Official Player Return/Departure Thread

6string

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Jul 24, 2025
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This is rough. We really need some athleticism and physicality. Nivar, Henderson, and Harris leave a huge void in that department. Lanie may have been our best "basketball" player. Banghart and staff have their work cut out for them. I have faith, but no need to sugar coat this. Holding pattern until the portal officially opens and Banghart can work her magic.
I totally agree about the athleticism. And unfortunately we are losing our best two,
 

Chesapeakeheel

Redshirt
Aug 1, 2025
32
26
18
Exactly 6 string. Put the students where they belong, front and center at midcourt. It is their teams
(Men and Women) Let them have some fun, be spontaneous. It should be about the players first the student second, Mom and Pop's after them.

When I was at UNC (73 grad) our student fanbase had all the bleachers behind the teams and half of the endzone to the left of the bleachers that is now opposite where the teams sit. Fans sat in the fancy seats that are now behind the bench. Probably done for TV.
I agree with wanting students in the most impactful spots in all stadiums. But this Also requires pushing those you are asking to fund NIL in “worse” seats.
 

tarboy

All-Conference
Jul 7, 2025
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Right now until someone else hits the portal (I hope Not) this is what we have JMO.

Kate,Elina/Reniya, Laila, Nyla B, Ciera still a really good team Taissa Q, Liza Astkahova Noelle Bofia, Jordan Zubich That is 10 players all with potential.
 

Jriv23

All-Conference
Jul 31, 2025
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The grass is not always greener when you move to another place. We all had LG penciled in for next year. If you read my comment, I did not disagree with her decision because I wished her the best moving forward. We really do not know why she is leaving. Only her and CB knows the true reason why she is leaving. Someone poster that it could be that she could be scared of the competition of having to compete for a starting spot which his that person's opinion but another poster was quick to shoot down his opinion. That opinion could be true, it could be for more money, etc. who knows. My point was she had talked so highly about the program, the togetherness and closeness of the team, etc. but now she is leaving. The article stated that she almost left last year. This is why I said why talk good about the program then you are going to up and leave. That is all I am saying. Will Wade talked a good game as well then he up and left. That seems suspicious to me. I am just stating the facts. Let's be real, how many of us knew she was thinking about leaving next year and she almost did. That says a lot to me.
 

Jriv23

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Jul 31, 2025
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Well, I hate to see TH go as well. IMO, I think she wants to be closer to home. I think Laney will wind up at VA playing along side Johnson. That is my guess.
 
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3397char

All-American
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Jun 30, 2025
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There's always the possibility that she may withdraw her name, maybe she's just exploring options?
That would be a pleasant surprise, but pretty rare. From a team perspective we need to immediately start roster management with the assumption she is 100% out the door. Which means that when we get a portal replacement "yes" with her money and spot on the team then her door for return closes.
 

Jriv23

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I am not counting on JZ she hardly played this year. She will be a junior like BT. If it were me, I would go after 2 to 3 really good players in the portal. Tennessee has a lot of players you can look at and decide which one of them can really help our team along with Iowa Sate. Both of these teams lost almost their entire team.
 
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6string

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Jul 24, 2025
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I agree with wanting students in the most impactful spots in all stadiums. But this Also requires pushing those you are asking to fund NIL in “worse” seats.
I had season tickets in the bleachers this year. At my age, there are no worse seats in there😊. I had to call the Rams Club and get them to move me. Just to be sure, I’m talking about the bleachers across from the team seats and not the seat back seats.
 
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3397char

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If we can keep Elina and keep a heathy Reniya we are set in the backcourt with Kate H.

I still think we need another Big and now maybe another wing athlete with some size.
*IF* Kelly can be healthy. not sure we know that right now. Maybe the staff has reason for confidence though.

But we need a reserve shooting guard. A Grace Townsend level player who is inexpensive and can fill a need when we are tired, in foul trouble or God forbid an injury. Even better an Eva Hodgson type who overperforms expectations.
 

Jriv23

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Well, at some point we are going to have to spend some money. As I stated earlier, if we are trying to go deep in the NCAAT next year, we have to bring in better players. You have to have talent on your roster. There is no other way around it. The more talent you have the better your chances. When I say talent, I mean WNBA type of talent. Kate is one, NB could be one as well. We have to have another one from the portal. This is how Duke and NC State were able to advance past the sweet 16. NC State did it last year and Duke did it this you. There is no way around it.
 

