By R.L. Bynum
Former North Carolina freshman forward Taliyah Henderson will continue her career at ACC rival Clemson.
Henderson made the announcement on Wednesday in an Instagram post, saying that she is, “Excited for what’s ahead.”
She becomes the second Tar Heels player to transfer to Clemson in three years. Anya Poole played four seasons at Carolina before going to Clemson for her fifth season in 2024–25.
Henderson is the third of the four UNC players from last season to enter the transfer portal who have committed to another school. Elina Aarnisalo is returning to UCLA, while Lanie Grant will play at TCU.
The 6–1 Henderson showed off the talent that made her a five-star recruit and the No. 27 recruit in the Class of 2025 with her moves and shooting ability. She made every field-goal attempt in eight games this season, including going 6 for 6 when she tied her season-high with 13 points in a win over SMU on Feb. 12.
Coach Shawn Poppie just completed his second season at Clemson, making the NCAA tournament for the first time last season after going 21–12 overall and 11–7 in the ACC. Before that, his Chattanooga teams made the NCAA tournament in both of his seasons there.
In UNC’s 54–44 home win on Feb. 5 over Clemson, Henderson only played four minutes and missed both field-goal attempts, but had two rebounds and a steal.
She came to Carolina after working her way through two knee surgeries.
“One of the reasons why I did commit here is because of Coach [Courtney] Banghart and the staff’s belief in me,” Henderson said in a Sept. 26 story in Tar Heel Tribune. “She was able to breathe confidence into me that I didn’t know I needed. That belief makes me feel confident to be who I am and continue to learn and grow every day.”
The opportunities didn’t always consistently come during her freshman season, when she averaged 10.5 minutes and 3.8 points per game.
Henderson, who played single-digit minutes in 13 games, had talked about her eagerness to be part of the UNC-Duke rivalry. Banghart mentioned in the postgame press conference after Henderson’s 13-point game against SMU (starting at 10:40 in this video) that Henderson said during the recruiting process that she never liked Duke.
“I think this is one of the strongest [rivalries],” she said in that press conference the game before the visit to Duke.”[Going to that] rival’s campus is so exciting. I love playing in a hostile environment because it makes it 20 times better.”
But she never got in the game for the first meeting in Durham, a 72–68 Carolina loss on Feb. 15, with her family at the game during a visit from their home in Arizona. She only played five minutes in the Tar Heels’ regular-season-ending 74–69 win in Chapel Hill over the Blue Devils.
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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 |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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