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:
“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.
UNC schedule
| Date | Day/month | Time | Opponent/event (current rank) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | ||||
| 4 | Monday | 11 a.m. | vs. Charleston Southern | ESPN3 |
| 7 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. UNCW | ESPN3 |
| 12 | Sunday | TBA | at N.C. A&T | ESPN3 |
| 15 | Friday | 6 p.m. | vs. UConn in Greensboro | ESPN2 |
| Battle 4 Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas | ||||
| 23 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | Ball State | FloHoops |
| 24 | Sunday | 1:30 or 6:30 | Texas A&M or Villanova | FloHoops |
| 25 | Monday | Noon, 2:30, 5 p.m. or 7:30 | Baylor, Indiana, Columbia or S. Miss | ESPN2, ESPNU or FloHoops |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 29 | Friday | TBA | vs. N.C. Central | ESPN3 |
| December | ||||
| ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge | ||||
| 5 | Thursday | 5 p.m. | vs. Kentucky | ESPN2 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 8 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Coppin State | ESPN3 |
| 11 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | vs. UNCG | ESPN3 |
| 15 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte | ||||
| 18 | Wednesday | 6:30 | vs. Florida | ESPNU |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 21 | Saturday | Noon | vs. Norfolk State | ESPN3 |
| ACC season | ||||
| 29 | Sunday | 4 p.m. | at Miami | ACCN |
| January | ||||
| 5 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | vs. Notre Dame | ESPN |
| 9 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. Duke | TBA |
| 12 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Boston College | ACCN |
| 16 | Thursday | 8 p.m. ET | at SMU | ESPN3 |
| 19 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | at Pitt | ACCN |
| 23 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ESPN3 |
| 26 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Florida State | ACCN |
| 30 | Thursday | TBA | at Cal | ESPN3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Sunday | 3 p.m. ET | at Stanford | The CW |
| 9 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | at Clemson | ESPN3 |
| 13 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN3 |
| 16 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. N.C. State | ESPN |
| 20 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | at Syracuse | ACCN |
| 23 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | at Louisville | ESPN |
| 27 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | at Duke | ESPN |
| March | ||||
| 2 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Virginia | The CW |
| 5–9 | Wed.–Sun. | ACC tournament Greensboro Coliseum |
UNC 2024–25 roster
| Year | No. | Players | Pos. | Height | |
| Freshman | 0 | Lanie Grant (5 star) | PG | 5–10 | |
| Freshman | 34 | Blanca Thomas (5 star) | C | 6–5 | |
| Freshman | 3 | 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 | 14 | Trayanna Crisp | G | 5–8 | |
| Senior | 5 | Maria Gakdeng | C | 6–3 | |
| Graduate | 2 | Grace Townsend | G | 5–5 | |
| Graduate | 20 | Lexi Donarski | G | 6–0 | |
| Graduate | 1 | Alyssa Ustby | F | 6–1 |
Class of 2025 commitments
| Player | Rating | ESPN rank | Position | Height | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nyla Brooks | Five star | No. 17 | Wing | 6–1 | Alexandria, Va. |
| Taliyah Henderson | Five star | No. 21 | Wing | 6–1 | Tucson, Ariz. |
Players transferring in offseason
| Class | Player | Pos. | Height | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sophomore | RyLee Grays | F | 6–3 | Virginia |
| Junior | Paulina Paris | G | 5–9 | Arizona |
| RS junior | Teonni Key | F | 6–4 | Kentucky |
| Graduate | Deja Kelly | G | 5–8 | Oregon |
| Graduate | Ali Zelaya | F | 6–4 | UNCW |
| Graduate | Anya Poole | F | 6–2 | Clemson |
Photo via @lilbit_2025
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