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#UNC coach Courtney Banghart media day press conference
Oct 25, 2024
#UNC coach Courtney Banghart media day press conference
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0:00
a great time it is for women's
0:01
basketball um as a sport you know so
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kudos to you all who in this room have
0:06
contributed to it um a lot of people
0:08
before us um and now it's in our hands
0:10
so um hopefully I think you'll really
0:12
enjoy uh this season uh at the health of
0:15
the women's game as a league as a whole
0:17
is is really strong again um so that
0:21
secondly what do you guys think of that
0:22
in
0:23
there it's nice huh magic happens in
0:26
there really grateful to the
0:27
administration for giving us a place to
0:30
have more access to hoops and that's
0:32
been a really good part of our program
0:34
uh and lastly I know everybody knows
0:35
this but two weeks ago less than two
0:37
weeks ago we lost a member of our
0:38
community in tyly craft and uh please
0:41
remember he's a te he's a classmate of
0:43
some of our players um and a friend of
0:45
some of our players so uh and of course
0:47
Ma's a very dear friend of mine so uh
0:50
just want to continue to give a
0:51
heartfelt um love for the people that
0:53
are working through some really hard
0:54
stuff um that has happened on our campus
0:56
um anyway I always want to talk about
0:59
what yall want to hear about um I could
1:00
talk for days about uh the sport and our
1:03
team but I'd rather take questions that
1:04
are relevant to what youall are trying
1:05
to write coach you guys were so banged
1:08
up toward the end of the season is there
1:09
anything different that You' have done
1:11
in the preseason this year to sort of
1:12
guard against that happening again yeah
1:14
we don't Ride Scooters anymore we're
1:17
done with those uh so you won't see
1:18
those anymore um you know we've got a
1:20
great sport performance team um and you
1:23
unfortunately a handful of those
1:24
injuries were um coming back from high
1:26
school injuries that we had to kind of
1:27
work through and then some bad luck um
1:30
you know I think the fact that we were
1:31
able to play We got down to what four
1:34
guards and they could or three guards
1:36
and they could play 40 minutes a game
1:37
you know um but yeah that was we're glad
1:40
to have that behind
1:41
us heard Lissa was talking about her
1:44
three-point shot yeah she's worked on
1:46
that what have you kind of seen from her
1:48
evolution of her game you know I think
1:50
layer by year by year the layers of
1:52
Alyssa's game have been on full display
1:54
you know she's gotten better and better
1:55
incrementally you know coming from a
1:57
non-top 100 player to uh We've already
2:00
had WNBA teams in here watching her
2:02
right so that's um to go into being a
2:04
pro is pretty remarkable in her career
2:06
um and the last stage of her development
2:08
is is the three-point shot um and so
2:11
starting from the first day we were
2:12
allowed to get in the gym um that's all
2:14
we did she didn't work with anybody else
2:16
she didn't you know work on her passing
2:18
or her ball handling or her you know
2:20
mid-range or all we did was we broke her
2:23
shot down from literally from her feet
2:24
to her hands to her release um and she's
2:28
like typical Lissa faction fashion she's
2:31
put the time in you know that kid has
2:33
put in thousands of hours um and knows
2:36
that's an important part of her game and
2:38
um and she's looking forward to using it
2:40
um which will help our team play with
2:42
better spacing I asked Maria if she
2:44
needs to stay on a fou TR when she
2:45
smiled and went into a long about that
2:48
just you guys aren't very deep on the
2:50
bigs how how will that play out this
2:52
season yeah I mean Maria has just made
2:54
major improvements from a year ago um
2:56
and then Blanca is more than serviceable
2:59
I mean that's a uh borderline McDonald's
3:01
all- American kid who's about 66 um and
3:03
has gotten better and better she guards
3:05
Maria every day um and then of course
3:07
with Siera and Alyssa and we even got
3:09
Lila there you know I don't feel like
3:10
we're super thin especially what we
3:12
dealt with last year there um but
3:14
Maria's just she's a four year kid who's
3:16
been an all League player so um her
3:18
staying out of foul trouble means we can
3:20
play her more um but but you know I like
3:23
what what we have a round or two when
3:25
