Deja Kelly ranked among Top 25 players

UNC women’s basketball standout Deja Kelly has moved up a few spots in the latest ESPN Top 25 players in the country rankings.

During the preseason, UNC women’s basketball standout Deja Kelly earned a spot among ESPN’s top 25 players heading into the 2022-2023 season.

Seven weeks later, the Tar Heels star guard has moved up in the most recent rankings.

We’ve updated our ranking of the 25 best players in the country so far this season — starting with the debate over whether Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark or Azzi Fudd should be No. 1. See which players made the list, which was voted on by an 18-member panelhttps://t.co/z8YZXSe8kp

— ESPN Women’s Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) December 22, 2022

After starting the season at No. 23, Kelly moved up three spots to No. 20. These rankings are put together by a panel of 18 broadcasters, analysts, and writers who cover the sport for ESPN.

Here’s what Voepel had to say regarding Kelly:

Kelly is the player the Tar Heels can count on to make big plays, and her energy fuels them. Her season-high 29 points came in a victory over Iowa State in the championship game of the Phil Knight Invitational in November. Kelly has struggled from behind the arc (6 of 29), but when that part of her game is on track, she becomes even more difficult to guard. Slow starts in losses to Indiana and Michigan have hurt the 9-2 Tar Heels, but that’s something Kelly can help them fix.

Through the non-conference slate, the junior guard is averaging 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. The UNC women’s basketball program has enjoyed a tremendous start to the season, one that has gotten them up to No. 6 in the AP Top 25 polls.

Along with Kelly, fellow Tar Heels Kennedy Todd-Williams and Alyssa Ustby received votes from the ESPN panel. If they continue their strong play, it won’t be surprising to see them jump into the top 25 at some point this season.

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