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The North Carolina Tar Heels women’s basketball team has finalized its roster for the upcoming season, which will look quite different from the team that took the court last year. Head coach Courtney Banghart added four freshmen and two transfers to the 2021-22 roster, who join eight returning from last year.
Banghart has been trending up since she took over as the Tar Heels’ coach, taking them to the NCAA Tournament last season after a mini-drought, weathering the challenges of an abrupt exodus before her arrival and a global pandemic soon after it. It was just the fifth appearance in the Big Dance for the Heels in 10 seasons.
The newcomers to Chapel Hill are part of this upswing: Heading into her third season, Banghart’s recruited a group of freshmen who were all members of the Jordan Brand Classic 2021 Girls National Team. The only other program to have four recruits with those honors is UConn: Pretty good company. Apropos, this signing class is ranked second in the nation. All four freshmen are ranked in the national top 20 of the recruiting class, with headliner Teonni Key ranked in the top 10.
On the transfer side, the big get was graduate transfer Carlie Littlefield, who rejoins Banghart in Chapel Hill. Littlefield, a point guard, was recruited by and played for Banghart at Princeton before the latter made the trip to Chapel Hill. Littlefield made back-to-back All-Ivy First Teams in 2018 and 2019; there was no women’s basketball in the Ivy League last year for her to attempt the three-peat. UNC also grabbed shooting guard Eva Hodgson from William and Mary. She will have two years of eligibility left after sitting out last season due to the pandemic. As a freshman, Hodgson was the Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year in 2018-19. In her sophomore campaign, she was named to the All-CAA First Team after a 50/40/90 season.
Expectations are rising for Carolina, and Banghart has the Tar Heels heading into the right direction.
Below is the full roster for the 2021-22 team:
2021-22 UNC Women’s Basketball Roster
| NO. | NAME | POS. | HT. | YR. | HOMETOWN / HIGH SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NO. | NAME | POS. | HT. | YR. | HOMETOWN / HIGH SCHOOL |
| 0 | Alexandra Zelaya | F | 6-4 | So. | Goodyear, Ariz. / Millennium |
| 1 | Alyssa Ustby | G | 6-1 | So. | Rochester, Minn. / Lourdes |
| 2 | Carlie Littlefield | G | 5-9 | Gr. | Waukee, Iowa / Waukee |
| 3 | Kennedy Todd-Williams | G | 5-11 | So. | Jacksonville, N.C. / Jacksonville |
| 10 | Eva Hodgson | G | 5-9 | R-Jr. | Rindge, N.H. / New Hampton School |
| 11 | Ariel Young | G | 6-1 | R-Jr. | Tallahassee, Fla. / Lincoln |
| 13 | Teonni Key | G/F | 6-3 | Fr. | Cary, N.C. / Cary |
| 14 | Kayla McPherson | G | 5-7 | Fr. | Danielsville, Ga. / Madison County |
| 20 | Destiny Adams | G/F | 6-3 | Fr. | Whiting, N.J. / Manchester Township |
| 21 | Malu Tshitenge | F | 6-3 | Jr. | Germantown, Md. / St. John's College |
| 24 | Morasha Wiggins | G | 6-0 | Fr. | Kalamazoo, Mich. / Kalamazoo |
| 25 | Deja Kelly | G | 5-8 | So. | San Antonio, Texas / Duncanville |
| 30 | Jaelynn Murray | F | 6-2 | R-Sr. | Columbia, S.C. / Dreher |
| 31 | Anya Poole | F | 6-2 | So. | Raleigh, N.C. / Southeast Raleigh |