By R.L. Bynum
Caliyah DeVillasee, the No. 9 point guard in ESPN’s Class of 2025 ranking, has North Carolina in her final six and will announce her choice on Sept. 1.
Rated No. 43 overall in the class, the 5–7 four-star player, whose nickname is “Lil Bit,” plays for Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic High School in Olney, Md., and Elevate Elite. Her hometown is Baltimore.
DeVillasee, who calls herself a three-level scorer and a pass-first point guard, told On3.com that she had narrowed her list to UNC, Clemson, Georgia, Cincinnati, West Virginia and Virginia Tech. She’s taken official visits to all six schools. She eliminated Syracuse and Penn State, who were on the final eight she announced on Feb. 2.
Carolina first offered her a scholarship in July 2023.
She suggested to On3.com that adding Corey McNeill to the coaching staff has helped the Tar Heels’ chances. He came to UNC after being an assistant coach at East Carolina. Here’s what she said about Carolina:
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“I love North Carolina. I love the blue. I love Coach Corey. He came from East Carolina. I was talking to him before, but then we stopped talking because of the school he was at, but now that he’s at UNC, they had a bigger chance,” she said. “When I went to UNC, you could see all the hard work at practices and their goal is to make it to the Final Four. They’re still building, too. I love that the practice was intense and all that, too. I love the defense at UNC.”
As a junior last season, she averaged 16.3 points while shooting 65% from the floor with a 1.17 assist-to-turnover ratio. In her three high school seasons, she’s averaging 14.2 points.
| 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 |
Non-conference schedule
| Date | Day/ month | Time | Opponent/event (rank in final poll) |
|---|---|---|---|
| November | |||
| 2 | Monday | TBA | Oui-Play in Paris vs. No 12 Oklahoma |
| 8 | Sunday | TBA | Ally Tipoff in Charlotte vs. No. 2 South Carolina |
| 11 | Wednesday | TBA | vs. N.C. Central |
| 14 | Saturday | TBA | at Penn in Palestra |
| WBCA Showcase Orlando | |||
| 19 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | vs. Texas Tech |
| 21 | Saturday | 5 p.m. | vs. No. 24 Alabama |
| ——— | |||
| 24 | Tuesday | TBA | vs. Gardner-Webb |
| 27 | Friday | TBA | vs. Army |
| 29 | Sunday | TBA | vs. Brown |
| December | |||
| 2 | Wednesday | TBA | ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge vs. No. 8 LSU |
| 6 | Sunday | TBA | vs. Elon |
| 9 | Wednesday | 11 a.m. | vs. Winthrop |
| 21 | Monday | TBA | vs. Norfolk State |
| 28 | Monday | TBA | vs. UNCW |
ACC home opponents: Duke, N.C. State, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Virginia.
ACC road opponents: Duke, Stanford, California, Louisville, Clemson, Miami, Syracuse, SMU and Pittsburgh
Photo via @lilbit_2025
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