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#UNC coach Courtney Banghart answers questions at ACC Tipoff from the breakout room
Oct 6, 2025
#UNC coach Courtney Banghart answers questions at ACC Tipoff from the breakout room
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0:00
Isa, how has she adjusted to everything?
0:04
Yeah.
0:04
Has she heard from the NCAA
0:08
and uh what year will she be when she
0:11
this year athletically?
0:13
Yeah. Our Lisa, our freshman from
0:15
Russia. Quite a journey getting a
0:17
Russian into our country. Um but it
0:19
happened and so she's a true freshman.
0:22
Um and has adjusted really well. I mean,
0:24
it's a kid who's never been to the
0:25
United States. She came with one bag.
0:27
Her her parents have never been here. um
0:30
and she showed up two days after classes
0:32
started, got here after midnight, went
0:34
to an 8 a.m. math class and um is doing
0:36
really well on the court and in the
0:37
classroom. So, some kids are built
0:39
different. She's one of them.
0:41
You put up that obviously, you know,
0:42
video kind of the checklist of, you
0:45
know, students and everything that comes
0:47
with it.
0:47
But how did Lisa get on your radar? When
0:50
did she kind of come across, you know,
0:51
you and your staff, you know, kind of on
0:53
the table? Yeah, we you know they have
0:55
FIA has a bunch of tournaments
0:56
throughout the throughout the summer
0:57
especially U20s, U8s, U16s whether it's
1:01
in Romania or Turkey or port or Portugal
1:03
or and we've been really aggressive at
1:06
making sure that we keep eyes on the
1:08
international space um as well as the
1:10
transfer portal as well as the high
1:11
school space. Feel like with the brand
1:13
of Carolina I owe that right to to make
1:15
sure that we've really scoured all of
1:17
our bases. But yeah, the international
1:18
you start seeing them in in those kind
1:20
of major FIA championships and then the
1:23
recruiting process begins.
1:26
Sorry, how does that kind of reflect I
1:27
guess the trend in you know college
1:29
basketball? Obviously Elena you got
1:31
through the portal but Matisa and
1:33
yeah but I recruited Elena through uh
1:35
from Finland directly and what happened
1:37
was is we needed a point guard so bad
1:39
and um I couldn't really wait any longer
1:41
and Grace Townsen we took as a transfer
1:43
um and so Lena was sort of made to be a
1:45
Tar Hill and finally she took a
1:47
circuitous route but she's here um yeah
1:49
it just gives you it allows you not to
1:52
give yourself a border quite frankly you
1:54
know go get the best player who fits
1:56
your needs that fits in with what we've
1:58
got um and they've been remar remarkably
2:00
low maintenance and and really grateful
2:02
and they come with a lot more basketball
2:03
experience. You know, they're not
2:05
playing AAOU and all that. They're
2:06
playing professional basketball, right?
2:08
And that's that's really been fun to
2:10
see. Speaking of talking over there
2:12
about how awesome Carmichael is as an
2:14
environment and you know how much you
2:16
love bringing the fans out, how valuable
2:18
was having those two tournament games or
2:20
three tournament games, I guess, four, I
2:22
guess, cuz they're playing those four
2:24
tournament games and Carmichael this
2:26
spring to build that fan base. Yeah, I
2:28
think also to have what, you know, the
2:29
fact that the NCA lets you host if
2:31
you're a top 16 se is is an incredible
2:33
reward for the fan bases that have
2:35
invested in your program, right? Because
2:37
that place you couldn't get a ticket. It
2:39
was literally jam-ful for all the games
2:41
and our, you know, there's something
2:43
different about a winner go home game
2:44
and that's so rare to have at home. Um,
2:47
and our fans just showed up and I felt
2:48
like we were giving back to a group that
2:50
had really lifted us into this light.
2:52
Um, it was it to this day it's I've been
2:56
coaching a long time. I coached a 30
2:57
and0 team. I, you know, won the Nate
2:59
Smith National Coach of the Year and and
3:01
having Alyssa jump on a scoreboard after
3:03
winning, after going to the Sweet 16
3:04
after the career she had is, is got to
3:06
be the thing.
3:07
Were you worried about her knee at all
3:08
when she did that?
3:08
You don't worry about Alyssa. She's
3:10
going to play. She's going to play no
3:11
matter what. Um, when it gets to be
3:13
February,
3:14
how will you play?
3:15
You want to go ahead?
