By R.L. Bynum
Eight days after announcing that she would enter the transfer portal, former UNC guard Lanie Grant has committed to TCU.
She made the announcement Thursday afternoon in a post on X (formerly Twitter), saying she was going, “Where the West begins.” Grant nearly entered the portal last offseason but changed her mind.
She’ll continue her career where her UNC career finished: in Fort Worth, Texas, where UNC lost to UConn in the Sweet 16 last month.
Grant is the second transfer to commit to the Horned Frogs, joining former Stanford wing Lara Somfai.
TCU lost four players to the transfer portal: junior guard Donovyn Hunter, freshman center Emily Hunter, sophomore guard Taliyah Parker and senior center Aliyah Roberson.
TCU will also lose star guard Olivia Miles, who is out of eligibility. She likely commanded a substantial amount of money last season.
The Horned Frogs finished 32–6 last season, losing 78–52 to South Carolina in the Elite Eight.
Mark Campbell just completed his third season as head coach at TCU. He is 82–22 there, with Elite Eight appearances in the last two seasons, after going 39–24 in two seasons at Sacramento State.
Grant leaves UNC 4½ years after she committed to the Tar Heels on Thanksgiving Day 2021 at age 14. She skipped her senior season at James River High School in Midlothian, Va., to come to UNC and join Coach Courtney Banghart’s program a year early after earning 2024 Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year honors.
After starting only two games during her freshman season, averaging 7.3 points, she started 29 of 34 games this past season, averaging 10.8 points, second on the team, and matched her career-high assist total of five three times last season.
Her team-high 41.9% 3-point shooting percentage was the second-highest in a single season in program history behind the 45.1% of Heather Claytor in 2006, second in the ACC and third in the country.
She scored a career-high 21 points in Carolina’s 85–68 victory over Virginia Tech on March 6 in the ACC tournament quarterfinals, and scored a career-high five 3-pointers on Jan. 25 in the 77–71 overtime victory over Syracuse.
Grant led the team in scoring (or shared the lead) seven times last season, and led the team in assists twice and in steals once.
Grant showed the savvy to drive to the hoop and create opportunities for her or her teammates, and also was lethal from outside the arc. She had 18 career games with at least three 3-pointers and six with at least four 3-pointers.
She was at the top of opposing teams’ scouting reports for the second half of the season, many times getting face-guarded, making it difficult for her to get off her shot.
She mostly came off the bench last season until she was in the starting lineup for all but one game, starting with the Dec. 29 game at Boston College. Her role kept growing as junior guard Reniya Kelly missed numerous games.
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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 courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
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