Fans of the UNC women’s basketball program have waited long enough.

Ciera Toomey, a former five-star recruit, is set to make her debut for the UNC women’s basketball program this fall. The 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman is a player that Courtney Banghart and the Tar Heels seem to be really excited about as her anticipated debut is coming soon.

Our UNC women’s basketball player previews continue with Toomey, a very intriguing player for the Tar Heels this upcoming season.

Toomey was forced to miss the entire 2023-2024 season due to rehabbing an injury she suffered during high school. She, along with fellow classmate Laila Hull, both redshirted for the 2023-2024 season.

Toomey is a tall presence in terms of height, but that’s not the only thing that makes her valuable. From everything that has been said regarding this year’s team, Toomey has the ability to not only make an impact in the paint but can stretch the floor to, being able to knock down shots from all over the court.

As spacing is a major area of focus for this year’s team, having a player like Toomey who can beat opponents from anywhere on the floor will certainly help.

Given that she hasn’t played in a real game in over a year, I expect Courtney Banghart and the Tar Heels staff to ease her back into the mix.

However, I do expect her to play a huge role on this year’s team, and can see her being inserted into the starting lineup at some point. If the Tar Heels aim to play a bigger lineup, Alyssa Ustby can move to the “3” while Toomey fulfills the role of the “4” next to center Maria Gakdeng.

Good luck driving to the basket against that trio!