one of the best human beings you will ever meet. She is just as good as a basketball player,” UNCW coach Nicole Woods said. “She will anchor the middle defensively as well as be a threat inside and out at 6-4. Today is a huge step for our program!”
Woods just completed her first season as the coach for the Seahawks, who went 5–25 and lost their last eight games.
Zelaya, who also considered Oregon and Arizona State, is passionate about the environment and will earn her master’s in marine sciences at UNCW. Her UNC degree will be in environmental sciences.
Tiffany Tucker, UNCW’s deputy athletic director and senior women’s administrator, played basketball at Carolina from 2001 to 2005.
Zelaya is the fourth transfer to commit to UNCW after former Belmont guard Kate Holifield, former Bradley forward Isis Fitch and former Richmond forward Torin Rogers. In addition, UNCW added Ofir Parpara, who has played in the Israel Premier League and the Israel National League.
A four-star recruit out of Goodyear, Ariz., she led Millennium High School to back-to-back Arizona 5A state titles before playing 88 games over four years for UNC.
Zelaya scored 159 points and pulled down 135 rebounds in her career for the Tar Heels, scoring a career-high 12 points on Feb. 22 with four 3-pointers in Carolina’s 80–70 home win over N.C. State.
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.
(UNC is one below the 15-player limit)
| Year | No. | Players | Pos. | Height | |
| Freshman | 11 | Kate Harpring | PG | 5–10 | |
| Freshman | 52 | 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 | 5 | Sophie Burrows — X | G | 6–2 | |
| Senior | 8 | 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 courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
1 Comment