when the opener comes up Sierra will
3:27
play for almost first time in on with
3:29
six different days how do she hand how
3:31
do she handled the all all from last
3:34
year recovery and what have you seen
3:36
from her game compared to what you saw
3:38
as a high school player she's just so
3:40
much stronger now you know so what she
3:42
wasn't able to do when she was injured
3:44
was a lot of the contact and what she
3:45
was able to do is work on her body so
3:47
she's much stronger um and more agile um
3:51
and she's got a you know she's obviously
3:53
been skilled for quite a while um and
3:55
the big thing is she's guarding Alyssa
3:56
usby every day you know how these
3:58
quarterbacks buy their offensive linemen
4:00
like Rolex watches and cars you know I
4:03
told her she should buy her dinner every
4:04
night because Alyssa's gotten her a lot
4:06
better imagine dealing with Alyssa on
4:07
both ends every single day um so I think
4:11
that's helped too with her speed um and
4:13
her reaction and her just anticipation
4:15
um but also you know Sierra's coming off
4:18
of like you said 600 days right and
4:20
she's also um you know a top five player
4:23
coming out of high school so um we we
4:25
are going to ensure that her journey is
4:28
one of great success and it you got to
4:30
hit some singles before you hit home
4:31
runs so we're going to hit some singles
4:32
with her to start have you had a player
4:35
um as skilled a Sierra inside and out
4:37
and how much does her versatility kind
4:40
of unlock things for you
4:43
offensively it's a good question it's
4:45
hard for me to compare match some of the
4:46
guys it's because I'm trying to in my
4:48
head remember who we've had I'm so I'm
4:50
so um kind of present focused but um
4:53
she's really skilled and what she does
4:55
is is allow us to stretch she's a great
4:57
passer she's a great shooter um she can
4:59
play in side we really worked hard on
5:00
that part of her game um so yeah she
5:03
just gives you a true three-level scorer
5:05
that can pass and um along with it um
5:08
and she's big I mean she's a she's hard
5:10
to move right um so just everything
5:14
creates more space for our team which
5:16
lets us play out of close outs and
5:17
better ball movement which makes
5:19
everybody better how you feel like SRA
5:21
handled her injury in a way that she
5:23
made GRE mentally emotionally that time
5:27
yeah Sierra is so special
5:30
because I don't think I would have
5:32
handled it as well right I think um
5:34
falling off your scooter and and having
5:36
that is on top of coming off an a like
5:38
that's just really unfortunate um she
5:40
has two of the best parents that you'll
5:42
ever find in terms of they have this
5:44
star that just treats her like like
5:47
she's their kid right and um it's funny
5:49
when she um was really in it with her
5:51
injury her mom said if it doesn't work
5:53
out you can always play on the golf team
5:54
because I don't know if you guys know
5:55
she's a scratch golfer um and I said
5:57
whoa whoa whoa we're not doing that um
6:00
but that just you know I think she comes
6:01
at it pretty balance small town kid from
6:03
Scranton PA and really has bought into
6:05
the journey here and not she knows that
6:07
we're not hitting home runs we are not
6:09
hitting a home run right away our job is
6:11
to get her really really good game by
6:13
game year by year um and so I I know
6:16
that you know I've been waiting a long
6:17
time too um but I've got to be
6:19
disciplined with that as well how how
6:20
important was it also for her and Lea to
6:22
go through that process together yeah
6:24
and they're such good friends it really
6:26
worked out I mean now with how they're
6:28
playing it's such a bummer we didn't
6:29
have them were a big loss last year for
6:30
us um but yeah you're you're not dealing
6:33
in isolation with something so
6:34
significant it certainly was helpful to
6:36
not do that alone so what happened with
6:38
the scooter and when when did that
6:39
happen uh she literally fell off her
6:41
scooter uh the day of the late night
6:42
game um and so the men's basketball
6:45
coaches were out for a walk and founder
6:46
right um and you know that was a very
6:48
significant injury that required a ton
6:50
of surgery and required her to you know
6:52
red shirt the year so we don't ride as I
6:55
tell them you guys there scooters are
6:56
made for people that are my size right
6:59
um they they they don't understand that
7:01
they are so much bigger than the average
7:02