3:16
Speak of Lena from I guess you got her
3:18
from UCLA. How is How do you see her
3:20
fitting your needs and making an impact?
3:22
She is good now. Alina can hoop. um
3:25
might be the best passer I've ever I've
3:26
ever been around ever seen. I mean, she
3:28
is an incredible passer. She's got um
3:30
you know, she can score at all three
3:32
levels. She's played in pro the Euro
3:34
League Euro Cup. I mean, she's she's
3:36
played against pros, so she's very
3:37
steady. She's reliable. Um she'll
3:40
contribute to that great guard group um
3:43
and be really fun to watch.
3:45
With the influx of guards and wings, how
3:48
will you play differently possibly than
3:50
last season with all the depth? Will you
3:52
be able to run more? You think more up
3:54
tempo?
3:54
It's hard to run more with Alyssa out.
3:56
Um she's the best runner ever. Um but
3:59
yeah, we'll be different. You know, we
4:01
our post our best two players last year
4:03
consistently were our two posts and
4:05
neither one of them had three-point
4:06
range, right? So, we had to make sure
4:08
that they were always involved in the
4:09
action, otherwise their defender would
4:10
just sit. Um and so now we actually our
4:13
best players are actually at the
4:14
perimeter spot and so um and our post
4:17
can actually shoot it. Um and they they
4:19
can really stretch it. So, you know,
4:21
you'll have a little bit more space. You
4:22
know, there'll be more space for guards
4:24
to attack in transition where obviously
4:26
there was more of a rim runner in the
4:27
past. Um, so, you know, every year every
4:29
coach is doing it, right? You're playing
4:30
to the strengths of your best players,
4:32
right? It's that's much better than
4:34
fitting a system and getting kids that
4:36
fit your system if they're not if
4:37
they're not as good. I've always want
4:38
the best players and I'll figure out how
4:40
to play to their strengths. Um, so we
4:41
will we'll be different this year. Um,
4:43
and especially early because we've we're
4:45
so young in terms of game experience.
4:47
Um, but we will play ultimately
4:49
differently than we did last year.
4:50
Ask again about so what growth have you
4:52
seen from Sierra and Blanca in the off
4:55
season with their games.
4:56
Yeah. Well, Blanca's missed a lot of
4:57
time. She's coming back from um not a
5:00
not a major deal, but she's just missed
5:02
a lot of time. So, she had a really good
5:04
summer, but she hasn't practiced in a in
5:06
a little bit. Um but, you know, for her
5:08
it's finishing. she was got so much
5:10
better at just finishing because she's
5:11
fitter, stronger, you know, and um and
5:14
then uh Sierra's just way more
5:17
confident. She moves better. She's more
5:19
confident. She has the ball in her hands
5:20
more. I mean post they come to you and
5:22
they don't have the ball in their hands
5:23
except to finish and then it takes so a
5:26
little bit of time to get them going. Um
5:28
so they'll just have a lot of
5:29
opportunity. Um and they're they um they
5:32
play it differently. They stretch it uh
5:33
and they pass it and they facilitate
5:35
offense more than be the finisher.
5:37
What has Spaka been dealing with? Uh
5:40
nothing nothing that that important.
5:42
She's all right.
5:42
I'm curious from your standpoint. They
5:44
um had just asked some of the players
5:46
about it, but just the um having the
5:48
UNCC Duke game ABC that like time slot.
5:51
Yeah. Um what does that mean to you? I
5:54
guess like how important is that given
5:56
that it's my understanding from that you
5:58
guys aren't getting um sort of like the
6:01
viewership incentive in terms of like
6:05
money back to you on like say like
6:06
footballers
6:09
it's brand value I mean if you're an
6:11
athletic director at Duke or North
6:13
Carolina right you the brand value of
6:15
having your women's team play on ABC is
6:18
is really valuable um and so um it it
6:21
certainly validates the work you're
6:23
putting and both in terms of for your
6:25
sport and for your school that ABC is a
6:27
window everybody's fighting for and um
6:29
they gave it to you um and obviously the
6:31
rivalry is really special professionally
6:33
but to be able to be a part of it at
6:35
this time in women's basketball is is
6:37
really special.
6:38
Yeah. And just any reaction um to you
6:40
know obviously only playing NC State
6:42
once this year as you're kind of trying
6:45
to again like grow that fan base. Love
6:48
the rivalry there. Um just
6:50
I know that's just an every year thing
6:52
now. you know, you get state every year.
