University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Women's Basketball

When North Carolina selected Courtney Banghart as the fourth head coach in women’s basketball program history, the University added another outstanding leade...

After two seasons on the UNC women’s basketball support staff, Andrew Graber was promoted in July of 2023 to the role of Head Strength and Conditioning Coach. He directs, designs and implements all strength and conditioning programming for the Tar Heel women’s basketball program. “I’m proud of our program and the women in it that we were able to attract such a talented applicant pool,” UNC women’s basketball coach Courtney Banghart said upon Graber's promotion. “Sport science is the future of athletic performance training and Andrew is so versed in the software and the application of it. He has a national championship as a lead strength coach, and he has run the sport science programming for numerous sports teams. He will help with feedback – and feeding forward – as we develop our daily, weekly, and monthly plans together to put our student-athletes in the best possible position for success. “Andrew is a skilled tactician in the weight room, he’s a trusted teammate, he has a servant heart, and he’s a forward thinker. I’m thrilled to have Andrew in this critical leadership role as we continue to move this program forward. Today is a great day for the entire program.” Graber came to UNC in July of 2021. He has worked with women’s basketball as assistant strength & conditioning coach since then and also has coached track and field, rowing and women’s lacrosse, which won an NCAA Championship in 2022. Additionally, he has coordinated sport science for all of UNC’s Olympic sport p

Cory McNeill joined the UNC women’s basketball staff as an assistant coach in May of 2024 following five years at East Carolina. He brings to Carolina a wealth of experience in the collegiate ranks. “We are thrilled to add Cory to our coaching staff and to the Carolina family,” UNC head coach Courtney Banghart said upon his hiring. “He is a proven winner, an experienced and talented coach, a dedicated skill developer, and an impactful recruiter. Cory brings upbeat and positive energy paired with a relentlessly competitive spirit. He will absolutely move our needle and we’re all excited to add this invaluable teammate to our Championship Pursuit.” McNeill has made an impact at every stop. At ECU, he served as Associate Head Coach on Head Coach Kim McNeill’s staff and was part of a resurgence in the program, including a conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023. Prior to that, he spent three seasons at Hartford, helping Hawks improve their win total in each season, culminating in a 23-11 mark in 2018-19 and the program’s first appearance in the WNIT since 2013. At Virginia, McNeill served on Head Coach Joanne Boyle’s staff, helping the Cavaliers to a 90-71 record and three WNIT appearances, including back-to-back berths in 2015 and 2016. McNeill served as an assistant coach at Georgetown from 2007-11. The Hoyas earned back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths for the first time in program history in 2010 and 2011 and made a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2011. In additi

A familiar face returned Carmichael Arena in August of 2023 as Daniel Metzelfeld joined the UNC women’s basketball staff as Director of Scouting and Video Operations and Assistant Coach. He was later promoted to assistant coach prior to the start of the 2023-24 season. Metzelfeld was also part of coach Courtney Banghart’s first staff at UNC, serving as Director of Player Personnel, Development and Recruiting Operations for the 2019-20 season. In between his stops in Chapel Hill, Metzelfeld spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the women’s basketball team at Davidson. During his time with the Wildcats, the team achieved its highest number of wins since joining the Atlantic 10 (18 wins in 2021-22) and made the program’s fifth overall appearance in the post season, playing three games in the Women’s Basketball Invitational. Metzelfeld coached mainly the Wildcat forwards and wings while also focusing on recruiting. He assisted in developing several players who received A-10 All-Rookie Team and All-Conference awards. He also spent the 2018-19 season at Davidson as Director of Player Development. Metzelfeld founded Train University Basketball and worked as a trainer and coach for All In Athletics in Highland Park, Ill., where he worked with junior, high, high school, college and professional clients. He got his start in college coaching as an assistant women's basketball coach at his alma mater, Trinity International University, from 2013-17. While at Trinity he helped sta

Izzy Leazier joined the Carolina Women's Basketball staff as a graduate assistant for the 2025-26 season after earning her master's in business administratio...

