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UNC Basketball: Anya Poole Aiming for Breakout Season

By Mark DeMott

Jan 16, 2022; South Bend, Indiana, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Anya Poole (31) and guard Kennedy Todd-Williams (3) celebrate in the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 16, 2022; South Bend, Indiana, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Anya Poole (31) and guard Kennedy Todd-Williams (3) celebrate in the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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The junior forward will be looking to improve on a solid 2021-2022 campaign for the UNC women’s basketball team.

This year’s UNC women’s basketball team has their highest preseason expectations in quite some time.  North Carolina came in at No. 12 in the preseason AP Poll and appears to be building something special under Head Coach Courtney Banghart.

One player who is expected to play a significant role on this year’s squad is junior forward Anya Poole.  Find out what North Carolina fans can expect from her this season below!

2021-2022 Season In Review

After starting just five games as a freshman, Poole started in all 32 of the Tar Heel’s contests last season.  She improved in nearly every category from year one to year two, seeing increases in points per game, rebounds per game, and field goal percentage among other statistics.  Poole also made her presence felt on the defensive end, averaging over a block per game.

Two of her best games of the season were the ACC/Big Ten Challenge win at Minnesota (12 points and 16 rebounds) and the regular season finale win over Duke (15 points and 7 rebounds).

The improvement and consistency that Poole showed last season should have Carolina fans excited about what she could accomplish during her junior season.

What to Expect in 2022-2023

Carolina fans can expect another jump in Poole’s production this season.  The 6-foot-2 junior should continue to get more and more comfortable with the college game and should have room to operate down low with talented guards like Deja Kelly and Alyssa Utsby on the perimeter.

As a player who was highly rated out of high school, Poole could be a breakout candidate to become one of the best bigs in the ACC this season.

Bold Prediction

I predict that Anya Poole will average a double-double this season.  She clearly is a very talented player, and if she continues to improve on last season’s number this task does not seem far-fetched.  I would also not be shocked if she finds herself on one of the All-ACC teams at the end of the year.

Check out our previously released 2022-2023 UNC women’s basketball player previews below:

Paulina Paris | Teonni Key | Kayla McPherson | Destiny Adams | Alexandra Zelaya |

Alyssa Ustby | Kennedy Todd-Williams | Deja Kelly |

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