By R.L. Bynum
For Ciera Toomey, the word that defines her redshirt sophomore season will be confidence.
After battling knee injuries and playing a limited role last year, the Carolina forward entered the offseason determined to rewrite her story.
“I think the biggest thing was coming off the season. I wanted this year to look different,” Toomey said at Wednesday’s women’s basketball media day for No. 11 UNC. “I thought, as a team, we had a lot of success. But, for me, I wasn’t satisfied with how I did, and I think that was even more motivation.”
That motivation kicked in almost immediately after the season ended.
“I got right back into it, and just really wanted to change the trajectory of the season,” she said.
After redshirting during her first season in Chapel Hill, she played only 10.3 minutes per game, but averaged 12.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per 40 minutes as a freshman.
The flashes of the talent that made her a five-star recruit were there. Limited minutes and lingering effects from rehab tested her patience and resolve.
Combining that with playing behind veterans Alyssa Ustby and Maria Gakdeng limited her opportunities. But Toomey discovered something about herself in the process.
“I learned that I can deal with adversity,” she said, lamenting that this included the injuries and last season not going quite like she anticipated. “I found myself basically [asking], ‘OK, what can I do?’ So, I think I showed myself that when things get hard, I don’t just give up.”
Practices became her proving ground.
“There were a lot of days last year where practices … that was my Super Bowl because I did well in practice,” she said. “I gave myself an opportunity to be in the game, and I put in so much work.”
Toomey’s comeback started long before last season tipped off. She spent countless hours in individual workouts with Coach Joanne Aluka-White, often pushing through fatigue and frustration.
“I would always come back into the locker room, sweating and looking as if I’d already been through practice, but I still had to then do lifting and our actual practice,” Toomey said. “I think in those moments, I would come into the locker room and [teammates would say] ‘Oh my God, you’re working hard today.’ It’s nice to hear that in that moment.”
Through that grind, one teammate stood out: Kayla McPherson, who also battled knee injuries that led her to end her playing career in the offseason and become a student assistant. Her experience with injuries gave her a unique ability to support Toomey.
“Kayla is a gem of a human,” Toomey said. “She’s so helpful on and off the court. She’s been through it, so she knows the emotion. I really looked at her because she was also so genuine.”
McPherson’s perspective went beyond encouragement.
“She’s played with so many different types of people. So, it’s cool to talk to her about how I can improve my game, because she sees the sport in a coaching aspect,” Toomey said.
The offseason was about more than skill work. It was about feeling strong again.
“I think it was just being confident in myself,” Toomey said. “I think it helped that physically, I feel better, feel stronger, feel quicker.”
Toomey came to Carolina with a reputation as a stretch four, and has shown that ability at times. But without Gakdeng and Ustby, honing post skills will be more important this season.
“In high school and in travel basketball, I really was kind of more of a guard, oddly; I lived on the perimeter,” Toomey said. “And just with the change of the landscape of our team this year that I really had to work on that.”
Facing Gakdeng and Ustby in practice accelerated her growth.
“I took a lot of what I learned from them last year and kind of gathered it and focused all that energy into improving that part of my game,” Toomey said. “They were two great players, and I’m so glad that our times overlapped here at Carolina.”
When the grind gets overwhelming, Toomey turns to golf. It’s a sport that couldn’t be more different from basketball but offers a surprising mental benefit.
“It’s actually fascinating, because I think they’re two really good sport counterparts,” she said. “They’re so different. Golf is so individual and slow, whereas basketball, your success depends on you, plus the people on the rest of your team, and it’s chaotic, it’s fast.”
Golf gives her calm in tough times.
“I like to think that golf has really helped me mentally,” Toomey said. “When practices, when games get crazy, I remember those moments on the golf course where I’m like, ‘OK, I just needed to take a break.’ I might not actually have the time to take that breath in basketball, but I do like to think that it allows me to not panic in certain moments.”
A stronger Toomey with sharper post moves and a renewed mindset, she is ready for a bigger role alongside sophomore Blanca Thomas inside.
“I’m feeling good,” she said. “I just took all the lessons, and took some time in the offseason to kind of do a reset. I think it really helped me become more positive.”
From long rehab days and leaning to McPherson’s wisdom to mastering post moves and finding calm on the golf course, she’s built a foundation that goes beyond basketball.
