Nyla Brooks and Ciera Toomey: UNC’s complementary force on both ends

Nyla Brooks and Ciera Toomey: UNC’s complementary force on both ends

Nyla Brooks and Ciera Toomey form one of the more intriguing young combinations on the North Carolina women’s basketball roster heading into the 2026-27 season.

Nyla Brooks (6-1 guard, sophomore, Waldorf, MD / Bishop Ireton) arrived in Chapel Hill as a five-star McDonald’s All-American and the 2025 Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year. As a freshman in 2025-26 she earned ACC All-Freshman honors while appearing in all 36 games. She averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds, drained 63 three-pointers (the most by a Tar Heel freshman in a decade), and posted a career-high 21 points with multiple big shooting nights off the bench. Her length, shooting range, and defensive versatility give UNC a versatile wing who can space the floor or attack closeouts.

Ciera Toomey (6-4 forward, redshirt junior, Dunmore, PA / Dunmore HS) took a major step forward in 2025-26. After redshirting her first year and seeing limited minutes the next, she started all 36 games and averaged 8.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, and a team-high 1.5 blocks while shooting 54.4 percent from the field. She posted career highs of 19 points and 15 rebounds and became a reliable interior presence and rim protector. The former Miss Pennsylvania Basketball has developed into a physical, efficient post player who also shows soft touch and passing vision.

Together they give Courtney Banghart size, scoring punch, and defensive versatility. Brooks stretches the floor and creates matchup problems on the perimeter; Toomey anchors the paint, rebounds, and protects the rim. Both have already produced standout performances in the same games, and their complementary skill sets should only grow more dangerous as Brooks enters her second college season and Toomey continues to expand her role.

Keep an eye on the Tar Heel duo this year — one shoots from deep, the other controls the middle, and both play with clear purpose.