Following multiple injuries, Ciera Toomey finds new love for basketball

The North Carolina women’s basketball team installed a new rule ahead of the 2024-25 season: no player is allowed to ride an electric scooter around campus. 

The order came after an accident sidelined UNC’s five-star recruit, Ciera Toomey, for the entirety of her first-year season. Before Live Action at the Dean E. Smith Center last year, she fell off her scooter and tore ligaments in her right wrist. The injury required surgery, and Toomey was forced to take a medical redshirt year.

“Scooters are made for people that are my size,” head coach Courtney Banghart said. “They don’t understand that they are so much bigger than the average scooter driver. So we don’t ride those anymore.” 

Now, a year removed from the incident, Toomey is healthy and ready to place her mark on UNC basketball. The stretch big is learning from preseason All-ACC forward Alyssa Ustby with a renewed mindset to never take the game of basketball for granted — one of many takeaways from her time in rehab. 

Toomey’s almost 600day absence since her last competitive game — between a lingering knee injury from high school and then her wrist injury — gave her a unique perspective on basketball she didn’t have before. The Pennsylvania native admitted it restored a love for the game that she had lost touch with. 

“Until you experience something like that, you don't really understand how much you love the sport until it's gone,” Toomey said. “It's like anything, you don't know you love it till you lose it.” 

Luckily, Toomey was not alone in her rehab. Fellow redshirt first-year Laila Hull also sat out the entirety of last season with a knee injury. The two bonded over their shared trials in recovery while spending time together as roommates.

For each of them, the importance of sharing the same emotional, physical and mental challenges that come from long-term rehab was a blessing. Hull mentioned how sound and level-headed Toomey remained throughout the whole process. 

“Not many people have somebody in their corner like that, that can help them through [rehab] and know exactly what you’re going through,” Hull said. “I'm very, very grateful to Ciera.” 

In her return, Toomey has taken full advantage of her matchup with Ustby each day in practice. Not only does guarding one of the nation’s best forwards make Toomey better, but during practice, Ustby is always providing advice to improve the budding redshirt first-year's game.

So much so that Banghart told Toomey she should buy the graduate forward dinner every night to repay her for the priceless advice she gives. 

“My goal is to basically dump all my knowledge that I've gained throughout the last four years from playing in this conference and in NCAA tournaments, and give that all to her so she can have an incredible career,” Ustby said. 

In her final season for UNC, Ustby also revealed how she sees Toomey to be her potential successor. And it's a role Toomey hasn't taken lightly. 

“All the knowledge she's passing on to me, I hope that just peeks through and I'm able to become as good, or even as half as good a player that she is,” Toomey said.

If Toomey truly is Ustby’s successor, then the Tar Heels want to focus on a gradual buildup that puts her on the most successful path for herself and the future of UNC basketball.  

As for what Banghart expects from her, the head coach sees Toomey as an impact player, offering versatility in the frontcourt. At media day, Banghart was quick to mention Toomey’s greatest asset: being a true, three-level scorer with good passing that stretches the floor as a forward.

However, North Carolina’s coaching staff doesn’t expect her to shine right away. Taking into account her absence from competitive basketball, Banghart reiterated an analogy: Toomey should first hit singles before the home run ball. 

“We are not hitting a home run right away,” Banghart said. “Our job is to get her really, really good, game by game, year by year. So I know that I've been waiting a long time too, but I've got to be disciplined with that as well.” 

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