By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Cheering for Bill Belichick will be nothing new for Carolina women’s basketball coach Courtney Banghart.
As a native New Englander who lived in New Hampshire for 29 years, Banghart is a huge Boston sports fan who reveled in all six Super Bowl titles Belichick led.
“I’m a die-hard New England Patriots fan, and, of course, now a die-hard Drake Maye fan,” Banghart said after her No. 14 Tar Heels’ 80–56 win Wednesday over UNCG. “So, a lot of connections to that organization, and obviously Bill had had a ton of success up there.”
Carolina officially announced that it was hiring Belichick as football coach about an hour before Banghart’s game began at Carmichael Arena.
“It’s good that we can now move forward,” Banghart said. “I know there’s been a lot of drama and just trying to get someone hired and figure out what’s best for this university, and now we can move forward.”
Banghart has watched numerous Patriots games over the years and spent a lot of time reading The Education of a Coach, a book about Belichick’s journey. She calls it one of her favorite books.
She undoubtedly had an exciting conversation with her father later Wednesday evening.
“I can’t wait to check in with my dad,” Banghart said. “He will be thrilled to just know that there’s more of a connection here, just like we root for Drake Maye now maybe even more than we did when he was here.”
Banghart says that she met Belichick years ago at a Rutgers lacrosse game. He was there to support his daughter, Amanda Belichick, who has been the women’s lacrosse coach at Holy Cross since 2017.
While Banghart is excited about Belichick coming to coach in Chapel Hill, you could tell that she was sad that Mack Brown will no longer be a fellow UNC coach. Brown has been at Carmichael Arena cheering on Banghart’s team for many games.
“I’m also really close to Mack,” Banghart said. “I’m really close to any coach at Carolina because they’ve chosen here. There’s a mirrored path.
“It is not an easy way to choose to make a living,” she said. “So, there’s a kindred spirit that you have with those who choose to coach, and they choose to do it here. I look forward to welcoming [Belichick] and being however helpful I can, and supporting his team, as I did Mack’s. And I know that he’ll support ours, maybe not as well as Mack. It’s pretty hard to do.”
With Belichick part of the Tar Heels family, there will undoubtedly be more members of Banghart’s extended family passionately cheering for Carolina’s football team now.
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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