University of North Carolina Athletics
USBWA Player of the Year and All-America Watch List members Deja Kelly (left) and Alyssa Ustby with head coach Courtney Banghart.
Kelly, Ustby Named To Player Of The Year & All-America Watch List
February 27, 2024 | Women's Basketball
Tar Heel seniors Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby have been named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and All-America Watch List, announced on Tuesday by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. The two are among 40 players from across the nation who were selected for the list.
They're among eight Atlantic Coast Conference players on the list, tied with the Pac-12 for the most from any conference. Carolina is one of 11 schools with teammates on the list.
All 40 players are part of the pool for selection of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award as National Player of the Year and All-America consideration. The awards are based on regular-season performance, and the All-America squad will be announced prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament.
The Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be announced at the NCAA Women's Final Four in Cleveland, Ohio.
Both Tar Heels have been honored by the USBWA this season as National Players of the week, Ustby on Jan.3 and Kelly on Jan. 23.
Kelly, a 5-8 guard from San Antonio, is currently averaging a team-best 17.0 points per game, 18.3 in ACC games. In ACC play, she's seventh in scoring, sixth in assist-turnover ratio (1.49) and tied for eighth in assists (3.81 per game). She's poised to move into the top 10 in the program's career scoring and is four points away from becoming the 11th Tar Heel with 1,800 career points.
Ustby leads the team in rebounds with 9.7 per game is averaging 12.5 points per game. In ACC play, she's at 12.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, making her one of four players in the ACC averaging a double-double in conference play. In ACC play she ranks sixth in field goal percentage, seventh in blocks and T8th in assists.
The Tar Heels have two games remaining in the regular season: at Boston College on Thursday and home against Duke on Sunday for Senior Day. Kelly and Ustby will be honored, along with classmates Anya Poole and Alexandra Zelaya.
For the complete watch list, click here.
The Ann Meyers Drysdale Award is presented annually to the women's national player of the year by the USBWA. Named for the legendary UCLA guard, the award was first presented in the 1987-88 season and formally named in Meyers Drysdale's honor in the 2011-12 season. Ann Meyers Drysdale played at UCLA from 1974-78, which pre-dates the USBWA All-America selections. She was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.
They're among eight Atlantic Coast Conference players on the list, tied with the Pac-12 for the most from any conference. Carolina is one of 11 schools with teammates on the list.
All 40 players are part of the pool for selection of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award as National Player of the Year and All-America consideration. The awards are based on regular-season performance, and the All-America squad will be announced prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament.
The Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be announced at the NCAA Women's Final Four in Cleveland, Ohio.
Both Tar Heels have been honored by the USBWA this season as National Players of the week, Ustby on Jan.3 and Kelly on Jan. 23.
Kelly, a 5-8 guard from San Antonio, is currently averaging a team-best 17.0 points per game, 18.3 in ACC games. In ACC play, she's seventh in scoring, sixth in assist-turnover ratio (1.49) and tied for eighth in assists (3.81 per game). She's poised to move into the top 10 in the program's career scoring and is four points away from becoming the 11th Tar Heel with 1,800 career points.
Ustby leads the team in rebounds with 9.7 per game is averaging 12.5 points per game. In ACC play, she's at 12.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, making her one of four players in the ACC averaging a double-double in conference play. In ACC play she ranks sixth in field goal percentage, seventh in blocks and T8th in assists.
The Tar Heels have two games remaining in the regular season: at Boston College on Thursday and home against Duke on Sunday for Senior Day. Kelly and Ustby will be honored, along with classmates Anya Poole and Alexandra Zelaya.
For the complete watch list, click here.
The Ann Meyers Drysdale Award is presented annually to the women's national player of the year by the USBWA. Named for the legendary UCLA guard, the award was first presented in the 1987-88 season and formally named in Meyers Drysdale's honor in the 2011-12 season. Ann Meyers Drysdale played at UCLA from 1974-78, which pre-dates the USBWA All-America selections. She was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.
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