scooter driver um so we just don't ride
7:05
those anymore we're more into the ebike
7:07
thing that was her knee no that was her
7:09
wrist wrist M Courtney minute seem to be
7:11
up for grabs this year you have a new
7:13
look back court talk about the diverse
7:15
SK set that you can play your yeah it's
7:17
to it's a great that's a great point
7:18
it's totally different I don't know
7:20
who's who you know I it's almost a I
7:23
don't know who starting I don't know
7:24
what the how the minutes are going to
7:25
shake out um because we have so many
7:27
options in such a good way um a a lot of
7:29
guys that can shoot it um we have a lot
7:31
of guys that can handle and facilitate
7:33
we have a lot of guys that are two-way
7:34
players um and so regardless of age
7:39
they've been going really hard since
7:40
June um and and they've really shown a
7:43
very uh unique skill sets to one another
7:47
I mean they're it'll be fun I don't know
7:49
we're going to kind of see together how
7:50
it all plays out in the first few games
7:52
to figure out what that kind of rotation
7:54
will look like um but they're all a
7:56
little bit different in a really good
7:58
way um but they all offer a lot to what
8:00
we do how do you see Ria's Road
8:03
developing you know Ria was playing
8:05
great before she got it before she got
8:06
hurt um and so it's been awesome to have
8:08
her back and her getting to watch for a
8:11
while she actually has learned a lot
8:13
like I'd be a better player now too
8:14
after I've coached for so long um so
8:16
she'll be she'll be very key to what we
8:18
do um and she'll have help so she won't
8:21
have to you know no one should have to
8:23
manage 35 Plus minutes a game right and
8:25
that will help as well um but she's a
8:27
tough bully you know floor General that
8:30
defends and and guards the ball and um
8:33
you know and she's she she loves to
8:35
think the game right um and you need
8:37
that you know Grace is the fastest kid
8:39
in sneakers I mean she she wins the
8:42
Sprints she won the mile I mean she's
8:43
faster than Alyssa which is hard hard to
8:45
believe um and so she plays the position
8:47
really differently and to be able to
8:49
have they can play together they can
8:50
play they can share time you know you
8:52
got people that play it very differently
8:54
I think will help too according to go up
8:56
to that with Ria um what do you kind of
8:59
see her role being I guess in the
9:00
dynamic of this year like last year to
9:03
start the year she was a starter and
9:04
then you know toward the end before she
9:05
got hurt um I guess kind of the the way
9:08
her skill set is just what you kind of
9:10
see it fit you know we we we need her
9:13
when she's when she's running the point
9:15
then she needs to ensure that our
9:16
possessions are quality right we sort of
9:18
lean on whoever is in that spot to
9:20
ensure there's not wasted possessions
9:22
and we've defined kind of what that
9:23
looks like um and you know I think that
9:26
we all in life are better when there's
9:27
competition right it's just like we all
9:30
are more disciplined we're all more
9:32
consistent um and so now she's got a lot
9:34
of help around her right she's got a lot
9:36
of people who can play that spot well
9:37
right and so that allows for her to to
9:40
be more effective um because it's you
9:43
know she can if she doesn't make changes
9:44
and doesn't do well and somebody else
9:46
will right um so I think her role will
9:48
be will be critical I mean she's got
9:50
experience in our program I trust her um
9:52
and she's she's one of our our uh really
9:54
featured players Coury a lot of the
9:56
players describe the offense this year
9:59
as as potentially free flowing um what
10:01
have you seen in your early uh you know
10:04
thoughts about that and what youve seen
10:06
in particular uh losing a starter who
10:09
you know with over 500 shots last year
10:11
yeah you know when we've been I've I've
10:13
it's funny because we've been really
10:14
good defensively here and I've got a lot
10:16
of um friends in the business and
10:18
they're all just like it's almost
10:19
comical that a Courtney banghart team is
10:20
talking about defense right because I've
10:22
always preferred offense right um and
10:25
you know for us now we just have um you
10:28
know offense is a is a is a balance of
10:31
control and freedom right so you know
10:33
that's what we were just showing film
10:35
it's not like do what you want that's
10:36
called pickup which is also incredibly
10:38
fun right um but the it's a it's a
