By R.L. Bynum
Nyla Brooks, one of two five-star players in North Carolina’s incoming freshman class, has had quite a month and heads into Tuesday’s McDonald’s All-American game on a roll.
The 6–1 wing, 20th in the Class of 2025 according to ESPN and the Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year, plays in the game at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday (ESPN2) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn after winning two championships in the last month. Brooks will be on the East team along with three other future ACC players: Notre Dame’s Leah Macy and two Stanford recruits: Lara Somfai and Hailee Swain.
In the boys game at 9 p.m. (ESPN), Carolina five-star forward Caleb Wilson will play for the West team.
“It’s an honor; It’s a blessing,” Brooks said at a Monday press conference about playing in the McDonald’s game. “Not too many people get this opportunity, so it’s a great opportunity, especially for me, because just putting the hard work in and grinding since I was a little kid, it just represents all the hard work I’ve been doing since I was a little kid.”
Brooks is part of UNC’s three-player Class of 2025, including five-star wing Taliyah Henderson (21st in the class) and four-star forward Taissa Queiroz (76th). Queiroz enrolled at UNC for the spring semester and practiced and traveled with the team over the last 2½ months.
Brooks is the UNC program’s first McDonald’s All-American since Kayla McPherson, Destiny Adams (now at Rutgers) and Teonni Key (now at Kentucky) in 2021.
Brooks watched as North Carolina’s season ended with Friday’s Sweet 16 loss to Duke and already refers to the Tar Heels as “we,” eager to start working with Coach Courtney Banghart and the rest of the players.
“I feel like we gave it our all, left it out there for our seniors and just doing our thing on the court, listening to our coaches,” Brooks said. “I feel like our senior group this year was unstoppable. They’re pretty good this year. I feel like me coming in as a freshman next year. I want to just impact and play for Coach Banghart, just doing everything I can to get on the floor, being the best teammate I can be.”
She led Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Va., to a 27–6 record and the Virginia Independent School Athletic Association Division I state championship, beginning the month by scoring 23 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the 58–51 win over Paul VI Catholic High School in the state final on March 1.
Brooks followed that up by leading the Cardinals to the championship in the eight-team national tournament, The Thorn, in East Rutherford, N.J., as the No. 6 seed. Brooks earned Finals MVP honors after collecting 25 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks on 9 of 16 shooting in their 61–44 Saturday victory over Sidwell Friends.
Brooks says that the competition in the Washington, D.C., area — also known as the DMV — has prepared her for the college level. In the competitive Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, she earned player-of-the-year honors after averaging 18.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.
“There’s dogs coming out of the DMV area,” she said. “I feel like that’s where the best basketball in high school is being played. The WCAC is one of the toughest conferences in high school. Playing in the WCAC has prepared me to face adversity and just get going and my development.
“I feel like my coaches at Bishop Ireton and even my Bishop Ireton administration, everybody has been behind me since I stepped foot on BI campus,” Brooks said. “And I feel like just being a fresh McDonald’s All-American there, it’s an honor. I mean, just paving the way for younger kids coming after me. I just feel like BI is going to be a place to be in the DMV area. And I feel like you know that that’s the best school for it to be at.”
She appeared at a press conference alongside Macy and Duke recruit Emilee Skinner — who will play for the West team — with all three proclaiming that their respective schools would win the ACC title next season.
“I feel like going to the ACC, especially with Leah [at Notre Dame] and Emily playing [at] Duke, our biggest rivalry, so I’m excited for that, of course, just being out there and competing,” Brooks said. “That’s the best thing, being out there, just being named one of the top players in the country, just being out there since now, and coming up when we get drafted to the W[NBA], hopefully. Just looking back, I’m just really ready.”
Brooks acknowledged that she will start her college career at the perfect time, with stars able to be paid.
“Just coming in and just being the best us, name, image and likeness, just being the best us and just being ourselves. I feel like NIL is a big opportunity that we have today in women’s basketball, and I feel like it’s growing and going into the WNBA,” she said. “So it makes the WNBA even more popular now that more people are watching. Even the NCAA right now for women’s, everybody’s watching this. So I feel like NIL is perfect for us, and it’s at its peak right now, and I feel like we’re going to do a great job coming in. I’m grateful for the people who paved the way before us.”
McDonald’s All-American Game rosters
Projected UNC roster next season
(Next season’s class listed)
| Year | No. | Players | Pos. | Height | |
| Freshman | — | Nyla Brooks | Wing | 6–1 | |
| Freshman | — | Taliyah Henderson | Wing | 6–1 | |
| Freshman | — | Taissa Queiroz | Forward | 6–1 | |
| Sophomore | 0 | Lanie Grant (5 star) | PG | 5–10 | |
| Sophomore | 34 | Blanca Thomas (5 star) | C | 6–5 | |
| Sophomore | 3 | Jordan Zubich (4 star) | G | 5–11 | |
| RS sophomore | 21 | Ciera Toomey | F | 6–4 | |
| RS sophomore | 4 | Laila Hull | W | 6–1 | |
| Junior | 10 | Reniya Kelly | PG | 5–7 | |
| Junior | 15 | Sydney Barker | PG | 5–6 | |
| RS senior | 11 | Kayla McPherson | PG | 5–8 | |
| Senior | 24 | Indya Nivar | G | 5–10 | |
| Senior | 14 | Trayanna Crisp | G | 5–8 |
Class of 2025
| Player | Rating | ESPN rank | Position | Height | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nyla Brooks | Five star | No. 20 | Wing | 6–2 | Alexandria, Va. |
| Taliyah Henderson | Five star | No. 21 | Wing | 6–1 | Tucson, Ariz. |
| Taissa Queiroz | Four star | No. 76 | Forward | 6–1 | Santa Rosa, Calif. |
Photo via screenshot
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