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Cam Johnson has gone from a tumultuous season to an offseason of uncertainty, but he’s not planning to sit around and see where his NBA career goes next. Johnson, a restricted free agent, has committed to play for the United States in the FIBA World Cup in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reported that former UNC center Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz also has committed to play for the team.
When Carolina makes the national championship game, it used to be a good bet that a few key players from that team would be around two seasons later. That may have been the conventional wisdom in the past, but in an era when players can transfer and not sit out a year, you can’t assume much from year to year.
The United States team got off to an impressive start at the FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championship, and future Tar Heel Lanie Grant also showed why she’s a five-star recruit in the Class of 2025. Carolina’s only commitment so far in the class, ranked No. 20 by ESPN, came off the bench to score more than a point per minute in the first quarter and finished the game with 12 points as the Americans rolled to a 124–39 victory over Puerto Rico at Poliforum Zamna arena in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, on Tuesday.
The United States team, which includes five-star Carolina Class of 2025 commitment Lanie Grant, plays three pool play games at the FIBA Women’s U16 Americas Championship beginning Tuesday night. Grant, a 5–9 guard ESPN ranks as the No. 20 player in her class, is one of four players her age on the team.
Carolina’s field hockey and women’s tennis teams were two of the national championship teams honored at the White House on Monday. Vice President Kamala Harris welcomed 19 championship teams at a ceremony outside of the White House as the attendees battled a drizzle. Speaking before Harris was NCAA president Charlie Baker. Logan Eggleston of the Texas women’s volleyball team spoke after Harris.
Carolina’s national championship field hockey and women’s tennis teams will be at the White House on Monday as part of the College Athlete Day celebrations. Dozens of NCAA championship teams across different sports and divisions are expected to be part of the celebration.
Coach Courtney Banghart continues to be a big winner in the women’s basketball offseason, and the evidence comes with a couple of recent rankings.
Carolina will hire former Tar Heels player Megan Smith Lyon as its softball coach, according to a report Saturday by Extra Innings Softball. Smith Lyon, who graduated from UNC in 1999, has spent the last five seasons at Marshall, where her teams went 160–70.
For the second consecutive night, the star power of incoming Carolina freshman wing Laila Hull was on full display as her Indiana All-Stars faced a team of Kentucky All-Stars again. Hull scored a couple of huge buckets in the last two minutes Saturday and earned MVP honors with a second consecutive double-double to lead Indiana to a 71–67 victory in Indianapolis to avenge a loss one night earlier.
Incoming UNC freshman Laila Hull’s ability to pour on the offense was on full display in the second half on Friday night at the first of two games in the Indiana All-Star series against Kentucky in Owensboro, Ky., putting up a double-double.
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