10:41
balance and freedom I mean it's it's a
10:44
balance between control and freedom and
10:45
reads that we need to make based on
10:47
where the ball is and what our skill
10:48
sets are um and they're learning that
10:50
and I think they're really enjoying
10:51
learning that because there's a lot of
10:53
options um it doesn't mean they do
10:55
whatever it just means they have way
10:57
more options right whereas last year I
10:59
had to really manage the game through
11:01
sets and play calls to get certain
11:03
people the ball in their certain
11:05
particular skill set right um and as
11:07
skill has increased and as we have more
11:09
versatile skill sets we now can play
11:12
with more freedom or decisions to make
11:15
in lifetime and we always talk about
11:16
making good decisions in lifetime you
11:19
went out and added three new faces to
11:20
your coaching staff this all what you
11:23
know drove you to do that and hire these
11:25
new people yeah gosh we've really nailed
11:27
it um in terms of having Corey's passion
11:30
he's been an associate head coach he's
11:31
been in the game a long time work does a
11:33
great great great work with guards he a
11:35
good development coach um and he's just
11:37
so passionate and and um I've known him
11:40
a long time you know back when he was at
11:42
Virginia um and then CAD I've known
11:44
forever too she was a um you know she's
11:46
been a head coach and I think there's
11:47
value to having someone who's you know
11:49
she's doing the Scout right now and I'm
11:51
not there right I think it's her
11:52
presenting the Scout um so to have
11:54
someone with so much experience and
11:56
who's been um hasn't hasn't had the
11:58
opportunity to be in in an environment
12:00
like this with so much help around her
12:02
um that's been really great um who was
12:05
the
12:06
third is Shelly Green Oh our director of
12:10
Ops yeah yeah our director of Ops man
12:11
it's a hard hard life you know we don't
12:13
have any days off in this business um
12:15
and so um I've known her too back when
12:17
she was an assistant coach actually at
12:19
um so I've I've known her since she was
12:21
coaching at Virginia Tech and um you
12:23
know she was on the Florida on the on
12:25
the Clemson staff and so knew she was
12:27
available and um you know has coaching
12:28
experience but more importantly has
12:30
really has a lot of experience in our
12:31
business um so they just kind of people
12:34
who exit whether it's theirs or mine
12:37
it's it's it's decisions that they make
12:38
based on a variety of factors right but
12:40
about who we've added are perfect just
12:42
like our transfers the players said
12:43
they're kind of flying under the radar
12:45
they're fine with that uh yeah but they
12:47
also said that they surprising people uh
12:49
what do you think of that I don't know I
12:51
mean I think the radar has us basically
12:53
somewhere in the top 15 I think it's
12:55
it's kids being kids really thinking
12:57
that before they've done anything
12:59
that hey what about us it's like what
13:01
you're oh and no we haven't won a game
13:03
yet let's talk about that later right so
13:05
I I think some of them are probably
13:07
thinking they're under the radar
13:08
thinking they should be what top 10 I
13:09
mean I don't know and some are probably
13:10
like what is the radar right um so how I
13:14
feel about it is that we're o and O I
13:15
think we've got I really like our team
13:17
they're joyful they're humble they're
13:19
really hardworking they're very
13:21
connected um and I like that we have a
13:24
lot of options we're healthy um in terms
13:26
of how everybody else is we have to wait
13:29
and see I I don't know what everybody
13:30
else's team is who they have yet how
13:32
cool is it to be going to the Bahamas
13:34
for the first time you playing the ble
13:36
yeah you know great to be included it's
13:38
it's obviously it's not an event you can
13:39
just ask to be a part of um you know so
13:42
that's super exciting and um you know
13:44
three games in three days you got to be
13:45
deep so I like that it's better year for
13:47
us to do that um you know it's hard
13:50
because it's one of those tournaments
13:51
where you if you win you play them and
13:52
if you lose you play them and then if
13:53
they win they win so you know six Scouts
13:56
in three days for me I don't think I'll
13:58
be enjoying Bahamas too much um but the
14:01
uh I'm really just glad to be a part of
14:03
a field like that and and you come off
14:05
