Versatility Personified, Ustby Was Ideal Candidate To Make HIstory

Even as Alyssa Ustby navigated postgame interviews on Thursday night – still in her soaking wet uniform after her teammates had doused her in a postgame celebration – and received congratulatory texts from friends, family and even opposing players, she said the magnitude of her achievement still hadn't sunk in. Ustby, a senior from Rochester, Minn., had just become the first player in 50 years of UNC women's basketball history to record a triple-double, with 16 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists against No. 25 Syracuse.

Two days later as the team focused on its next challenge, No. 16 Notre Dame on Sunday, she doubled-down – or tripled-down? – on that. "I know it's a big deal," she said, "but it still hasn't really registered because my focus is on winning the next game."

It has registered in the history books, however, and the ultra-versatile Ustby was the perfect player to finally erase the almost unbelievable fact that until this week, no Tar Heel women's basketball player had ever registered a triple-double. (And only two – Jason Capel and Brendan Haywood – had don so on the UNC men's side.) To underscore the feat, ESPN Stats and Info reported that she's the first player in DI women's basketball history to record 15 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists against an AP-ranked opponent.

Even Ustby's "G/F" position speaks to her ability to fill multiple roles. In last season's final conference stats, she was the only player in the ACC ranked in the league's top 10 in field goal percentage, rebounding, blocks and steals. That earned her first-team All-ACC honors and then a spot on the preseason All-ACC team. For the third year in a row she started the season as part of the Watch List for the Cheryl Miller Award as Small Forward of the Year.

Her game has continued to flourish this season, with five double-doubles already as the Tar Heels started conference play On Jan. 3, she was named one of five USBWA National Players of the Week following her 21-point, 11-rebound effort against Clemson in UNC's Atlantic Coast Conference opener. She followed that up with the most notable game of her notable career, reaching the historic mark with a free throw that put her at 10 points with 1:17 to play in the third quarter against the Orange.

Ustby admitted later she knew she was a point away when she went to the line for two shots. She missed the first, refocused, then hit the second. UNC coach Courtney Banghart subbed her out right away and before Ustby sat down for a quick rest, Banghart whispered to her to enjoy the moment and think of all the jerseys hanging in the rafters above her whose wearers had never accomplished what Ustby just had.

"I've been saying she's a great athlete and she's relentless, but she's really learning how to play basketball," Banghart said after the game. "Sixteen rebounds, sixteen points, 10 assists – it's not just a triple-double, she shattered it. There are so many jerseys of really, really good players that have played through this program. They're a reason I'm here, because I wanted to try to bring that back. To know that she's the only one who's gotten a triple-double here, with who she is, how she plays hard and she's selfless, she should make all Tar Heel fans really proud because she does things the right way."

Thursday's accomplishment earned headlines but was far from the first confirmation of her versatility. A three-sport standout at Lourdes High School, Ustby is now part of the USA Basketball 3x3 pool, representing her country in sport that requires all three players on the court to man every position. At UNC she's made a TikTok series out of training with student-athletes from different sports on campus. In addition to soccer, lacrosse and field hockey, she's tried gymnastics and swimming, and even non-varsity pursuits like wrestling (Carolina doesn't have a varsity women's team but does have one female on the roster) and dance team.

In April of 2022, she won the women's division of UNC's Punt, Pass and Kick competition as part of Carolina's spring football game. Ustby kicked a 35-yard field goal to win it and looked forward to competing again in 2023 but had a scheduling conflict.

She juggles – everything from basketballs in the team's intro video shoot to pens on the ACC Network set at this year's ACC Tipoff event – and she plays the piano, cranking out a tune or two in the lobby of the team hotel and even incorporating a keyboard into her intro at this year's "Live Action" kickoff to basketball season.

And, last but far from least, she excels in the classroom, earning All-ACC Academic honors in each of the past three years and Academic All-District recognition in 2023. An advertising and PR major with a business minor, she was selected to serve as the ACC's representative to the NCAA DI Women's Basketball Student-Athlete Engagement Group for 2023-24.

So really, the basketball stats are just part of the package and that's the way Ustby likes it. Academic success is the expectation as a Tar Heel student-athlete, while trying out different sports tests her physically and – when it comes to gymnastics skills and making contact with a field hockey ball – keeps her humble.

Not that she needs much help in the humility department. Along with not quite grasping the magnitude of her accomplishment on Thursday, she spent much of her interview time handing out credit to others, in particular junior center Maria Gakdeng, who went 9-12 from the field for 22 points and was the benefactor of seven of Ustby's assists. "Maria made my job so easy," Ustby said, also crediting her other teammates, who supported her and celebrated her afterward.

Because in the end the important numbers are not 16, 16 and 10. The ones that matter are the final score: UNC 75, No. 25 Syracuse 51.

"I'm just really proud of our team as a whole," Ustby said, "and glad we got the win."

Versatility Personified, Ustby Was Ideal Candidate To Make HIstory

Players Mentioned

Maria Gakdeng

Alyssa Ustby

Related Videos