DSPHeel

Freshman
Dec 2, 2025
77
97
18
Believe the rumor is Alexis Ohanian is the one cutting checks
That’s not a runer, it’s been sourced and documented.
i'm confused by some of these reactions..this has been the reality of collegiate sports for a few years now. thought we all knew this? sucks but that's how it is.

UNC is not immune to it. Anyone can transfer. no player is safe. force yourself to have that mindset and you will be better off.

CB will adapt. just as she did when she lost KTW, Deja, Key, etc.

not the end of the world folks
Well said. As fans, we need to focus on the front of the jersey, not the back. Those names on the back will change every season!
*IF* Kelly can be healthy. not sure we know that right now. Maybe the staff has reason for confidence though.

But we need a reserve shooting guard. A Grace Townsend level player who is inexpensive and can fill a need when we are tired, in foul trouble or God forbid an injury. Even better an Eva Hodgson type who overperforms expectations.
What are your thoughts on Hull filling that reserve SG slot? If she can be more than a standstill shooter, maybe eh.
 

3397char

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What are your thoughts on Hull filling that reserve SG slot? If she can be more than a standstill shooter, maybe eh.
Hull may be great on offense as a spot up shooter, she started really slow this year but shot a whopping 43% in conference play (small sample size, 15 of 35)

Career 36% shooter. That is serviceable. She plays with strength, has clear length and athleticism, and can rebound. that is a lot to work with.

The concern is on defense. Grant was our dawg who would run through screen after screen chasing the opposing SG. That is not a skill I have seen from Hull yet and with Nivar also gone it is a big concern on this team for next year.
 

3397char

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She’s recently followed TCU and their HC.
The only thing I know about TCU WBB is that they clearly have money for the transfer portal, lol.

I cant imagine what HVL and Olivia Miles cost in consecutive years. and last season they picked up four players who were highly coveted.

We thought surely we would land Saurez after TCU already spent on Miles, Basham and Sheffley. (plus Silva) Nope they had more money. I think they had the #1 portal class IIRC.
 

uman1

Senior
Aug 8, 2005
458
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Coaches have to be really honest in those post season one on ones. Players have tough decisions to make...much tougher than in years past with some fairly big money on the table for good, though not great, players.
 
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uman1

Senior
Aug 8, 2005
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I am not counting on JZ she hardly played this year. She will be a junior like BT. If it were me, I would go after 2 to 3 really good players in the portal. Tennessee has a lot of players you can look at and decide which one of them can really help our team along with Iowa Sate. Both of these teams lost almost their entire
Hull may be great on offense as a spot up shooter, she started really slow this year but shot a whopping 43% in conference play (small sample size, 15 of 35)

Career 36% shooter. That is serviceable. She plays with strength, has clear length and athleticism, and can rebound. that is a lot to work with.

The concern is on defense. Grant was our dawg who would run through screen after screen chasing the opposing SG. That is not a skill I have seen from Hull yet and with Nivar also gone it is a big concern on this team for next year.
I saw a lot of improvement in her defense over the course of the season. The lack of being able create off the dribble may be her biggest liability. Still nice to have a 6-1 wing shooter though. Astakhova seems to be a fluid athlete although it is hard to tell if she has UNC potential vs Wake Forest potential,
 
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3397char

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Agree her defense is reasonably solid at the 3 spot. I was speaking of her ability to play the two to replace Grant In response to an question another poster asked.

maybe she has the perimeter defense skills or can build them. I just haven’t seen it displayed mainly because we have not used her in that way.

i suspect the best way to have success with her at the 2 would be for us to punish other teams with the mismatch when we are on offense more so than they punish us when she is on perimeter defense. she can do iso post ups and shoot over smaller players, and also contribute to a larger rebound advantage.

On defense we would probably see more switching, double team traps and hard hedges as opposed to fighting through screens. That could work provide she and especially Toomey (or whoever plays the 5) can develop those skills. position-less basketball.

option 2 would be Brooks at the 2 instead on defense (if she develops these skills faster) and Hull mans the 3. Brooks on paper is a better option but her defense is more behind right now.

to be clear I am not talking about Hull starting at the two, just speculating if she can be a back up in a big lineup as a change of pace in game.
 
