The UNC women's basketball program sure lost a good amount of front court depth this offseason.
From Maria Gakdeng to Alyssa Ustby, both of whom exhausted their eligibility, Courtney Banghart and the Tar Heels needed to replenish some of the lost talent by bringing in some veteran talents to fit in with the group of returning players and incoming freshmen.
Nyla Harris, a player Courtney Banghart recruited out of high school, was a quick priority for the UNC women's basketball program once she entered the portal, as her inclusion on the preseason top 20 watch list for her position goes to show just how good she is on the court.
About time for No. 2⃣ to light it up in Carolina Blue🩵 pic.twitter.com/MKvxodrOgh
— Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) October 29, 2025
Harris is one of 20 players to be named to the Cheryl Miller Award Preseason Watch List, an award that's annually presented to the nation's best small forward. Harris is one of three ACC players on the list, as she is joined by Jadyn Donovan of Duke and Skylar Jones of Louisville.
During her time at Louisville, Harris appeared in 105 career games, starting in 81 of them. She's coming off a season in which she averaged 8.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per-game, helping guide the Cardinals to a 22-11 record.
Now that Banghart and company finally got her in a Carolina Blue uniform, you best believe that they have a big plan for her as she looks to wrap up her college basketball career in style.
Here are the 20 players across the nation to earned spots on the Cheryl Miller Award Preseason Watch
2026 Cheryl Miller Award Candidates
Bella Fontleroy – Baylor
Jadyn Donovan – Duke
Jordan Obi – Kentucky
Skylar Jones – Louisville
Mikaylah Williams – LSU
Adrianna Smith – Maine
Yarden Garzon – Maryland
Olivia Olson – Michigan
Grace VanSlooten – Michigan State
Grace Slaughter – Missouri
Nyla Harris – North Carolina
Sahara Williams – Oklahoma
Stailee Heard – Oklahoma State
Cotie McMahon – Ole Miss
Tierra Simon – Richmond
Maryam Dauda – South Carolina
Zee Spearman – Tennessee
Madison Booker – Texas
Gabriela Jaquez – UCLA
Caroline Ducharme – UConn
Harris and the UNC women's basketball program open up the 2025-2026 season on Monday, November 3, as they host NC Central in an early morning non-conference clash at Carmichael Arena.