of um the Yukon game and then you get to
14:07
play that then you come back and play
14:08
Kentucky you know these guys will find
14:10
out what their radar is when they start
14:12
playing these guys do the starting
14:13
decisions come out they which to play
14:15
with Lexi Maria and
14:18
Alysa not necessarily no I mean we got a
14:21
lot of good guard play now I think
14:22
Alissa and Maria you know they've they
14:24
certainly have earned they so much
14:26
experience you know Lexi's got a ton of
14:27
experience um but who plays well
14:30
together what what combinations work Off
14:32
the Bench versus you know uh long range
14:34
shooting and you put facilitators with
14:36
Shooters and you know no it it it really
14:39
you'll be a different you know we
14:40
started one group against against
14:41
Charlotte we'll play a different group
14:42
against Tennessee I mean it's just no
14:45
don't know yet just speaking gener
14:46
because I don't know that you could talk
14:47
about this particular recruit so
14:50
generally bringing in a freshman early
14:53
at beginning of the spring semester have
14:55
you ever done that and what's your
14:57
philosophy on that we had a midyear
14:58
transfer in aiel young my first year um
15:01
and what was great her same deal she
15:03
didn't want to you know she want didn't
15:04
want to waste the year but wanted to get
15:05
ready right and so the value of coming
15:08
having someone come mid year is that
15:09
they're learning the strength they're
15:10
learning the language they're learning
15:11
how to travel they understand the class
15:13
situation they get the grind they're in
15:15
the weight room they're conditioning
15:17
they're you know um so where it works
15:19
with your academic schedule they do it
15:20
in all other sports all the time right
15:22
would I give up my senior spring in high
15:23
school no but I wasn't also a recruit at
15:26
the University of North Carolina right
15:28
um and so it it's not it's not common
15:30
because you're giving up a year of you
15:32
your spring of your of your senior year
15:34
in high school but um for those that it
15:36
makes sense for because maybe they're
15:37
new to that school or maybe you know
15:39
we're certainly it does give them a
15:41
little bit of an onboard the decisions
15:43
that you're going to have to make in
15:44
terms of minutes and start to the
15:46
backward that's a problem you would have
15:47
loved to have happen last February yeah
15:50
or last January and March and you know
15:52
um was it you know I guess a conscious
15:55
effort to bring in two guards through
15:57
the transfer P very much yeah yeah we
16:00
felt like given the portal gives you
16:02
such an opportunity to fill important
16:04
gaps right we knew we needed um we knew
16:06
we knew what we needed and those are the
16:08
two we went after you know I think
16:09
there's you know there's always media
16:11
who says they're going after so and so
16:13
and so and so it's like I don't know
16:14
those are the two we wanted right and we
16:15
got them um and we made sure that we
16:17
were their only visit and and made that
16:19
happen um and they they have been even
16:21
better than advertised you know those
16:23
two kids are really good basketball
16:25
players and even better teammates um and
16:27
so it's not that it's it's not that
16:29
playing time has to be determined it's
16:30
that it's going to be by committee you
16:32
know which is a better team anyway right
16:34
I know the year we went to the Sweet 16
16:36
we had the same starting lineup every
16:37
year that was that the makeup of that
16:39
team and we stayed healthy right um but
16:42
it's this team is going to do it by
16:44
committee um and that's not because we
16:46
have not a dominant player it's that we
16:47
have a lot of good players right and so
16:50
you know we're not I don't think they're
16:51
that worried about it either you know I
16:53
think they recognize that I'm going to
16:55
contribute and when and how might be
16:58
dependent upon who I'm with it might be
16:59
dependent upon who we play it might be
17:00
dependent on is it two game week there's
17:03
so many things it can depend on now
17:04
which is fun when when it comes to the
17:07
the shooting um I know last year you
17:08
know sometimes it might have been a
17:10
thing of the shooting practice didn't
17:11
you know quite translate you know no no
17:13
we we wouldn't have scored 80 points in
17:15
an empty gym yeah do do you feel I guess
17:18
at this point of the the year I guess
17:20