This season isn’t just about a bigger role; it’s about proving to herself that resilience pays off. And for Toomey, that confidence is no longer just a goal. It’s her game plan.
| Year | No. | Players | Pos. | Height | |
| Freshman | 5 | Liza Astakhova (LEE-zah uh-STAH-koh-vuh) | W | 6–2 | |
| Freshman | 7 | Nyla Brooks | W | 6–1 | |
| Brooks brings dazzling skills, confidence to UNC | |||||
| Freshman | 3 | Taliyah Henderson | W | 6–1 | |
| Long wait, journey for 5-star freshman Henderson after second knee surgery nearly over | |||||
| Freshman | 26 | Taissa Queiroz | G | 6–1 | |
| Queiroz came to USA from Brazil to chase her dreams | |||||
| Sophomore | 17 | Elina Aarnisalo (EH-lee-nah AHR-nee-sah-loh) | G | 5–10 | |
| Aarnisalo brings flash, IQ and pro experience to backcourt | |||||
| Sophomore | 0 | Lanie Grant | G | 5–9 | |
| Sophomore | 34 | Blanca Thomas | C | 6–5 | |
| Sophomore | 1 | Jordan Zubich | 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 | |
| Senior | 2 | Nyla Harris | F | 6–2 | |
| It was hard for Harris to say ‘no’ to UNC again | |||||
| Senior | 24 | Indya Nivar | G | 5–10 |
Class of 2025
| Player | Rating | ESPN rank | Position | Height | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nyla Brooks | Five star | No. 13 | Wing | 6–2 | Alexandria, Va. |
| Taliyah Henderson | Five star | No. 27 | Wing | 6–1 | Vail, Ariz. |
| Taissa Queiroz | Four star | No. 77 | Guard | 6–1 | Santa Rosa, Calif. |
| Liza Astakhova | — | — | Wing | 6–1 | Moscow, Russia |
| Date | Day/month | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 30 | Thursday | L, 91–82 | No. 3 South Carolina in Atlanta | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 90–42 | vs. N.C. Central | 1–0 |
| 6 | Thursday | W, 71–37 | vs. Elon | 2–0 |
| WBCA Challenge Las Vegas | ||||
| 13 | Thursday | L, 78–60 | vs. No. 2 UCLA | 2–1 |
| 15 | Saturday | W, 82–68 | vs. Fairfield | 3–1 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 20 | Thursday | W, 85–50 | at N.C. A&T | 4–1 |
| 23 | Sunday | W, 94–48 | vs. UNCG | 5–1 |
| Cancun Challenge Cancun, Mexico | ||||
| 27 | Thursday | W, 83–48 | vs. South Dakota St. | 6–1 |
| 28 | Friday | W, 85–73 | vs. Kansas State | 7–1 |
| 29 | Saturday | W, 80–63 | vs. Columbia | 8–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge | |||
| 4 | Thursday | W, 79–64 | at No. 4 Texas | 8–2 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 82–40 | vs. Boston Univ. | 9–2 |
| 14 | Sunday | L, 76–66, OT | vs. No. 78 Louisville | 9–3, 0–1 ACC |
| 17 | Wednesday | W, 84–34 | vs. UNCW | 10–3 |
| 21 | Sunday | W, 93–74 | vs. Charleston Southern | 11–3 |
| 29 | Monday | W, 90–38 | at Boston College | 12–3, 1–1 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 1 | Thursday | W, 71–55 | vs. California | 13–3, 2–1 |
| 4 | Sunday | L, 77–71, OT | vs. Stanford | 13–4, 2–2 |
| 11 | Sunday | L, 73–50 | at Notre Dame | 13–5, 2–3 |
| 15 | Thursday | W, 73–62 | vs. Miami | 14–5, 3–3 |
| 18 | Sunday | W, 82–55 | at Florida State | 15–5, 4–3 |
| 22 | Thursday | W, 54–46 | at Georgia Tech | 16–5, 5–3 |
| 25 | Sunday | W, 77–71, OT | vs. Syracuse | 17–5, 6–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 6 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN2 |
| 5 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. Clemson | ACCN |
| 8 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 12 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | vs. SMU | ACCN |
| 15 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at No. 20 Duke | ABC |
| 19 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | at Virginia Tech | ACCN |
| 22 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Pittsburgh | ACCN |
| 26 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | at Virginia | ACCN Extra |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Sunday | Noon | vs. No. 20 Duke | ESPN |
| ACC tournament | ||||
| 4–8 | Wed.-Sun | Gas South Arena, Duluth, Ga. | ||
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 20–24 | Fri.-Mon. | First, second rounds | ||
| 27–30 | Fri.-Mon. | Regionals Fort Worth, Texas, and Sacramento, Calif. | ||
| April | ||||
| 3, 5 | Fri., Sun | Final Four Phoenix |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
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