Following an injury-shortened season, Reniya Kelly looks to pick up where she left off
Reniya Kelly made an immediate impact during her debut season in Chapel Hill. The former Miss Alabama from famed Hoover High School started her first game in college basketball and played heavy minutes at the beginning of the season. Her returns were a little inconsistent, and she was dropped into the rotation in non-conference play.
She missed time in December after suffering a head injury against Connecticut and then missed the end of the season after the away game at Duke where she suffered a lower body injury. It was a shame that injuries robbed the team of a dynamic playmaker just as she was beginning to find her groove. Kelly averaged 10 points per game in her final five games.
With her injuries healed and a Deja Kelly-shaped hole in the backcourt, Reniya Kelly will have a chance to leave her mark this season, as Courtney Banghart and the UNC women's basketball program need all hands on deck to see what life looks like after Deja.
2023-2024 Season In Review
Reniya Kelly had a wildly inconsistent freshman year, both in terms of minutes and contributions. She began the year in the starting rotation, then played three minutes or less in three games in November. She gained a toehold in the rotation once ACC play began, playing double-digit minutes again starting with the home game against Virginia. She had her best game of the season away to Virginia, where she scored 20 points (4-6 from three).
Again, because of the stock market-esque nature of her minutes, it's hard to make any determinations of her play based on statistics. Kelly finished the season averaging 18.4 minutes per game and scored 4.6 points per game. Looking at her last six conference games, you'd think she has started to figure out ACC competition, and should be a key component for Courtney Banghart moving forward.
What to Expect in 2024-2025
Deja Kelly and Paulina Paris are gone. Kayla McPherson is returning from a knee injury, so Courtney Banghart won't want to put too much on her shoulders right away. Things are falling into place for Reniya to be an integral part of the team this season.
With Deja Kelly off to Oregon for her final season, the North Carolina women's basketball program will look very different than they have for the past four seasons. They likely won't run through the backcourt for the first time in a while as Alyssa Ustby becomes the face of the program.
Where Reniya can help is with her penetration. She is powerfully built--short and stout--and she drives into the paint like a cannonball, protecting the ball like a running back as she maneuvers between taller bodies. If she can draw attention in the lane, she'll leave shooters like Lexi Donarski and Indya Nivar open and could get easy dump-offs to her bigs.
Bold Prediction
Look for Reniya Kelly to reclaim a starting position to start the season. With UNC's offense not centered around Deja Kelly any longer, the Tar Heels will need to spread the wealth to find points. Alyssa Ustby is capable, but wasn't the usage monster that Deja was.
If the point guard needs to do more table-setting, expect Reniya Kelly's assist numbers to go up. Last season, she had a high of five assists against Louisville. Expect her to match and surpass that total at least ten times this season.