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UNC Women’s Basketball: Kelly looking for stellar senior season

By Jordan Falls

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 13: Deja Kelly #25 of the North Carolina Tar Heels moves the ball during Live Action with Carolina Basketball at the Dean E. Smith Center on October 13, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 13: Deja Kelly #25 of the North Carolina Tar Heels moves the ball during Live Action with Carolina Basketball at the Dean E. Smith Center on October 13, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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This UNC Women’s Basketball player is at the core of Courtney Banghart’s first recruiting class and is looking to finish what she started.

Deja Kelly has been a key piece of the UNC Women’s Basketball program for three complete seasons now and heads into her senior year, hoping to put her stamp on this program forever. As the 2023-2024 season nears, we take a look back at Kelly’s career in Chapel Hill and how vital she is to this year’s Tar Heels.

She has played in 88 games as a Tar Heel, starting 86 of them and averaging over 31 minutes per game throughout her time for North Carolina. This UNC Women’s Basketball team is the deepest in talent and depth since Courtney Banghart stepped foot on campus, but still expect Kelly to have a large impact.

2022-2023 Season In Review

Last season, Kelly played and started in 32 total games, missing only one game. She averaged the most minutes in her career, as she played 35.4 minutes per game, most of anyone on the 2022-2023 roster.  She was also the leading scorer on last year’s squad, averaging 16.5 points per game, on 37.3% shooting from the field.

A struggle point was from beyond the arc, as she saw her three-point percentage from her sophomore to her junior year drop from 36.1% to 28.1%. As well as her free throw shooting, going from 85.8% to 72.1% at the charity stripe.

What to Expect in 2023-2024

We don’t expect Kelly to play 35.4 minutes per game this year due to the depth of this year’s team. There are enough players and talent to be able to relieve the starters this year so that they aren’t exhausted come the dog days of February due to a large number of minutes played.

Due to the expected decrease in minutes per game, expect her efficiency shooting the basketball to increase back to the numbers that she averaged during her sophomore season. Fewer minutes played will lead to fresher legs and the ability to finish down the stretch at the end of games.

Bold Prediction

Despite an expected decrease in minutes due to the talent and depth, Kelly will be the leader of the 2023-2024 Tar Heels. This program has been building for years now, and it’s time all of that comes together this season. She is on the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List and made pre-season All-ACC.

Her and Alyssa Ustby (player preview coming soon!), will be the two that make the heart beat for UNC Women’s Basketball this season. The goal is to win the ACC Championship and earn a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament to host the first and second rounds in Carmichael Arena with the hopes of a deep run into March. This team has the talent, and Kelly will be the keystone piece that brings it all together.

Next. UNC Women’s Basketball Trio Earn Preseason ACC Honors. dark

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