Lanie Grant will join the UNC women's basketball program ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Photo by: Alicia Zamudio
Grant Signs To Join WBB A Year Earlier Than Planned
April 17, 2024 | Women's Basketball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – A year earlier than originally expected, standout guard Lanie Grant has signed a letter of intent to play for North Carolina, UNC women's basketball coach Courtney Banghart announced on Wednesday, the first day of the spring signing period.
Grant, a five-star recruit and Virginia's Gatorade Player of the Year in 2024 as a junior, recently decided to reclassify and graduate early so she can enroll at UNC this summer and play in 2024-25.
"We are so thrilled to welcome Lanie – a year early – to our Tar Heel pursuit," Banghart said. "She will bring so much to us, as she is both fiercely competitive and incredibly driven. She is a two-way player ready to help as a ballhandling guard with a scorer's mentality as well as a tenacity on defense. We can't wait to have her and her family here with us. The countdown has begun!"
In addition to the Gatorade honor, Grant is a three-time first-team all-state selection and twice has been named Metro Player of the Year and Region Player of the Year. A 5-9 player from Midlothian, Va., she is a three-time All-Metro and All-Region honoree and holds the Virginia High School League career record for free throw percentage at 87.4. In 2023-24, she averaged 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game.
Grant was a member of the 2023 U.S. U16 Team and won a gold medal at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship, where she averaged 11.2 points per game and led her squad in made threes and three-point percentage.
This spring she was selected to be part of the Jr. NBA/WNBA Court of Leaders.
"I am deeply honored to become a Tar Heel player," Grant said. "UNC basketball is historic, and Carmichael Arena is hallowed ground. I can't wait to join Coach Banghart and the team and to help in any way I can in pursuit of championships."
Grant joins November signees Blanca Thomas and Jordan Zubich to make up UNC's incoming freshman class.
Grant is an alum of the same James River High School program as Grace Townsend, who recently signed to transfer to UNC for the 2024-25 season following four years at the University of Richmond. Grant and Townsend were five years apart in high school so they'll be teammates for the first time when they suit up as Tar Heels.
Grant, a five-star recruit and Virginia's Gatorade Player of the Year in 2024 as a junior, recently decided to reclassify and graduate early so she can enroll at UNC this summer and play in 2024-25.
"We are so thrilled to welcome Lanie – a year early – to our Tar Heel pursuit," Banghart said. "She will bring so much to us, as she is both fiercely competitive and incredibly driven. She is a two-way player ready to help as a ballhandling guard with a scorer's mentality as well as a tenacity on defense. We can't wait to have her and her family here with us. The countdown has begun!"
💥 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗠 💥
Thrilled to 𝙊𝙁𝙁𝙄𝘾𝙄𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙔 welcome Lanie and her family to our Carolina family 👣🏀🩵
🔗: https://t.co/RFbcM7m38o#GoHeels | #InPursuit | @laniegrant2025 pic.twitter.com/hkaB93aucP
— Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) April 17, 2024
In addition to the Gatorade honor, Grant is a three-time first-team all-state selection and twice has been named Metro Player of the Year and Region Player of the Year. A 5-9 player from Midlothian, Va., she is a three-time All-Metro and All-Region honoree and holds the Virginia High School League career record for free throw percentage at 87.4. In 2023-24, she averaged 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game.
Grant was a member of the 2023 U.S. U16 Team and won a gold medal at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship, where she averaged 11.2 points per game and led her squad in made threes and three-point percentage.
This spring she was selected to be part of the Jr. NBA/WNBA Court of Leaders.
"I am deeply honored to become a Tar Heel player," Grant said. "UNC basketball is historic, and Carmichael Arena is hallowed ground. I can't wait to join Coach Banghart and the team and to help in any way I can in pursuit of championships."
Grant joins November signees Blanca Thomas and Jordan Zubich to make up UNC's incoming freshman class.
Grant is an alum of the same James River High School program as Grace Townsend, who recently signed to transfer to UNC for the 2024-25 season following four years at the University of Richmond. Grant and Townsend were five years apart in high school so they'll be teammates for the first time when they suit up as Tar Heels.
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