WBB Notebook: Nyla Brooks Getting Shots Up, Reniya Kelly's Minutes & More

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Freshman forward Nyla Brooks came to UNC as a top-15 player ranked by ESPN in the class of 2025, and so far, the Tar Heels have given her opportunities to display her skill set.

Brooks delivered 15 points (6-12 FG, 3-6 3PT), four rebounds, two assists and a steal off the bench in her collegiate debut, as the Tar Heels defeated North Carolina Central 90-42 in Carmichael Arena. She didn’t shoot as well in her second game, but she still finished with 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals.

In UNC’s exhibition loss to South Carolina in Atlanta, she scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench.

Through two games, Brooks is second on the team in points per game. Brooks felt she was able to display most of her abilities in her debut, saying her teammates did a good job setting her up on Monday.

“Practicing with my teammates, building that team chemistry,” Brooks said last week. “They know where to find me. So getting to the spots, get to the paint and kicking it out. (When I’m) open for three, just let it fly.”

Courtney Banghart has gone deep into her rotation so far in non-conference play, playing 12 players in each of the two games. Nine players played 13 or more minutes against the Eagles, and nine played at least 10 against the Phoenix. Brooks led the bench in minutes on both occasions.

Taliyah Henderson, Taissa Queiroz and Liza Astakhova are the team’s other freshmen. Henderson is averaging 7.5 points so far, including her 10-point outing off the bench against Elon. Queiroz, who debuted against N.C. Central after spending last spring with the team, is averaging three points and 3.5 rebounds. Astakhova didn’t play against Elon, but scored six points in nine minutes against the Eagles.

Brooks is averaging 25.5 minutes per game and leads the team with 25 shot attempts so far. She hasn’t made any of her free throws yet, missing on all seven attempts. She insisted after the Central game that she’d get to work on her shots from the line.

“​​I’m going to shoot 100 free throws after this,” Brooks said.

UNC Monitoring Reniya Kelly

North Carolina continues to be careful with junior guard and All-ACC performer Reniya Kelly.

Kelly, who missed games with knee issues last season, only played the first five minutes of the season opener on Monday. She played 10 minutes on Thursday, entering the game for the first four minutes of the first quarter, two more minutes in the second quarter and four more minutes in the third quarter.

Banghart said that the team will work to steadily increase her minutes over time, going off Kelly’s personal comfort.

“I just trust her so much,” Banghart said. “So I think it’s partly like I’m gonna just lean on her to tell me. What does she need? What part of practice did she need to do to prepare for this game? And it was much about me giving her a chance to play for five minutes. I didn’t think we would need her much beyond that, and (Elina Aarnisalo) has the conditioning to be able to carry the load.

“Sometimes when a kid is so important to you, you just want to make sure. So for her, I imagine her minutes will go up pretty quick.”

Kelly averaged 9.6 points per game as a sophomore last season and started in all 33 of her appearances, scoring 15 or more points eight times. She was sidelined for three games with an injury before the ACC Tournament, but before she went down, she was averaging 15.5 points in her previous eight games. Kelly shot 41% from the floor, 41.2% from three and 86.4% from the free throw line as a sophomore. She averaged 2.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals to complete her stat line.

Blanca Thomas has not dressed for either of the team’s first two games, as Banghart said she’s “working her way back” and that she’s not dealing with anything long-term. Lanie Grant missed the first game after tweaking her ankle in practice, but she started against Elon and played 27 minutes.

Indya Nivar Sets Tone Defensively

Senior forward Indya Nivar is up to 10 steals in two games.

The 5-foot-10 wing snagged four steals in the season opener and six more against Elon. Nivar’s career-high in single-game steals is seven, which she secured last season in a win against Pittsburgh. She has now recorded four or more steals eight times in her three seasons as a Tar Heel.

“For me, at least, attacking those lazy passes,” Nivar said on Thursday about what she looked for when pursuing steals. “Being in the passing lanes and just always being ready. I feel like on defense, you just always have to be on your toes, always have to react to what the offense is doing. And I feel like I got my team going on that, I try to encourage them to do the same.”

Nivar led the team in steals last year with two per game. In addition to steals, Nivar leads this year’s team with 13 points per game, shooting 50% from the field.

North Carolina scored 28 points off 27 Elon turnovers on Thursday. Nivar’s six steals led to six UNC points.

“I know I can contribute to a lot of things on the court,” Nivar said. “Rebounding, steals, all that. But it’s gonna be different game-to-game to what our team needs that night. So I’m just willing to do whatever we need. Always staying aggressive and leading in that way.”

Recent Results

N.C. Central: W 90-42

Nyla Brooks: 15 points (6-12 FG, 3-6 3PT), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal 
Ciera Toomey: 13 points (5-6 FG, 1-1 3PT), 11 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 assists, 1 steal
Nyla Harris: 12 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal

FG: 52.9% (36-68)
3PT: 40% (8-20)
FT: 52.9% (10-19)

Elon: W 71-37

Indya Nivar: 13 points, 7 rebounds, 6 steals, 3 assists
Lanie Grant: 11 points
Ciera Toomey: 8 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal

FG: 39.4% (28-71)
3PT: 15.4% (4-26)
FT: 64.7% (11-17)

Up Next

Thursday: WBCA Challenge vs. No. 3 UCLA (Las Vegas), 9 p.m.