UNC Women's Hoops Add Depth in Frontcourt With International Prospect

Just when you thought the UNC women's basketball team was done with its roster for the 2025-2026 campaign, it adds yet another piece to the puzzle in Head Coach Courtney Banghart's seventh season in Chapel Hill (following her time at Princeton with the same position, respectively). The Tar Heels add depth to their frontcourt with international player Liza Astakhova. She joins Blanca Thomas, Nyla Harris and Ciera Toomey to handle rebounds, points in the paint and whatever it is that Coach Banghart needs from them.

Astakhova official joins the program after committing for some time already.

Below are details on the announcement by Director of Communications & Content Creation Madeline Marshall, per GoHeels:

"In this day and age, roster construction never stops as North Carolina women's basketball has announced the addition of Liza Astakhova to the 2025-26 roster. A native of Moscow, Russia, Astakhova provides depth for Carolina's front court."

"We are thrilled to officially (and finally!) welcome Liza Astakhova to our program! This has been a long and thoughtful process, and throughout it all, Liza has remained steadfast in her commitment to our program," said Banghart.

"Liza brings a unique blend of international experience and versatility to our roster. Liza will also be a great addition to our locker room - her professionalism, work ethic, and positive energy will make her a natural fit for our culture. We couldn't be more excited to finally have her on campus and part of the Carolina family! "

"Appearing in 39 games in the Russia-PBL with the Moscow Basketball Association throughout the 2024-25 season, Astakhova averaged 4.7 points per game in 19 minutes per game off the bench. She posted a season-best performance against Enisey with 20 points and six rebounds. Overall, Astakhova posted six games in double-figure scoring."

Coach Banghart will have the ability to mix-and-match her frontcourt lineups as she has a deeper personnel to dive into while making adjustments on the fly mid-game. Which is important, considering UNC lost important seniors (Alyssa Utsby, Lex Donarski, Maria Gakdeng and Grace Townsend) due to exhausted eligibility. Now, those spots are replenished and ready to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks in its exhibition on October 30 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Here is the full roster for UNC women's basketball:

Sophomore Lanie Grant
Sophomore Jordan Zubich
Senior Nyla Harris
Freshman Taliyah Henderson
Redshirt-Sophomore Laila Hull
Freshman Liza Astakhova
Freshman Nyla Brooks
Junior Reniya Kelly
Redshirt-Senior Kayla McPherson
Junior Sydney Barker
Sophomore Elina Aarnisalo
Redshirt-Sophomore Ciera Toomey
Senior Indya Nivar
Freshman Taissa Queiroz
Sophomore Blance Thomas

On a similar note, here is the coaching staff:

Head Coach - Courtney Banghart
Associate Head Coach - Joanne Aluka-White
Assistant Coach - Cory McNeill
Assistant Coach - Katherine Bixby
Assistant Coach - Daniel Metzelfeld
General Manager, Special Assistant to the Head Coach - Liz Roberts
Assistant Director of Recruiting & Video Operations - Jaelynn Murrary
Video Coordinator - Lexi Weger
Head Strength & Conditioning Coach - Andrew Graber
Team Physician - Dr. Josh Berkowitz

What Does the Addition of Liza Astakhova Mean to the Program?

What does all of this mean? How does Coach Banghart and the UNC women's basketball program benefit from this addition? Well, just like the men's basketball team receiving a commitment from international talent Luka Bogavac, born in Mojkovac, Montenegro, it opens up a new door the Coach Banghart, possibly receiving more players from outside the United States in the future.

This day and age of NIL has created tons of new opportunities for players, and schools have to simultaneously keep up with how fast it is quickly growing — by the day at that. UNC has done it's fair share of spending the big bucks lately, with the hiring of Head Coach Bill Belichick of the football team.

The UNC women's basketball team open the regular season against NCCU from Durham, North Carolina, and after that matchup it will see the following teams: Elon, UCLA, Fairfield, North Carolina A&T and UNCG before taking part of the Cancun Challenge in Cancun, Mexico.

Astakhova will get a chance to put her skills on display in front of the Carolina faithful, and brign her experience from Russia to the parquet of the Carmichael Arena and various collegiate stadiums.

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