Deja Kelly Brings ‘Winning Mentality’ to Chapel Hill

As she enters Carmichael Arena on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill, it is hard to miss the smiling face of Deja Kelly.  Her bubbling personality and eager smile would lend one to think she is simply another “happy go lucky” freshman on campus that has stumbled her way into the legendary arena where Michael Jordan once played during his time as a Tar Heel.  Take a closer look into the sparkling eyes of Deja Kelly and you will find an athlete that is anything but a typical, bright-eyed teenager starting college.

Deja Kelly represents the type of player Coach Banghart loved to recruit by “checking all the necessary boxes” to help lead the Tar Heels to glory.  Coach Banghart’s recruiting philosophy is to recruit winners.  As assistant coach Aluka-White explains, “Winners know how to win.”  There’s a lot about Deja Kelly that lends her to be the embodiment of that recruiting philosophy.  Besides being a Mcdonald’s All American, Jordan Brand All American, and the Gatorade female basketball player of the year for Texas, which alone stand as incredible accolades for any high school player. 

Kelly also led her high school team to a state championship against a previously unbeaten powerhouse.  Coach Aluka-White states, “She knows how to win and will do what it takes to win.”  While the world is full of talented high school players that entered the collegiate level with arrogance and ignorance, most of which found themselves struggling to compete on the college stage.  Kelly seems to have the mindset necessary to become a true leader for the team. 

Coach Aluka-White explains that Kelly comes to practice every day with the mindset of wanting to improve through learning how to become a successful player on the collegiate level.  This mindset could come directly from her parents, both of whom played college basketball.  It is easy to understand the wisdom Kelly has received from her parents could serve her well.  Coach Aluka-White says, “She shows up ready to be a learner to every practice.”   

It is with this mindset that Kelly has found herself able to unload a 19-point performance against Radford and an impressive 22 points against Syracuse to find her already making herself into a major contributor for the Tar Heel squad.

While it may seem as though she is already on her way to becoming one of the greats in Carmichael history, her teammates will sometimes find her pushing herself to the point of tripping and falling to the floor during practice, which causes her teammates to quietly chuckle as their star freshman shows glimpses of being human as she continues to learn to play on the college level.

With Coach Banghart’s recruiting philosophy of recruiting winners, it is incredibly clear that she wants as many players with her skills and  “winning mindset” as she can find for the Tar Heel team.  One thing is for sure as you watch this year’s UNC Women’s basketball team; make sure to keep an eye on the freshman with all the hallmarks of becoming a future legend with the UNC program.  

Look for Deja Kelly and the Tar Heels to keep the winning mindset going as they host the Miami Hurricanes on Sunday, January 10th at 1 pm. The Tar Heels were set to face #2 Louisville on Tuesday before being postponed due to COVID-19 issues in the UNC program.