Alyssa Anne Ustby (/ˈʌsbi/ US-bee;[1] born March 18, 2002) is an American college basketball player for the North Carolina Tar Heels of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). She is a three-time All-ACC selection with the Tar Heels.
_04.jpg) Ustby with North Carolina in 2024 | |
| No. 1 – North Carolina Tar Heels | |
|---|---|
| Position | Guard / forward |
| League | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 18, 2002 Rochester, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Lourdes High School (Rochester, Minnesota) |
| College | North Carolina (2020–present) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Early life and high school career
editUstby was raised in Rochester, Minnesota, the daughter of Todd and Lisa Ustby, and has three older brothers.[1] She began playing basketball in second grade after having gone to her brothers' practices.[2] She attended Lourdes High School, where was named all-state three times and set school records in career points (2,560) and rebounds (1,287). In her senior year, she was nominated for Minnesota Miss Basketball and the McDonald's All-American Game.[1] She starred in two other high school sports: she set the school softball record for career stolen bases and led the team to the state championship as a junior, and she led the school soccer team in scoring as a senior with 14 goals.[1] She was a three-star recruit when she committed to the University of North Carolina. Head coach Courtney Banghart said she was "totally underrated, but I saw a high-motor, competitive and versatile athlete who had incredible footwork".[2] Ustby's parents moved to Durham, North Carolina, to be able to watch their daughter play.[3]
College career
editNorth Carolina Tar Heels
edit2020–21
editUstby debuted for the North Carolina Tar Heels on November 25, 2020, scoring 13 points in a 90–61 win over Radford.[4] She recorded her first double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds off the bench in a 95–70 win over High Point on November 29. She made her first start on December 17 in a 92–68 win over Syracuse, after which she held a starting position for the rest of her career.[1] She shot 4-for-4 from three and posted 20 points and 12 rebounds in a 76–69 win over NC State on February 7, 2021.[1][5] She led the team in scoring with a career-high 23 points in an 82–71 loss to Wake Forest in the ACC tournament second round on March 4.[6] She scored 7 points and grabbed 5 rebounds for No. 10–seeded North Carolina in a 80–71 loss to No. 7 Alabama in the first round of the NCAA tournament.[1] Ustby played a team high in minutes in her freshman 2020–21 season, averaging 9.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.[2]
2021–22
editUstby tied her career high with 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 72–59 win over VCU in the Bahamas on November 26, 2021. She scored 12 points with 12 rebounds for No. 5 seed North Carolina in a 63–45 win over No. 4 Arizona in the second round of the NCAA tournament. In the next round, she scored only 4 points with 7 rebounds in a 61–69 loss to eventual champions No. 1 South Carolina. She averaged 12.9 points and a team-high 8.6 rebounds per game in her sophomore 2021–22 season, earning second-team All-ACC honors. Her season total of 13 double-doubles was the second most in the ACC.[1]
2022–23
editUstby grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds and scored 9 points in a 56–47 win over NC State on January 15, 2023.[7] On March 18, she scored her 1000th career point for No. 6 seed North Carolina in a 61–59 win over No. 11 St. John's in the first round of the NCAA tournament.[8] In the second round, she scored 16 points with 9 rebounds in a 71–69 loss to No. 3 Ohio State.[1][9] She averaged 13.2 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game in her junior 2022–23 season, earning first-team All-ACC honors.[1]
2023–24
editUstby held a three-day girls' basketball camp in her hometown of Rochester, Minnesota, before the 2023–24 season, during which she became one of the team's captains.[1][10] On January 4, 2024, she became the first player in program history to record a triple-double when she posted 16 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 75–51 win over Syracuse.[11] On February 18, she set a new career high with 25 points and added 10 rebounds in a 58–50 win over Wake Forest.[12] She scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds for No. 8 seed North Carolina in a 59–56 win over No. 9 Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA tournament.[1][13] In the second round, she shot 4-for-16 yet was her team's top scorer with 12 points in an 88–41 blowout loss to eventual champions No. 1 South Carolina.[1][14] She averaged 12.5 points, a team-high 9.5 rebounds, and a team-high 3.6 assists in her senior 2023–24 season, earning second-team All-ACC honors.[1][15] After the season, she announced that she would return to North Carolina for a fifth and final year. She was part of the last college class granted an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16]
2024–24
editUstby captains the Tar Heels as the only non-transfer graduate student on the team in the 2024–25 season.[17]
International career
editBefore her junior college season, Ustby played for the United States national under-23 3x3 team in August–September 2022.[1][18]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Alyssa Ustby". North Carolina Tar Heels. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ a b c "UNC guard Alyssa Ustby uses strong work ethic, passion for the game to help her team". The Daily Tar Heel. November 9, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ "Ustby's parents built Triangle house when UNC career started, quickly embraced area". Tar Heel Tribune. December 17, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ Trendel, Avery (November 25, 2020). "Women's Basketball: Tar Heels Open Season With 90-61 Victory Over Radford". Chapelboro.com. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ Beard, Aaron (February 8, 2021). "Ustby, 3-point shooting help UNC upset No. 4 NC State 76-69". Associated Press. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ Trendel, Avery (March 4, 2021). "Wake Forest Hands UNC Women's Basketball Early Exit From ACC Tournament". Chapelboro.com. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ "Photos: UNC tops N.C. State in women's basketball in front of sellout crowd". WUNC (FM). January 16, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ Delahanty, Nick (March 18, 2023). "UNC Basketball: Alyssa Ustby reaches 1,000 career point milestone". Keeping It Heel. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ Ruff, Pat (May 20, 2023). "Alyssa Ustby reflects on banner season at North Carolina, eager for what's ahead". Post-Bulletin. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ Mitchell, Julian (August 17, 2023). "Lourdes Grad, UNC Star Alyssa Ustby Hosts Youth Basketball Camp". KTTC. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ Koh, Michael (January 4, 2024). "Alyssa Ustby's Triple-Double Leads UNC Women's Basketball Past No. 25 Syracuse". Chapelboro.com. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ Waid, Maya (February 18, 2024). "Alyssa Ustby's 25-point double-double carries UNC women's hoops to win over Wake Forest". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ Moon, Emma (March 22, 2024). "UNC women's hoops survives in 59-56 thriller over Michigan State to advance to NCAAT second round". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ Moon, Emma (March 24, 2024). "UNC women's basketball eliminated from NCAA tournament in 88-41 loss to South Carolina". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ Koh, Michael (March 5, 2024). "UNC's Deja Kelly Named 1st Team All-ACC; Alyssa Ustby 2nd Team". Chapelboro.com. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ Koh, Michael (April 26, 2024). "UNC's Alyssa Ustby Announces Return for 5th Season in Chapel Hill". Chapelboro.com. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ Lancaster, Anna Page (October 29, 2024). "Graduate Alyssa Ustby transforms shot, revitalizes leader role in final year at UNC". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ "Alyssa Anne Ustby". FIBA 3x3 World Cup. Retrieved November 7, 2024.