Two former Tar Heel women’s basketball stars are getting their shots at the pros. UNC’s Alyssa Ustby signed a free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Sparks Tuesday morning, and Maria Gakdeng signed with the Atlanta Dream later that day.

Ustby played five seasons at UNC, during which time she helped the Tar Heels reach the NCAA Tournament each year, reach the Sweet 16 twice and host NCAA Tournament games at Carmichael Arena in 2025. It was the first time Carmichael had hosted a postseason game since 2015.

Ustby played in 150 collegiate games and made 143 starts. During her five seasons as a Tar Heel, she averaged 10.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. She earned All-ACC honors in each of her final four seasons (two first team, two second team) and was named to the ACC’s All-Defensive Team for the first time in the 2024-25 season.

Ustby’s versatility was on full display the night of January 4, 2024, when she scored 16 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and dished out 10 assists against No. 25 Syracuse to record the first triple-double in the history of the UNC women’s basketball program. That season saw Ustby average a career-high 3.6 assists per game, and she never averaged fewer than 2.2 in any of her five seasons.

Ustby was on track to comfortably break the program’s all-time rebounding record in her fifth and final season, but all that ground to a halt when she suffered a knee injury – later revealed to be a torn meniscus – in the opening minutes of UNC’s game against NC State on February 16. Ustby would miss the remainder of the regular season, but returned in time for the ACC Tournament, less than three weeks after the injury occurred. She officially passed Bernadette McGlade for the rebounding record in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Oregon State and finished her career with 1,269 rebounds to her name.

Gakdeng began her collegiate career at Boston College –a earning ACC All-Freshman team honors in 2022 – before transferring to UNC ahead of the 2023-24 season. She played in 66 games as a Tar Heel and started 65.

In her first season in Chapel Hill, Gakdeng led the ACC with a 62.6 field goal percentage, averaging 9.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. Gakdeng increased both her scoring and rebounding as a senior, finishing with 10.8 points and a career-high 7.6 rebounds per game, both of which ranked second on the team. Gakdeng earned second team All-ACC honors while helping the Tar Heels reach the Sweet 16.

 

Featured image via Associated Press/LM Otero

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
Harpring Scores 29 as UNC Women's Basketball Loses Exhibition at No. 20 Maryland
Despite a 29-point showing from freshman Kate Harpring, UNC fell 72-68 at No. 20 Maryland in its final exhibition game of the preseason. Harpring paced the Tar Heels on offense, as only one other teammate reached double figures: sophomore Nyla Brooks, who scored 14. Harpring took more than a third of UNC’s field goal attempts […]
UNC Women's Basketball Ranked No. 12 in 2026-27 AP Preseason Poll
Head coach Courtney Banghart and UNC checked in at No. 12 in the AP Preseason Top 25 poll, which was released Tuesday. It’s the third consecutive year and fourth overall in Banghart’s tenure that the Tar Heels have been ranked inside the top 15 in the preseason poll. Comin' in at No. 𝟭𝟮 in the […]
UNC Women's Basketball Beats Davidson in Preseason Exhibition
A 12-0 run in the second quarter helped UNC overcome an early deficit and beat Davidson 76-66 in a preseason exhibition at Carmichael Arena Sunday afternoon. That's a preseason 𝘿𝙐𝘽!@WellsFargo x #GoHeels pic.twitter.com/jQ6yUzYrri — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) October 18, 2026 The 12-0 Tar Heel run flipped a 23-20 deficit into a 32-23 lead in […]
UNC Women's Basketball Picked 3rd in ACC; Kate Harpring Receives Preseason Honor
UNC was picked to finish third in the ACC in the league’s preseason poll Tuesday. The Tar Heels received one of 76 first-place votes. Duke, which is coming off consecutive conference titles, sits at No. 1 in the preseason poll with 49 first-place votes. No. 2 Louisville (22 votes) is next, followed by UNC and […]
5-Star Guard Ryan Carter Commits to UNC Women's Basketball
Another highly coveted prospect will be joining the Tar Heels next season. Ryan Carter, who 247 Sports rates as a five-star recruit and the No. 10 overall player in her class, announced her commitment to head coach Courtney Banghart and UNC Monday evening. Carter is the second five-star recruit from the Class of 2027 to […]
This Week in UNC Sports: October 12-18
More and more of UNC's winter sports are beginning their seasons as we hit the middle of October, and "crossover season" is upon us.
Micah Ojo, No. 6 Prospect in 2027 Recruiting Class, Commits to UNC Women's Basketball
Micah Ojo, who ESPN rates as a five-star prospect and the No. 6 overall recruit in the 2027 class, announced her commitment to head coach Courtney Banghart and UNC Thursday. Ojo also held offers from Duke and Vanderbilt. View this post on Instagram A 6-foot-1 wing originally from Virginia Beach, Ojo is described by ESPN […]
UNC Women's Basketball Announces 2026-27 ACC Schedule
The UNC women’s basketball program announced the ACC portion of its 2026-27 regular season schedule Wednesday afternoon. 18 games to make some 𝙉𝙊𝙄𝙎𝙀. pic.twitter.com/ohLCnlv0W0 — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) September 2, 2026 The Tar Heels will play three ACC games before the New Year, two of which will come at Carmichael Arena. The conference schedule […]
UNC Women's Basketball to Host Davidson for Preseason Exhibition October 18
UNC will host Davidson for a preseason exhibition Oct. 18 at Carmichael Arena, the program announced Wednesday. It will be the only exhibition on the Tar Heels’ 2026-27 schedule. A tip-off time is yet to be announced. Preseason Basketball? 𝙋𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙀𝘼𝙎𝙊𝙉 𝘽𝘼𝙎𝙆𝙀𝙏𝘽𝘼𝙇𝙇. See you October 18! pic.twitter.com/8YrY1YAsGj — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) August 26, 2026 The […]
Non-Conference Schedule Set for UNC Women's Basketball's 2026-27 Season
The UNC women’s basketball program has confirmed its full non-conference schedule for the 2026-27 regular season. You asked, we answered. The non-conference schedule is 𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙀! 📰 | https://t.co/OEnIKLy7Dt🎟️ | Season tickets on-sale SOON! pic.twitter.com/ClynYQpKSG — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) July 30, 2026 Several of the Tar Heels’ fixtures have already been announced: UNC will face […]
›