All 2022 players ruled eligible

[Jriv23]

Tarboy, here is the roster of VA women's basketball team last year. As you will see Gabby is the only freshman on this team. For her to get minutes every game as a freshman with a veteran loaded team should tell you something about her skill set. How many freshmen will get playing time with a team full of graduate transfers and junior and senior.

Women's Basketball 2025-26

Women's Basketball 2025-26

virginiasports.com

 

[Jriv23]

tarboy, here is the write up on Gabby for your to read. If this does not convince you want she can do then I do not know what else to tell you.

Women's Basketball 2025-26

Women's Basketball 2025-26

virginiasports.com

 

[Jriv23]

Here is another write up for you to read tarboy.

Gabby White - Women's Basketball 2025-26

Gabby White - Women's Basketball 2025-26

virginiasports.com

 

[3397char]

Gabby White is no doubt good. Harpring is the top PG recruit in the country. Reniya Kelly is our only returning player with all-ACC accolades. On paper, everyone healthy, Gabby White is the 3rd string PG.

3rd string players rarely play substantial minutes in meaningful games. Once this roster gets whittled down to a 10 player rotation or less, White may be odd woman out unless someone in this three plays substantial minutes at the 2. But that means less minutes for Clardy, Burrows and/or Brooks: 2 ACC starters and an All-ACC freshman teamer. They also, on paper seem a little above White.

Part of a coaches job is to talk up players doing everything right in practice. Make sure they know their efforts are seen. Every year there are a couple of players who get some great shoutouts who ultimately do.

This a a team of mostly new to UNC people. Plus returning women vying for expanded roles after waiting their turn. We are all just guessing here on who will actually play.

The good news is we have a very reliable 3rd PG option with tons of upside. If any 1 or 2 guard players in the rotation gets injured she surely will be pressed into action.

 

[Jriv23]

3397Char, you are missing the point. CB started that Gabby and Chloe will be playing both the 1 and 2 positions. I did not say that Gabby was going to start. Kate H will probably start unless her shoulder has not completely healed. Kate and RK will be at the 1 and 2 if RK is healthy. CB has confirmed that RK will be at the two. The point that I was trying to make is that Gabby White will be playing and not sitting on the bench. CB has stated that Gabby is just as athletic or a little bit more athletic than IN, and that Gabby can do the same things as IN. She can rebound on both ends of the floor, strong enough to go to the rim, can absorb contact, has a solid midrange, has a strong body, I think she can shoot the ball better than IN. CB also stated that Gabby along with Kate can grab the defensive rebound and push the ball down the court. This is the last time that I will say this, Gabby will be getting some minutes every game. Her skill set is better than Barker, Jordan, BT, and maybe LH. Some of yall stated that TQ and TH were not going to play that much last year, and I told yall that they would because of their skill set.

 

[Jriv23]

Also, 3397Char, you are forgetting that Gabby's mother is the Associate Head Coach the last time I checked which means she has been around the UNC program hen she was little, she has an high IQ of the game (name a player who's mother or father coached and that player did not have an high IQ of the game) and she has been to all of the UNC basketball camps when she was little and she grew up in Chapel Hill. The same Jarin Stephenson and Drake Powell. CB pointed this out in her summer media interview. CB also stated that Gabby was going to play. So with all that in mind, Gabby is not new to the program like the other newbies who are coming in. To be hones, I did not understand why Gabby did not commit to us in the first place when she graduated from Seaford High School.

 

[3397char]

3397Char, you are missing the point. CB started that Gabby and Chloe will be playing both the 1 and 2 positions. I did not say that Gabby was going to start. Kate H will probably start unless her shoulder has not completely healed. Kate and RK will be at the 1 and 2 if RK is healthy. CB has confirmed that RK will be at the two. The point that I was trying to make is that Gabby White will be playing and not sitting on the bench. CB has stated that Gabby is just as athletic or a little bit more athletic than IN, and that Gabby can do the same things as IN. She can rebound on both ends of the floor, strong enough to go to the rim, can absorb contact, has a solid midrange, has a strong body, I think she can shoot the ball better than IN. CB also stated that Gabby along with Kate can grab the defensive rebound and push the ball down the court. This is the last time that I will say this, Gabby will be getting some minutes every game. Her skill set is better than Barker, Jordan, BT, and maybe LH. Some of yall stated that TQ and TH were not going to play that much last year, and I told yall that they would because of their skill set.

I am not missing any points.

Through the 1 & 2 we have 5 players with either 5-star credentials or ACC starting experience: Harpring, Kelly, Clardy, Brooks, & Burrows. In order to crack a 10 player rotation, White will have to surpass at least one, possibly two of these women. On paper she is 6th on this list.

Even if she stays 6th in the pecking order she will get minutes in Nov and Dec plus blowout games,. that may amount to say 6-10 MPG. But once the ACC rolls around, whomever is 6th will not play in close games and those minutes per game when they do play will taper off.

