By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — The agonizing wait for five-star stretch-four Ciera Toomey is nearly over.
No. 15 Carolina’s Nov. 4 opener against Charleston Southern will come 592 days after Toomey led Dunmore High School to the 2023 Class 3A Pennsylvania state title. In between, there has been plenty of rehab, work and patience as the 6–4 former Miss Pennsylvania Basketball worked toward that day.
“It’s been tough,” Toomey said Friday in Carolina’s beautiful new practice gym on media day. “Basketball is a sport where there’s really nothing that compares to an actual game. So, it’s been definitely a waiting game, but it’s been a blessing. Being around these people makes it a lot easier. This team is wonderful. The coaching staff here, everyone’s made those days a lot easier. It’s been a good time, but safe to say, I’m very excited to actually play again.”
Her college debut will come 938 days after Toomey committed to UNC because of her love of Carolina. UNC coach Courtney Banghart says the coaches are doing everything they can to make that first college season go smoothly.
“We are going to ensure that her journey is one of great success, and you’ve got to hit some singles before you hit home runs,” Banghart said. “So, we’re going to hit some singles with her to start.”
UNC is getting a redshirt freshman with skills comparable to New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart. Banghart says that Toomey allows her team to stretch the floor and is a great passer and shooter who can play inside.
“She just gives you a true three-level scorer who can pass along with it, and she’s big,” Banghart said. “She’s hard to move. Everything creates more space for our team, which lets us play out of closeouts and [get] better ball movement, which makes everybody better. “
Toomey, who was the No. 4-ranked player in the Class of 2023, redshirted last season and worked out with the team the last few weeks, but said there was no talk of playing and using a year of eligibility for just a few games.
“Having all this time off allowed me to work on my shot, work on the perimeter game. So, it’s been a lot of fun to see that come through in my game again,” said Toomey, crediting the UNC staff for helping her along the way. “They helped me put myself in a position where I am able to feel really confident in my body again, really confident in everything that I’m doing, not give that second thought that comes with any recovery you do.”
It also helped that fellow teammate Laila Hull was going through the same frustration of having to redshirt as a freshman after suffering a shoulder injury.
That state title came 10 months after right ACL surgery, and she redshirted last season after summer 2023 surgery to repair cartilage in the same knee. She also suffered a significant wrist injury in a scooter accident on the day of the final “Live Action with Carolina Basketball” on Oct. 13.
The men’s basketball coaches found her after the accident, which all but ended her hopes of playing last season. Banghart, who has banned players from using scooters, admits that she wouldn’t have dealt with all of Toomey’s adversity nearly as well.
“I think she comes at it pretty balanced,” Banghart said, praising the support from Toomey’s parents. “Small town kid from Scranton, Pa., and really has bought into the journey here. Our job is to get her really, really good, game by game, year by year, and so I know that, I’ve been waiting a long time, too. But I’ve got to be disciplined with that as well.”
Toomey finally got a taste of game conditions when UNC hosted Charlotte in a closed scrimmage. Toomey admitted that it felt crazy before that scrimmage and that there were a lot of emotions — but good ones.
“It was a lot of fun,” Toomey said. “It’s been a long time coming. To actually play against people that weren’t in the same jersey as me or our practice players, it was really fun.”
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Toomey can handle the ball, mix it up inside and is a dangerous perimeter shooter. Some of those skill sets come from being a point guard when she was growing up. But she made it clear that she won’t be running the point for Carolina.
“I’ve definitely worked on low post and posting up a little bit more than I ever had to,” said Toomey, comparing that to her high school career when she always had a height advantage. “You don’t really need to focus on the specifics of footwork or anything [in high school]. So, I would say I’ve spent time sharpening that aspect of my game.”
Banghart said that Toomey is much stronger and agile than in high school and credited a huge part of Toomey’s development to having to guard fifth-year wing Alyssa Ustby in practice. Banghart went as far as to suggest that Toomey should buy dinner for Ustby every night because of how much that has helped Toomey’s game.
“Alyssa has gotten her a lot better,” Banghart said. “Imagine dealing with Alyssa on both ends every single day. I think that’s helped too, with her speed and her reaction and her anticipation.”
All the rehabilitation and work in the last nearly 600 days is about to start paying off for Toomey. The team and UNC fans can’t wait to watch.
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 courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
