By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — It’s not a stretch to say that the No. 15 North Carolina women will have players who can stretch the floor at nearly every position.
One of the newcomers who adds to that dynamic, even though she’s the tallest player on the roster at 6–5, is Charlotte four-star freshman Blanca Thomas — the rare stretch five.
“I like to stretch the floor, and I feel like a lot of true fives don’t stretch the floor as often. So being able to do that has allowed me to have different opportunities here,” said Thomas, who was asked if she has the green light to shoot outside the arc. “If I’m open, I would say yes, but I’m not going to be taking any contested threes or anything like that.”
The Tar Heels open the season at 11 a.m. Monday against Charleston Southern (ESPN3) in Carmichael Arena.
A first-team All-State pick her junior season at Charlotte Catholic, Thomas is one of three UNC freshmen on ESPN’s Class of 2024 top 100, ranking at No. 32, with point guard Lanie Grant at No. 59 and guard Jordan Zubich at No. 69.
Thomas played in the Jordan Brand Classic and went through the rigorous process in May to try out for the United States’ U18 team for the Women’s AmeriCup. Although she didn’t make the team, she said it made her a better player.
“It’s a great experience, but it’s a lot. You’re with all the top players in the country, and it’s kind of stressful because it’s two-a-days. It’s heavy work,” said Thomas, adding that Coach Courtney Banghart encouraged her to try out. “She was great in helping bring me along even though I didn’t make it.”
Thomas has grown throughout the year, from graduating from high school to starting college to learning so much during practices. Gone are the days when she towered over all her opponents during high school games, which has meant plenty of adjustments.
Practicing against 6–4 redshirt freshman forward Ciera Toomey and 6–3 senior center Maria Gakdeng has helped prepare her for the tough non-conference and ACC competition.
“It’s been fun, honestly, because it’s giving me a whole different perspective on basketball,” Thomas said. “I think Maria is a fantastic player, and being able to go against her every practice for the entire duration — it’s challenging. I know if I can defend her here, she’s helping me be better, and then I can go and play against another ACC team and defend their posts.”
Playing against tall teammates has shown Thomas areas of her game that she’ll have to improve when the Tar Heels face top-level competition.
“I definitely think coming from high school to college, I need to be more physical. In high school, I didn’t really have to worry about girls my height and being able to finish over someone who’s 6–4, 6–3, something like that,” Thomas said. “So, that’s definitely been an adjustment for me to try to figure out how it’s going to be, how I’m going to finish over the basket and stuff like that.”
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Thomas says that she’s worked hard on her conditioning to get up and down the floor and keep up with the pace Banghart expects of the team.
Not many teams in the country will have two frontcourt players with as much talent making their college debuts this season as Thomas and Toomey.
“It’s nice when Ciera and I are relatively the same height, so whether it’s a switch or something like that, we do a great job of communicating that,” Thomas said. “And Ciera can defend out on the perimeter. I can step in, too. If she’s touching out and she’s shooting threes and I’m in there, I’m trying to bury someone, and we can work together.”
When she maneuvers inside, Thomas is an old-school back-to-the-basket center who also faces up to the basket well and stretches the floor. When she’s in the game, she expects to play mainly with another four.
“We can interchange very well,” Thomas said. “I’ll trail, and they’ll run the floor, or vice versa. And it works either way because we have so many different actions that I can run out of that trail spot, as well as what the four can run out of the trail spot, and then what I do out of the five and what they can do.”
Wherever she fits in, she helps make the ceiling for this Carolina team high.
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 |
WW — Virginia transfer; — Virginia transfer; X — Syracuse transfer; Y — Oklahoma State transfer; X — Stanford transfer
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 |
Top photo courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications; USA photo courtesy of USA Basketball
