Excitement is already rising for this newcomer in ACC women’s basketball.

North Carolina Women’s Basketball Update

North Carolina’s women’s basketball coach, Courtney Banghart, is coming off a successful season, with 29 wins and a spot in the Sweet Sixteen.

However, her star player, Alyssa Ustby—who is regarded as the program’s greatest rebounder—has exhausted her eligibility. To help fill those gaps, Banghart has turned to the transfer portal, bringing in Nila Harris from Louisville and Elina Alisaro from UCLA. Still, she’s also optimistic about the new freshmen joining the team at Chapel Hill.

This fresh class appears promising, including three players ranked in ESPN’s Top 100 for the class of 2025.

“I don’t have any McDonald’s All-Americans here since Deja Kelly,” Banghart noted recently. “Naira Brooks comes in strong, and every day she’s in the gym saying, ‘Coach, I’ve got two goals.’ And she’s actively working towards them. She’s navigating this process well, which is impressive because everyone in her position usually feels overwhelmed.”

It’s interesting to consider the context around McDonald’s All-American recognitions. Destiny Adams, Teonni Key, and Kayla McPherson were selected in 2021, but the game was canceled due to the pandemic. Indianiver, who previously played at Stanford before transferring to UNC in 2023, also had this honor.

Banghart emphasized Brooks’s unique qualities and compared her to Deja Kelly, suggesting her potential for significant contributions as she starts her seventh season at Chapel Hill.

“She’s got talent. She knows how to find her spot on the court. It’s hard for me to hold back from praising her too much, but she’s definitely a bright spot for us,” Banghart expressed. “She has great size and athletic ability, an elite defensive mindset, and she can score. Overall, she adds a lot to our team.”

Brooks, a six-foot guard from Waldorf, Maryland, is currently ranked 13th in the ESPN Top 100 recruits for 2025. She’s a product of Ireton High School, where she averaged impressive stats: 18.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.1 blocks.

Beyond being a McDonald’s All-American, Brooks also earned recognition as the Jordan Brand Classic and Gatorade Virginia Girls Basketball Player of the Year. In the McDonald’s game, she managed to score 11 points with four rebounds and two steals in just 15 minutes. She really shined in a local Jordanian match, racking up a game-high 28 points along with 10 rebounds.

Brooks committed to UNC in August 2024 after considering other options including Maryland, Tennessee, and Georgia. Initially committing to Tennessee, her recruitment opened up when the Volunteers parted ways with former coach Kelly Harper. She also caught the attention of schools like Mississippi, Arizona, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pitt.

The other two freshmen joining Brooks at UNC are Taliyah Henderson and Taissa Queiroz. Henderson is ranked 27th in the class by ESPN and is a five-star prospect, while Queiroz is making waves as part of the Brazilian national team. Queiroz has been enrolled at UNC since last winter.

Banghart mentioned, “(Henderson) made strides late during her season. She’s extremely athletic and shows potential similar to Alyssa Ustby. She has a nice shot and rebounds effectively.”

Banghart now faces a fun challenge. She has two players, Brooks and Harris, who need distinguishing nicknames.

“What’s funny is the rest of the team is trying to figure this out, and they joked about calling them Brooks and Harris. But that hasn’t really caught on yet… We’re relying on both of them, so they’ll need to sort that out themselves.”