you know thinking back the shooting I
17:22
guess in pratice is you know probably
17:23
more consistent you know than it oh yeah
17:26
yeah babe I mean literally we joke but I
17:28
we when we played Michigan State and
17:29
they averaged almost 90 points a game
17:31
the the guys that were doing the Scout
17:33
came in and said all right so they
17:34
average 90 points a game and I said and
17:35
if they score over 55 we don't beat them
17:37
I mean we can't we wouldn't score 90
17:39
points in an empty gym if you gave me a
17:40
40-minute game right um but now we've
17:44
got a lot of people that can score the
17:45
ball right I mean there's not one kid
17:47
anymore that we' brought in that can't
17:49
shoot I mean Blanca's shooting she
17:50
shoots threes I mean we all can um so
17:53
it's not that they um it's not that last
17:56
year there was a a mental psyche or it
17:59
was that they actually didn't have the
18:00
skill set to do that right um and so the
18:04
ones that were you know because of all
18:05
the injuries right and so now we'll we
18:08
just have more options
18:09
there time for about one to two more
18:12
questions about the three quarters uh
18:14
fla also said she can make a three point
18:16
oh sure have you ever had this many
18:18
three-point threats will you go four out
18:22
five out and just how is that going to
18:24
affect what you can do offensively a lot
18:27
I mean now it gives you 1 V one in the
18:28
post or it gives you openings it opens
18:30
up the lane um you're playing against
18:32
Closeouts now instead of against set
18:34
defenses um you know there's a lot of
18:37
things that lets you do and have I had
18:39
more Shooters and when I was in the IV
18:41
League that's what people can do right I
18:42
don't know if I had so many two-way
18:43
players that could shoot and defend at
18:45
the level we have um the level we have
18:48
now um but the basketball game still
18:51
comes down to toughness you know you
18:52
still got to be able to defend with
18:54
toughness you got to make big decisions
18:55
in lifetime with toughness um and so you
18:58
know they know they can shoot I know
19:00
they can shoot and it's fun to talk
19:01
about but they also um I like where they
19:03
are where they're at with their
19:04
toughness which also matters I've got
19:06
time because we don't have the kids
19:07
until they come back from film coach can
19:09
you talk about unless I don't your
19:11
decision okay your decision to bring her
19:13
in early Laney Grant decision to bring
19:16
her in early and what she's added to
19:17
this roster yeah for Laney what was
19:19
funny was I went right after the ACC
19:22
Tournament game she played in the state
19:24
championship the next day so I drove up
19:25
there to see that and I literally
19:29
texted her mom and said your kid could
19:30
help us right now that's all I said and
19:33
then within 48 Hours the decision had
19:34
been made that she was coming right um
19:36
and so you know an example is sort of
19:38
like what we were talking about before
19:40
for her it made sense right she was felt
19:42
like in um she felt like she was ready
19:44
for the next challenge and if that meant
19:46
that she wasn't quite as ready to help
19:47
us in year one as maybe she would have
19:49
been had she had one more year of high
19:51
school she felt like that one more year
19:52
of high school wouldn't have gotten her
19:53
more ready um and the kid I'm telling
19:56
you the kid all she cares about is
19:57
competing and so she knew this would be
19:58
place where she could really compete um
20:01
and you know we were talking about
20:02
making sure all of our kids are voting
20:04
um she's not even old enough to vote um
20:06
so she can't vote until April of of this
20:08
coming year so she is very young um and
20:10
you you won't be able to tell she's
20:12
tough as tough as they come and
20:13
Incredibly confident and for young guys
20:15
to contribute they have to have a
20:16
maturity that doesn't get spoken about
20:18
enough and maturity what I mean by that
20:20
is is that one bad play one bad
20:22
possession one bad day does that force
20:26
you to come in and say H or does it
20:28
force you to say what's next she's able
20:30
to just go to what's next so easily um
20:33
and and seamlessly she's just an old
20:35
soul I mean I think I can't believe I
20:37
mean she should have come two years ago
20:38
with how she's just she's more mature
20:40
than I am actually she probably good
20:43
great thank you everyone yeah thanks
20:44
guys course