I don't take the words of any coach in the preseason as gospel. Their job is to encourage players. Banghart said Achol was a future pro player and compared her to Ustby. Burrows mentioned as incredibly steady and a career 40% shooter, perhaps a pro as well. Clardy is "a problem" as well an play the 1-3, scorer, very steady, can really shoot it.

Gabby was called incredibly explosive, athletic like Nivar, one woman fast break.

She called Harpring "as good as advertised," fastest player on the team, elite shooter. Kelly described as projected to be healthy and back to her old self. hardest player to guard, most sure handed, leader.

So the interviews create no differentiation on who will or will not play major minutes.

UNC and Louisville lead the ACC in the number of rotation players they play. with that said, someone always gets left out. Even good players. Remember Henderson, Hull, and Key in recent years. Someone will be sitting on the bench. Eventually. If it is not Gabby in you mind, then who?

 

[23UNC]

In the past when talented players have not been in the rotation it is because they struggled on defense. That will not be Gabby. I think she finds a role.

 

[Jriv23]

Thanks 23UNC for understanding what I have been saying. Gabby plays defense and rebounds as a guard. As you and I keep saying Gabby will get a lot of minutes. Key was hurt and coming off of injuries. To prove my point 3397char. When Key transferred to Kentucky. She started two years and her numbers were better than Toomey. Brooks saw and knew something about Key that some of us already knew when she sat on our bench which was, Why is CB not playing her more? Now, Key is sitting on a team in the WNBA. Those people at UNC who played in front of her did not make it to the WNBA which proves that Key should have been playing more. Henderson did play a lot last season. Some of yall said or stated that she would get very little to no minutes last year and she prove yall wrong. Hull played some good minutes last year. I am not saying that they will not be coming off of the bench, I am stating that they will get minutes every game. That is by point. Some of yall think that Gabby is going to play very little minutes and me and 23UNC are trying to tell yall that you are wrong about her. That is my point.

 

[tarboy]

You put Nyla Brooks on the top line instead ok Nyla Harris.

 

[3397char]

Thanks 23UNC for understanding what I have been saying. Gabby plays defense and rebounds as a guard. As you and I keep saying Gabby will get a lot of minutes. Key was hurt and coming off of injuries. To prove my point 3397char. When Key transferred to Kentucky. She started two years and her numbers were better than Toomey. Brooks saw and knew something about Key that some of us already knew when she sat on our bench which was, Why is CB not playing her more? Now, Key is sitting on a team in the WNBA. Those people at UNC who played in front of her did not make it to the WNBA which proves that Key should have been playing more. Henderson did play a lot last season. Some of yall said or stated that she would get very little to no minutes last year and she prove yall wrong. Hull played some good minutes last year. I am not saying that they will not be coming off of the bench, I am stating that they will get minutes every game. That is by point. Some of yall think that Gabby is going to play very little minutes and me and 23UNC are trying to tell yall that you are wrong about her. That is my point.

what I am saying is when you make a call that Players A, B, C, D, E & F are all great and are good enough to play rotation minutes at the same positions, you have to acknowledge that someone(s) will be odd woman out. If Gabby White will be in the rotation, who is out?

Teonni Key as as redshirt Sophomore coming off serious injury was not the same as Teonni Key as a senior at KY. Remember, she sat out the entire off-season and the first 10 games of the season due to injury. To say she was rusty at that point would be an understatement. I am not saying she was a bad player; she just was not among the best on this team at that time. That is the issue and my point: everyone cannot play.

She was not going to take minutes from Ustby, clearly the best player on the team, and a woman who beat her in every metric (rebounding rate, FG%, defensive efficiency, etc...) . As a soph she basically shared even back-up minutes with Sr Poole behind Jr Gakdeng and Sr Ustby.

The only surprise was Zelaya also earned the same 10 MPG as the other two back-ups, not because she was better, only because we desperately needed a second 3pt threat on the team with so many guard injuries and tough shooting seasons. There was a time as the season wore on when Donarski was our only legit 3pt threat and teams just packed down on Ustby and Gakdeng. Z's unexpected 10 MPG was our answer to that and it came at the expense of Poole and Key.

Remember that a So Nivar was also on that team, and also had a reserve role behind Donarski and Deja Kelly. She eventually ended up playing more due to the rash of guard injuries, but she was by no means a focus on that team. Yet she would eventually become a WNBA player. Much like Key, what she could do as a Soph was not the same as what she could do 2 and 3 years later.

Teonni Key averaged 9.9 MPG as a Soph, playing in every game once cleared from injury. I think that is best-case scenario for Gabby White going into this year, assuming everyone is healthy. But my best guess is it will be a few minute per game lower than that, with her not playing at all in some games because they are close or because of specific matchups. I think Blanca Thomas is a good comparison: she played 7 MPG, but also did not play at all in 16 of our 36 games. I don't think anyone would define Blanca as a part of our regular rotation last season: she was a situational reserve.

