Tag: North Carolina

NCAA ruling denies Littlefield a second season at UNC

The NCAA has a way of making plenty of head-scratching decisions and, unfortunately, the latest has ended the Carolina playing career of last season’s starting point guard on the women’s basketball team. Carlie Littlefield transferred to UNC after earning an undergraduate degree at Princeton. Like other players who were at Ivy League schools during the 2020–21 season, she won’t get an extra year of eligibility like most athletes since the entire conference decided not to not play basketball that season.

More player decisions still to come with UNC at the 13-scholarship limit

After quite the flurry of Carolina men’s basketball activity on Wednesday, there are still more decisions to be made that will have an impact on Coach Hubert Davis’ ability to bring in players from the transfer portal. If Leaky Black decides to use his extra season of eligibility and everybody else returns, Carolina would be right at the 13-player scholarship limit and unable to bring in more players.

Big-time UNC recruit Toomey’s love for Carolina, the state stoked years ago during Pinehurst golf trip

Ciera Toomey first marveled at the beauty of the UNC campus when she was 10, traveling home to Pennsylvania from a Pinehurst golf tournament. Toomey thought she’d just play golf for the rest of her life and remembers liking the idea of moving back to North Carolina at some point to take advantage of the terrific golf options and better weather. The No. 3-ranked player in the Class of 2023 committed to North Carolina on Monday night and will indeed head back to the Tar Heel state. But a “life-changing” breakout AAU season with NEPA Elite three years later before her freshman year in high school dramatically changed her focus.

Bacot announces on social media that he’ll be back

It’s been widely expected that Armando Bacot will return for his senior season and he confirmed that in a tweet on Wednesday morning: “Tar Heel forever.” With NIL (name, image and likeness) money out there to be earned, it always made sense for Bacot to come back since he likely will earn more money than he would with a two-way contract, a G League contract or to play in Europe.

In no surprise, Dawson Garcia enters the transfer portal

Most people familiar with the situation have known for some time that Dawson Garcia wouldn’t be coming back to the North Carolina program, so the news Wednesday that he’s entered the transfer portal, first reported by Inside Carolina, came as no surprise. Garcia, who averaged 9.0 points and made 37.5% of his 3-point attempts for the Tar Heels, transferred from Marquette and was expected to be one of the key players.

Which former Tar Heels are in the USFL and how has league altered rules?

Three former Carolina players and a former UNC head coach are part of the new iteration of the United States Football League, which starts play this weekend with several rule changes. Larry Fedora is the head coach for the New Orleans Breakers, and he’ll coach a player who played for him in Chapel Hill: running back T.J. Logan Jr. The Breakers’ first game is at 4 p.m. Sunday (USA Network) against the Philadelphia Stars and tight end Bug Howard. Anthony Ratliff-Williams is a wide receiver for the Houston Gamblers, whose opener is at noon Sunday against the Michigan Panthers (NBC, Peacock).

Ustby makes All-ACC Women’s Basketball Academic Team for second consecutive year

Not only is Carolina’s Alyssa Ustby a versatile basketball player who can punt, pass and kick a football, but she’s also a good student. For the second consecutive year, the rising junior from Rochester, Minn., was named to the All-ACC Women’s Basketball Academic team. The honor came Tuesday, days after she won the UNC punt, pass and kick competition and kicked a 35-yard field goal at Kenan Stadium at halftime of the spring football game.

Five-star stretch-five girls star picks UNC over UConn, 7 others

It’s a big sign that a women’s basketball program is taking huge strides on the national stage when it beats out Connecticut for a recruit. North Carolina has now done it twice in three years. Five-star 6–3 stretch-five Ciera Toomey, the No. 3 Class of 2023 player, committed to the Tar Heels on Monday night, picking UNC over seven other schools, including UConn, in an announcement on Twitter and Instagram.