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tarboy

All-Conference
Jul 7, 2025
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Hull will be a great player to have Kate drive and pitch out to her for open 3's. Same would be true for
Brooks and Arnisalo.

Or for Kate or Elina to drive and set up Toomey/Thomas/Bofia/portal

Liza Astkahova might be ready to be a big contributor at the 4. She is 6'2 and strong with ball skills.
 

Jriv23

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Jul 31, 2025
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I am not sold on BT right now. There are too much talent in the portal. Here is the question that CB, Staff, and players must ask themselves over the summer. Do we want to move past the sweet 16 in the NCAAT? Do we want to move up in the ACC conference standings and in win the ACCT? If the answer is yes, then we have to go and get more talent on this team at the spots that are weak. When I say talent, we are talking about WNBA talent? This team will not get far if we do not start thinking this way. We have all started that the four number 1 seeds are way above everyone else in the field this past year, which they clearly was. I know we hate Duke and Kara L, but since she has played in the W, and for Pat S, she knows you have to have WNBA talent on your team, and she is doing that every year. She has two McDonalds AA coming in and we only has one. She has some WNBA talent coming back. Yes, I am using her as the standard now. CB stated when she first got hired, that she would like to see the triangle teams back at the top of the conference like it use to be. Well, in order to continue to do that you better look at what Duke and Kara is doing, they just won ACC conference this year, the ACCT this year, and they made to the elite 8. Right now, they are the standard. We have two choices. We are either going to come up with them or get left behind. If we decide to come up with them than we better get more talent to come in. We just lost LG and TH to go along with NH and IN. As I stated before, we cannot wait on BT and JZ any longer since they will be juniors. That boat has sail. We have two women teams on the campus they we can clearly see that has a high standard and they are recruiting the best talent they can get every year that CB can model after. That is our women's Lacrosse team and Field Hockey team. They bring in top 10 players every year. As I keep stating competition should be welcome and not feared. That is what Duke and Kara L are doing now. Kara finally figured it out. This is what UCONN, UCLA, USC, Texas, and SC have been doing for a long time. If we do not get on the boat than we will never reach the promise land of where we want this program to go bottom line. Yes, I mentioned USC because a lot of people have forgotten that if JuJu was back for them they would probably have made it to the final four. Just think next year, USC will have three number one rank players on their team in a row. I do not know if this has ever happen before, JuJu, ZD, and now SH.
 

kjcooper

Junior
Nov 26, 2009
155
383
63
Just hope that CB and the staff had a great conversation with BT, as most of us have admitted there is some concerns with her progress. Would not surprise me to see her enter the portal, which I hope she does not. Potentials are there for her, she just need to assert herself, she could be one of the best centers in women's college basketball. Imagine what the elevation would be for this team.
 

DavePepin

Redshirt
Dec 1, 2025
2
10
3
My *perception* is that attendance and student and local enthusiasm for this program was at its highest under Banghart when we were on the rise during the Deja/Utsby/KTW era. Seemed to drop off quite a bit since then. Part of it is having a star player who wants to be in the spotlight, has that swagger, and makes their teammates better and part of the hype train. Latta was the best at this. Style of play and personality are really important. Maybe Brooks, Henderson, and Harpring can bring this to the table (I hope), but I think Banghart needs to prioritize this in her recruiting. It’s a really tricky balance if one player outshines everyone else (or if there is a perception of that), so getting the right mix really matters. We need better support for this program though, period.
My daughter used to love going to see the girls play a few years back and I would take her any opportunity we had. One of the highlights was after the game a few of the girls would come out and sign autographs and take pictures with the fans. That stopped and after being told the girls would not be coming out after the end of a few games that year my daughter lost all interest and hasn’t asked to go since. I didn’t realize how much that meant to her but that was what mattered most. Fan engagement is the key to fan retention.
 

kjcooper

Junior
Nov 26, 2009
155
383
63
Get Cooper from Tenn., and Nunu Agara then the team would be set. Still not as concern about the 5 as most, believe there will be some improvement, but if a game changer is out there at the right price she should be pursued.
 

Heeltastic

All-Conference
Aug 1, 2025
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If we can keep Elina and keep a heathy Reniya we are set in the backcourt with Kate H.

I still think we need another Big and now maybe another wing athlete with some size.
"healthy Reniya"
 
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