If Gabby proves me wrong I will be ecstatic. Because that means she is good enough to shave minutes off of bona fide ACC starters (Kelly, Clardy, Burrows), an all-conference freshman (Brooks) and/or the #1 PG recruit in the country (Harpring).

 

[3397char]

So, some updates upon the court ruling as it applies to UNC WBB and Nyla Brooks specifically:

1. as of right now the only specific NCAA rule that was countermanded was excluding the 2022 HS class from the 5 in 5 rules. As everyone knows, that means graduated seniors are now suddenly eligible if they never redshirted.
2. but all the other NCaA rules are still in effect. That means a player who wanted the option to switch schools had to magically know this might happen and had to enter the portal back during the last transfer portal window even if they thought their eligibility would expire.
3. The grad transfer portal loophole was apparently closed recently. Grad transfers now have to enter during a portal window just like undergrads. That will limit Nyla Harris to UNC unless she entered the portal after last season.
4. NCAA rules that prohibit signing with a pro contract agent (not an NIL agent, that is different) and rules eliminating eligibility for players drafted also still apply. Even though players like a Harris had no way of knowing they were harming future eligibility before the ruling. So in all likelihood Harris is ineligible unless she gets a court or NCAA appeal to gain eligibility. (Which as we know has happened a lot)
5. This court ruling is only a temporary injunction, no actual court ruling has occurred. NCAA bylaws contain provisions that schools who allow an athlete to play under a temporary injunction, but later on lose the court case and did not gain eligibility, are subject to NCAA sanctions for playing ineligible played. So their is a good chance that the vast majority of compliance officers will not allow schools to accept graduated seniors under this temporary injunction for fear of future consequences.

there is ongoing litigation on all of the above. The NCAA has appealed the temporary injunction. Lawyers for players have asked the current judge to clear up the barriers above to participation. New court cases have been filed also in other courts to fix the above.

but as of right now I assume Harris and UNc will remain in a holding pattern until more legal clarity is achieved. As of right now I do not think she is eligible for UNc and I do not believe UNc has yet rostered a graduated senior player in any sport, probably indicating that our compliance officers are in a wait-and-see mode as well.

it is possible that Harris could at some point only have an opportunity at UNC due to lot being in the transfer portal which would make her market price artificially low with no recruiting competition. But it seems logical to me that if some court cleaned up the other barrier above, they would correct the transfer portal issue as well.

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ncaa-legal-issues-clarification-on-athlete-eligibility-after-recent-injunction-promises-appeal-222858834.html

Wisne v. NCAA Emergency Motion Demands D-I Transfer Portal Pass

The Wisne v. NCAA plaintiffs contend the NCAA is wrongly blocking them from being able to play at other schools and they demand emergency relief.

www.sportico.com

I am probably reading too much into this, but I think this statement from Newkirk may be very telling regarding where UNC stands with graduated seniors "ongoing legal process."



as stated above, NCAA schools are in a bind with the standing NCAA legislation that will potentially penalize them in the future if they use players made eligible by temporary injunctions that later lose in court. It will be interesting to see if UNC accepts ANY 2022 HS players before there is more clarity from the courts. That may mean that all fall sports miss out as no one is enrolled before classes start for the fall semester?

 

[Jriv23]

On the men's side there is no more room. This is what Seth stated, Malone stated, and Newman stated. Unfortunately, the ruling came out after Malone and staff had filled up all of their roster spots. It is still not clear whether or not the 2022 players who just graduated will still be able to play. That will also affect the big guy who just committed to use last week. We will just have to wait and see. Also, about Key, the injuries did take a toll her freshman and sophomore years, but I along with some other posters on this board felt like CB could have done a better job of finding her minutes when Utsby and Marie played. They did not have to play all 40 minutes a game. Utsby and Marie could have played at least 30 to 35 minutes a game and Key could have played at least 10 to 15 minutes a game that year. As I stated before, Brooks figured it out when she got to Kentucky, and now she is in the WNBA, and neither Utsby or MG made it. That should tell you something and should tell you that CB should have found a way to play her more. Oh well, it does not matter now because all three players are no longer in college and they are now where they are suppose to be. 3397Char, CB stated that Gabby was going to play a lot this year. Did you not listen to the podcast. You said the same thing last season about TQ and TH not playing and I told you that they would play as freshman because their skill level was too good for them to not sit on the bench and not play at all. Mark by words 3397Char, Gabby is going to play a ton this coming season. Also 3397Char Gabby's mother is the associate head coach for our team. You know being a coach's daughter you are going to know the game at a high level and she is been around the UNC program as a kid. Come on now, this should tell you that she will play this year. She got vital playing time at VA last year as a freshman. I put her stats at VA above along with their roster to prove to you that she was the only freshman to be on their upper class roster. That should also tell you something. How many freshman will be able to play a lot of minutes on a loaded upper class roster?