By R.L. Bynum
CHARLOTTE — Most coaches replacing three starters, including a decorated five-year player, face significant challenges.
It’s not as if North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart wouldn’t love to have forward Alyssa Ustby, center Maria Gakdeng and guard Lexi Donarski back. But the influx of six talented players, including an incoming recruiting class ESPN ranked No. 5, along with stars returning, could make that transition easier after last season’s Sweet 16 run.
“We do expect to have a different look,” Banghart said Monday at ACC Tipoff at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown. “You don’t lose two of the best post players the league has seen in a long time and try to replace them immediately in the same way. So, we have some posts that need to step into that opportunity. They’ll play the game a little differently. They can extend the floor a little more. They can allow us to play with a little more spacing.”
Both 6–4 redshirt sophomore Ciera Toomey and 6–5 sophomore Blanca Thomas can knock down shots from outside the arc, but UNC will need significant growth from them to fill the void left by Gakdeng. However, 6–2 Louisville transfer Nyla Harris will help smooth that transition.
Banghart said the young post players will be tested early, as they averaged fewer than 11 minutes per game last season.
“We have a good guard group that has a lot of game pressure, whereas our inside game we’ve got to use our nonconference to put them to the test early so we can get as much game pressure on our youth as we can as we prepare for the gauntlet of the ACC,” Banghart said.
Banghart isn’t easing into the season; that’s by design. The Tar Heels’ nonconference schedule includes seven NCAA tournament teams, with three of last year’s Final Four teams: South Carolina, in an exhibition in Atlanta; UCLA, in Las Vegas; and Texas.
“It was pretty strategic,” Banghart said. “The ACC is so hard every year, and we knew that this was going to be a year where we were losing 60% or more of our productivity. Instead of finding out late, I want to find out early [about her team].”
That demanding schedule isn’t about padding résumés. It’s about building reliability among her top seven or eight players.
“The only way we’re going to do that is with our non-conference schedule,” Banghart said. “We have to get as much game pressure and not worry about wins.”
Banghart is confident that Harris, who has significant ACC experience, will bring toughness and voice to a new-look frontcourt.
“She brings great passion and voice to what we’re doing,” Banghart said. “She’s Alyssa Ustby-like in her mobility and versatility. It’s hard to be Alyssa, but she’s got a lot of the same attributes. She was on that first page of that scouting report every year.”
While the frontcourt adjusts, Carolina’s backcourt looks loaded. Junior Reniya Kelly and senior Indya Nivar return as starters, alongside sophomore Lanie Grant. UCLA transfer point guard Elina Aarnisalo will join them, allowing Kelly to play off the ball more.
Banghart calls Aarnisalo “an incredible passer,” adding that she might be the best passer she’s ever been around or seen, and comes with pro, Euro League and EuroCup experience.
“She’s very steady; she’s reliable,” Banghart said. “She’ll contribute to that great guard group and be really fun to watch.”
Carolina’s international reach also expanded with the addition of freshman Liza Astakhova from Russia.
“Quite a journey getting a Russian into our country, but it happened,” Banghart said. “She came with one bag. Her parents have never been here, and she showed up two days after classes started. Got here after midnight, went to an 8 a.m. math class, and is doing really well on the court and in the classroom. Some kids are built different. She’s one.”
Banghart says those additions will allow Carolina to “play differently” because her best two players were playing in the post last season and neither had 3-point range, while there has been more of a shift on this season’s team.
“Now our best players are actually at the perimeter spot,” Banghart said. “And our posts can actually shoot it, and they can really stretch it,” she said.
Banghart said the spacing will be better this season, allowing guards to attack more effectively in transition and play to the strengths of her best players.
After five years of Ustby seemingly being a magnet for every ball that came off the rim, finding ways to rebound well might be Banghart’s biggest concern.
Still, replacing Ustby’s rebounding and leadership won’t come easily.
“There’s not a better rebounder in program history than Alyssa,” Banghart said. “The rebounding, the five-year experience of her and Grace Townsend, the four-year starting experience of Maria and Lexi. That’s [experience with] game pressure. That’s why we’re playing three Final Four teams from last year in the first month of the season.”
Banghart acknowledges that leadership will evolve with time.
“I think leadership, if done the right way, you have to sort of lead yourself,” Banghart said. “We’ve got two newcomers from the portal and four freshmen, and that’s six new guys whose voice matters. Certainly, the game experience of Reniya, Indya and Nyla Harris — it’s hard not to know how much they’re going to be important to our leadership.”
It promises to be a challenging ride, but Carolina has the talent to navigate it.
NOTES — On Monday, the ACC released starting times for most games. Carolina will play four 9 p.m. games, one on a neutral court against UCLA in Las Vegas, two on the road (at Boston College on Dec. 29 and Georgia Tech on Jan. 22) and one at home (vs. UNCW on Dec. 17). ESPN dictated all of those late starts. … The Tar Heels will face California at noon on New Year’s Day, which will be a 9 a.m. game for the Bears’ body clocks. … The complete schedule is below.
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(UNC is one below the 15-player limit)
| 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 |
Photo by Nell Redmond/theACC.com
