Déjà vu: Former UNC star back in Triangle as Oregon plays in Duke’s NCAA Tournament pod

It’s been almost a year since Deja Kelly sat at that podium in Columbia, South Carolina, trying to make sense of a season that left her worn thin.

The Tar Heels had just suffered a season-ending 88-41 loss in the 2024 NCAA Tournament to the eventual national champions, the undefeated Gamecocks. Soon, the face of North Carolina women’s basketball would find herself at a crossroads. Four NCAA Tournament appearances and 1,851 career points later, Kelly already boasted a résumé that stretched far beyond the hardwood — into broadcast experience, podcast studios, fashion campaigns and the swirling, often unforgiving world of NIL stardom.

But that came with plenty of struggles.

“This is one of our toughest years,” Kelly said in March 2024. “It required a lot of pick-me-ups from us [veterans]... it was a lot of up and down. It probably took a toll on everyone mentally.”

A few weeks later, in early April, the ACC standout made a decision that surprised some, but made perfect sense to her: Kelly entered the transfer portal. After four seasons in Chapel Hill, she was ready for a fresh start. Oregon, a program that hadn’t been to the Big Dance in two years and was coming off a 21-loss season, gave her just that.

Now, almost exactly a year after that difficult ending with the Tar Heels, Kelly is back in the Triangle — but this time wearing green and yellow. The senior, who leads Oregon in scoring with 11.6 points per game, now has the No. 10 seed Ducks back in the NCAA tournament. Friday, she’ll lead them into a first-round matchup against No. 7 seed Vanderbilt at 5:30 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Host team Duke, a No. 2 seed, will play No. 15 seed Lehigh later that night at 8:00 p.m.

But Thursday, the day before her final tournament run is set to commence, Kelly didn’t look like someone carrying the weight of postseason expectations. Instead, she sat in the middle of Oregon’s locker room surrounded by something she didn’t always have at North Carolina: joy.

It was hard to hear Kelly at times — her voice occasionally drowned out by the laughter erupting from different corners of the room. Clusters of teammates were doubled over in one corner, while others doodled on a whiteboard meant for mocking up plays. Nearly all were oblivious to the media surrounding them.

Kelly grinned as she motioned to the chaos around her.

“This is always,” she said. “We are a very childlike group, very goofy group. We have a lot of fun. We genuinely enjoy each other’s company.”

She let out an unrestrained belly laugh as another teammate cracked a joke nearby.

“It’s in a good way,” she said. “Like, we have lots of fun.”

While the rest of the Ducks bounced around pregame warmups, carrying over the same banter and youthful energy from the locker room, Kelly was a picture of composure. During Thursday’s open practice, she stretched quietly off to the side, largely keeping to herself — the spitting image of a calm veteran.

That’s part of what Kelly has brought to this program: experience, leadership and a belief that something bigger is possible.

“We’ve already relied on Deja a lot with that experience,” Oregon coach Kelly Graves said Thursday. “She’s had a lot of success in this tournament.”

But here, on a team that seems to lean into its playfulness as much as its potential, Kelly has found something different — something lighter.

“The biggest thing I wanted to do when I chose to go to Oregon was just grow in a bunch of different ways,” Kelly said on Thursday. “Of course on the basketball court, but also as a person. I think they tie together. On the basketball court, I’ve grown as a better leader, better player, a better teammate. Overall it’s just been such an eye-opening experience for me, and again that’s all I could have asked for in my last year as well.”

N&O contributing writer Shelby Swanson sat down with Kelly on Thursday to discuss her year away from the Triangle, and her return this weekend. These answers have been edited for grammar and clarity.

What were the hardest parts of this past year?

“There was a lot. Obviously, it was a really huge change for me. I was leaving what was comfortable and what was familiar to something completely new, completely unknown, not knowing what to expect. There was a little bit of an adjustment period where I found myself trying to change a little bit of what I do. I had to remember that people already liked me for the player that I was and what I could do on the court. Once I remembered that and got into my groove, it was a matter of showing the different layers that I was able to add — my playmaking ability, my passing ability, really running and leading a team and my defense. Being able to show all those different layers was huge for me. It took a little bit longer than I would have liked for that adjustment period, but I would say that was the toughest part because it was such a scary move for me.”

When did things click for you at Oregon?

“It was kind of up and down throughout the season. I was very hard on myself and overthinking too much. We watched a lot of film with the coaches. It was about, ‘OK, what are the next steps for me? How can I continue to get better?’

And knowing that I can do so without changing who I am. We had a really good conversation right after Christmas break and it was a huge shift because I just felt more free. I was playing like myself. I think that was the pivotal change and the pivotal moment. I really have to thank the staff and my teammates.”

How have you grown as Deja Kelly the person and Deja Kelly the player?

“It’s been so amazing to see my growth personally, and I didn’t know how much I needed the uncomfortable shift. Again, realizing how comfortable I was at Carolina, I was kind of able to just do whatever I wanted. I just knew that there was more room for growth. I’ve grown so much as a leader and teammate. I think that’s something that will definitely carry over to the next level.

But I think just really learning about my teammates, really wanting to know about them and know how I can serve them for the betterment of the team. That’s something huge, not just for the success that we’ve had this year but also for me off to court. So I think just growing into a person who’s just really, truly confident in who I am and what I do and not listening to outside noise.

I think I found myself doing that because it gets crazy. This year, I’ve grown an even thicker layer of skin. I’ve realized none of these people have a say in what I do. None of them can change the trajectory of where I’m going or anything like that. The only thing is me and God and myself and my family. So I think that’s something that I’ve really grown in, is just learning how to stay true to myself.”

This story was originally published March 21, 2025 at 5:45 AM with the headline "Déjà vu: Former UNC star back in Triangle as Oregon plays in Duke’s NCAA Tournament pod."