UNC women’s basketball fans will have to wait a little longer for their first chance to see Kayla McPherson. The highly-touted redshirt freshman guard, who missed all of last season while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in high school, will be sidelined to start the season.

McPherson suffered an unrelated lower-body injury in practice and will undergo surgery this week. She appeared at ‘Live Action with Carolina Basketball’ last Friday walking on crutches. She is expected to miss at least the non-conference portion of Carolina’s season, which runs through late December.

“We’re all devastated for Kayla,” said head coach Courtney Banghart. “She was so ready to go this season and was prepared to be a big part of our rotation. We will fill her void collectively and we know that she will attack this rehabilitation process the same way she has in the past. We look forward to having her back on the court as soon as she’s cleared.”

Originally from Hull, GA, and ranked as the No. 17 player in the Class of 2021, McPherson joined UNC as part of a star-studded recruiting haul with Teonni Key and Destiny Adams. Like McPherson, Key missed all of last season with a torn ACL, though she is on track to play on opening night.

UNC will get its season underway on November 9 at 7 p.m. against Jackson State in Chapel Hill.

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