Reniya Kelly
_02.jpg) Kelly with North Carolina in 2024 | |
| No. 10 – North Carolina Tar Heels | |
|---|---|
| Position | Guard |
| League | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Listed height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Hoover (Hoover, Alabama) |
| College | North Carolina (2023–present) |
Reniya Kelly is an American college basketball player for the North Carolina Tar Heels of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Early life and high school career
[edit]Kelly grew up in Hoover, Alabama, the daughter of Keri and Ural "U.J." Mitchell. Kelly played multiple sports growing up, including swimming, soccer, and basketball. She attended Hoover High School, where she won four Class 7A state championships in five seasons starting in eighth grade, being named tournament MVP each of her last three seasons. She set her school scoring record with 2,272 career points as she helped the team go 168–10 over her five years. In her senior season, she averaged 14.7 points, 5 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game on 47 percent three-point shooting, being named the Alabama Miss Basketball and the Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year.[1][2] Hoover retired her jersey in December 2023.[3] Rated the sixth-best point guard and 30th-best player overall in the 2023 class by ESPN, she committed to North Carolina over offers from Alabama and Baylor.[2]
College career
[edit]Freshman season (2023–24)
[edit]Kelly debuted for the North Carolina Tar Heels on November 8, 2023, starting in the season-opening 102–49 win against Gardner–Webb. She was the first true freshman to start in her debut since Deja Kelly (no relation) in 2020.[4] She came out of the starting rotation later that month and missed three games due to a head injury before working her way back into the lineup.[1][5] On January 28, 2024, she scored a season-high 20 points in an 81–66 loss to Virginia. She missed the last stretch of the season due to a lower body injury, finishing her freshman season with 4.6 points per game in 20 games (10 starts).[1][6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Reniya Kelly". North Carolina Tar Heels. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ a b Bynum, R.L. (April 1, 2023). "Dynamic UNC guard recruit Reniya Kelly won first of four state titles at age 12; at 7, 'Broadway' wanted to be great". Tar Heel Tribune. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ Delahanty, Nick (December 23, 2023). "UNC Women's Basketball: Reniya Kelly has high school jersey retired". Keeping It Heel. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ Koh, Michael (November 8, 2023). "UNC Women's Basketball Throttles Gardner-Webb on Opening Night". Chapelboro.com. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ Holloway, Jeremiah (January 29, 2024). "UNC WBB Notebook: Preparation Paying Off For Reniya Kelly". 247Sports. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ McKay, Michael (October 19, 2024). "Following an injury-shortened season, Reniya Kelly looks to pick up where she left off". Keeping It Heel. Retrieved January 3, 2025.