By R.L. Bynum
Former UNC guard Liza Astakhova has committed to continue her college career at Brigham Young.
The Russian guard, who played sparingly at Carolina last season as a freshman, made the announcement Thursday in an Instagram post.
She is the last UNC player who entered the transfer portal to commit to another school, with Lanie Grant headed to TCU, Elina Aarisalo returning to UCLA and Taliyah Henderson commiting Wednesday to Clemson. Grant and Astakova will both be in the Big 12.
The Cougars just completed their first season under Coach Lee Cummard, going 26–12 overall and 9–9 in the league. BYU lost 81–64 to Columbia in the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament championship game. Before becoming head coach, he was an assistant from 2019 to 2025 and was a men’s assistant coach at BYU for the 2018–19 season.
Astakova played only 12 games and 57 minutes during her only season at Carolina, scoring 25 points and pulling down 12 rebounds, with a high of 6 points against N.C. Central on Nov. 3.
With the glut of guards, including three who are coming in through the transfer portal, and four others returning, her prospects for more playing time next season didn’t look promising. Her departure gives Coach Courtney Banghart another roster spot to fill.
Astakova came to UNC after appearing in 39 games for Russia-PBL in the Moscow Basketball Association during the previous season, averaging 4.7 points and 19 minutes per game.
She didn’t arrive in Chapel Hill until the first day of classes on Aug. 18 even though she committed to UNC on June 17, having to deal with many hurdles along the way, including obtaining her student visa.
Subscribe to read Tar Heel Tribune ad-free
Subscribe for a cleaner, smoother reading experience without the flashing banners, slow-loading elements, or those especially annoying pop‑up ads that interrupt the flow of the story. You’ll also get the first version of each story emailed to you. The only ads you’ll see are static, non-intrusive ads for UNC‑related books, and there are none currently on the site.
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 | BYU |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