Former Tar Heel team captain Jaelynn Murray joined the staff in July of 2023. She serves as Assistant Director of Recruiting Operations and fills a wide variety of roles around the program. "Bringing Jaelynn back to our women's basketball family is such a huge win for our program," UNC coach Courtney Banghart said. "She brings integrity, passion, and consistent positive energy, no matter the task or the day. "She's been a great player, a great teammate, and a consistent winner in the locker room. Jae loves Carolina and will work tirelessly to help us continue to move this program forward." A 2022 graduate, Murray spent a year as an intern with UNC's Rams Club, working as part of the Communications team, before joining the women’s basketball staff. A forward from Columbia, S.C., Murray majored in Information Science, earning her undergraduate degree in May of 2021. She took a fifth season with the team while earning a master's degree in Educational Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship through the UNC School of Education. "I'm so honored to join the staff and grateful to Coach Banghart for bringing me back to Carmichael," Murray said. "My time at the Rams Club was extremely valuable and I really enjoyed seeing another part of the Athletic Department, but my heart is with our women's basketball program. Being part of the staff is really a dream for me, and I'm excited to learn from everyone around me and to do my part as this program continues to climb." Murray is the sec

Joanne Aluka-White joined the North Carolina women's basketball staff in 2019 as an assistant coach, following seven seasons with the Charlotte 49ers. The 20...

Katherine Bixby enters her third season on the UNC women’s basketball staff as an assistant coach heading into the 2026-27 campaign, boasting years of experience throughout the collegiate ranks. “Throughout an extensive search process, Katherine’s breadth of experience proved invaluable in an ever-changing landscape in college athletics,” Banghart said. “A former head coach, Katherine brings value to so many key areas. She has served as a lead recruiter, she has developed players from all positional groups, and she’s been a strategist on both sides of the ball. She is eager to be a teammate and to help further elevate this program and we are grateful to have her aboard.” Bixby, who brings more than 15 years of coaching experience to Chapel Hill, spent one season at Loyola of Maryland, where she helped engineer a program turnaround, with the Greyhounds going from 10-21 in 2022-23 to 16-15 last season. There she was part of the 2024 Patriot League Staff of the Year as Loyola registered its first winning season since 2010-11. Prior to that, she spent six seasons as the head coach at Johns Hopkins, leading the Blue Jays to five-straight seasons of 17 or more wins, including back-to-back 20-win campaigns. Johns Hopkins won the regular-season conference title in 2023, and Bixby was the Centennial Conference Coach of the Year in 2019. Throughout her time at JHU she maintained a standard of academic excellence, with her teams ranking in the WBCA National Academic Honor Roll four time

Kayla McPherson transitioned to the role of a student assistant after announcing her retirement from basketball prior to the 2025-26 season. Joining the Tar Heels in 2021 out of Madison County High School and Hull, Ga., the McDonald's All-American redshirted her first year in Chapel Hill while rehabbing an injury sustained in high school. Finally hitting the court in January of 2023, McPherson made a strong impression by scoring 14 points in her first game at Carmichael in a win over Virginia. After posting a career-high 22 points and six rebounds against Boston College on Feb. 12, McPherson was named the ACC Freshman of the Week. She wrapped her redshirt-freshman campaign averaging 6.8 points per game, making 13 appearances and three starts. Coming back for her redshirt sophomore year, McPherson appeared in seven games with three starts in November of 2023 before sustaining a season ending knee injury. McPherson scored a season-high 11 points against Kansas State. Despite missing the 2024-25 campaign, McPherson has remained an integral part of the Tar Heel program as her high-level basketball IQ provides a huge boost to the team.

Lexi Weger, was named as an assistant coach with Carolina women's basketball following two seasons as a graduate assistant and enters her second season in th...

A proud UNC alumna and former student-athlete, Roberts played four seasons with the Tar Heels from 2016-2020. Roberts currently serves as General Manager/Special Assistant to the Head Coach, bringing a deep passion for Tar Heel athletics and Carolina Women’s Basketball. She is the direct point of contact for all external affairs, overseeing NIL, fundraising, strategic partnerships, alumni relations, and staff operations. She also supports the coaching staff in recruiting efforts and roster management. “I’ve been in coaching and teaching for a long time, and she is just part of the top 0.1 percent in terms of her quality level as a teammate and her dedication to the journey,” Banghart said. Roberts, who is from Chapel Hill, walked onto the team as a freshman and earned a spot on the 2016-17 roster. She played in seven games that year, seven as a sophomore and two as a junior, providing depth at the guard spot. Prior to her senior season, coach Courtney Banghart rewarded Roberts with a scholarship. As a senior in 2019-20, Roberts appeared in 13 games. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa honorary society, earned Dean's List honors each semester, and was honored as a Top 10 Scholar-Athlete, recognizing the top grade point averages among UNC's senior student-athletes. She went on to complete her master's in sport administration in May of 2022 from UNC-CH, prior to earning her first role as Director of Recruiting Management and Student-Athlete Engagement. She was promoted to Gener