Graduate Alyssa Ustby transforms shot, revitalizes leader role in final year at UNC

Graduate forward Alyssa Ustby is used to the grandma jokes. 

“What are you baking us?” her teammates often ask.

But Ustby enjoys the teasing. The moniker originated during a team meal at The Purple Bowl, while trying to figure out nicknames for the oldest players on the team. 

“Lyss kind of gives ‘Meemaw,’” first-year guard Jordan Zubich said. 

And it just stuck. 

A “Meemaw” in basketball-years at the age of 22 — turning 23 in March —Ustby has undoubtedly achieved veteran status. In April, Ustby announced that she would be returning to North Carolina to play her fifth and final year with the Tar Heels. She served as a captain last season, averaging 12.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. The graduate was also named Preseason All-ACC in October and will return as a captain during the 2024-25 year.

As the UNC player with the most experience, Ustby will serve as a leader both in the locker room and on the court. 

Even as a top-three scorer on the team for the last three consecutive years, Ustby thinks there is still work to be done.  

After North Carolina’s exit from the NCAA tournament in March following a 88-41 loss to eventual national champion South Carolina, Ustby was in no rush to decide whether to come back for a fifth year or not.

Head coach Courtney Banghart was the first person she decided to tell, and the coach was not surprised.  

“Well, Alyssa was never going to leave,” Banghart said. “We knew that.” 

After the initial excitement, Banghart suggested that Ustby “get back to work.”

So, she did. 

Ustby wanted to completely restructure her 3-point shot. Banghart developed a plan to make this come to fruition. 

“My goal [was] to piss her off,” Banghart said. 

They broke everything down, starting inside the key and moving out to long-range shots beyond the arc. Ustby didn't even leave the paint for the first few weeks. From Banghart’s perspective, Ustby never learned how to properly shoot, and they had to change that. 

Even if Ustby felt ready to shoot from a new position, Banghart wouldn't let her move to another spot on the court until she also agreed. Banghart wanted to go as slow as possible.

In total, Ustby attempted over 10,000 shots a week according to Banghart. During the four hours that NCAA athletes are allowed to practice a week, the forward only focused on shooting. Ustby did not attend a single team workout until late-June. She remained to the side, putting up shots individually. 

Ustby never questioned her coach’s methods. 

Eventually, the work paid off. She is now confident in her 3-point shot, which adds a whole new level to her game. Ustby only made three 3-pointers out of 12 total attempts last season. 

“It's hard, as an athlete, to not focus on the things that you lack and you have to remember the things that you're good at,” Ustby said. “Because I worked so hard to develop my shot, I finally feel like a weight’s been lifted off of me.”

In addition to restructuring her shot, there’s another thing weighing on Ustby’s mind: her legacy. 

Being the only fifth-year player on this season's team that has spent her entire career at UNC, Ustby’s dedication to the program is unquestionable. Banghart said she is the perfect example of what a Tar Heel athlete should be. 

“She cares so much about the ‘Carolina’ across her chest,” Banghart said. “She's not from North Carolina, but she’ll call this place home now. She's selfless, but she's tough."

Ustby wants to leave behind a certain kind of culture — one of passion, competition, connection and determination to be better. 

This year’s team is making strides to connect with each other. The players often gather for movie nights and to watch "Love Island." But the connection is not forced. Ustby said this is the most natural chemistry that she has ever felt with a team, and she's worked to create it. 

“That's all I can ask for," Ustby said. 

And even when she’s no longer making plays down the stretch with teammates who call her “Meemaw,” there’s a certain kind of North Carolina she wants to return to. One that she's crafted over her four years at UNC and will continue to cultivate in her final season. 

“When I come back in a couple years, or five years, 10 years, whatever it may be, I [want to] come back and I still can see it, and I can feel it,” Ustby said. “I might not know all the girls personally by name, when I come back to check out any new updates in the facilities or stuff like that, or get to say, ‘Hi’ to the team, but I'll be able to tell.”

@aplancaster_

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