By R.L. Bynum
Four-star shooting guard Lena Girardi has included North Carolina on her list of five potential college destinations.
The 6–0 Girardi, who played baseball until she was 11 years old is No. 79 in ESPN’s Class of 2025 ranking. She is the daughter of former MLB player and manager Joe Girardi and the brother of former Florida International infielder Donte Girardi.
She announced her final five colleges in a Friday evening post on X (formerly Twitter), also including Arizona, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech and Northwestern.
According to On3.com, she has already visited UNC and plans to make an official visit to Carolina and the other four schools in the late summer and fall.
Here is what Girardi told On3.com about Carolina:
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“Coach Courtney [Banghart] started recruiting me very young, but she offered me a little later. UNC is such a beautiful campus and is known for basketball,” Girardi said. “She’s really fun and bubbly and I’m kind of like that too. We hit it off talking and I like watching them play. I like their style a lot. I’m definitely excited to go back for an official. How she saw me fitting in, I really took that to heart.”
As a sophomore in the 2022–23 season, Girardi played for Westminster Academy and was the Broward County 4A/2A Player of the Year after averaging 23.3 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals.
(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 via @LenaGirardi
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