6:53
You either get unless we can figure out
6:55
a way to play in the non-conference, you
6:56
know, but you get them either your place
6:58
or theirs. Um, and that's just the
7:00
nature of expansion, right? I'd rather
7:02
play um everybody at least once than
7:04
play some teams twice and not some teams
7:06
not at all, right? So, it's just the
7:07
nature of it. Those decisions were made
7:09
outside of obviously without nothing to
7:11
do with those. So, we just we keep it
7:13
rolling.
7:13
Alyssa was such a big leader. Who's
7:15
stepping up in that?
7:17
You know, I'll be honest, it's only we
7:18
just finished our second week of
7:20
practice. Um I think leadership if done
7:23
the right way um you have to sort of
7:25
lead yourself and and we've got two
7:27
newcomers on the transfer portal and
7:28
five four freshmen and so that's six new
7:31
guys that their voice matters who moves
7:33
them who who mentors them who leads them
7:37
and so for the returners to make those
7:39
decisions without the newbies doesn't
7:40
feel right. So um we got to go through
7:42
some stuff first so they see what's who
7:44
leads through hardwell. Um, but
7:46
certainly the game experience of Rayiah
7:48
India, Nile Harris, those are it's hard
7:50
not to know how much they're going to be
7:52
important to our leadership. Um, but I
7:54
think we've got that the E and Nyla
7:56
Brooks and To like some of these younger
7:57
guys, they bring so much to your team
7:58
that they're leading too. They're just
8:00
leading themselves and they're leading
8:02
the barometer, you know, maybe not with
8:04
their game experience.
8:05
I think the top three scorers off from
8:07
last year. Does that does that worry you
8:08
at this point or do you kind of look
8:10
around the practice score and go, "Yeah,
8:11
we'll be fine." No, I think you Yeah,
8:13
you I worry more about the rebounding
8:16
quite honestly because there's not a
8:18
better rebounder in program history than
8:19
Alyssa Osby, right? And then you throw
8:21
in Maria Gakang out of it too. You know,
8:23
those are late clock. You can throw it
8:25
to him, something's going to happen,
8:26
right? But the rebounding, the the
8:28
five-year experience of her and Grace
8:30
Townsen, the four-year starting
8:32
experience of Maria and and Lexi, that's
8:34
that's game pressure, which is why we're
8:36
playing three Final Four teams from last
8:38
year in the first month of the season.
8:40
You know, it's that we have to get as
8:41
much game pressure and not worry about
8:43
when how many wins Courtney Bangart has.
8:45
It doesn't matter. What matters is is
8:47
how much can I quickly get game pressure
8:49
so that available players become
8:51
reliable players so that we can be good
8:53
in the ACC season, you know? So, less
8:55
about I worry less about scoring with
8:57
this team than I did last year's team.
8:58
Um, we're going to have to make sure
9:00
that we're as tough defensively and that
9:01
we find a way to rebound.
9:02
How about the other transfer Harris from
9:04
Louisville? See her making an
9:06
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. She's got a ton of
9:08
game experience and experience in our
9:09
league. She brings great passion and
9:11
voice to what we're doing. Um, she's
9:13
Alyssa US be like in her mobility and
9:15
versatility. Um, you know, it's hard to
9:17
be Alyssa, but she's she's got a lot of
9:20
the same attributes. Um, you know, and
9:22
and she was on she was on that first
9:24
page of that scouting board every year
9:25
and I'm so happy that she's not going to
9:26
be on the Louisville scouting report
9:28
that she'll be on ours.
9:30
Speaking of the portal, you guys only
9:32
had one outgoing transfer this
9:33
offseason. How proud are you of that
9:35
retention rate to be able to keep the
9:36
new piece of this roster?
9:38
Yeah, I think sometimes the transfer
9:39
portal allows you to get excited about
9:41
your team for like the three months that
9:42
the transfer portal is alive. Um, and I
9:45
think you got to remember our job is
9:46
still titled head coach, right? My job
9:48
is to coach, mentor, teach. Um, and so
9:50
when a kid looks at me in the eye and
9:51
says, "I want to come. I want to play
9:52
for you and I want to wear Carolina." My
9:54
job is to make sure they're developed,
9:56
right? And so we trust our recruiting
9:58
whether it's through the portal or
9:59
through high school and we get them
10:00
better. um and and their progression I
10:03
think is really fun for our fans to see
10:04
and I think you'll see some of the
10:05
progression of our talent um from a year
10:07
ago this year.
10:08
I know you don't put a lot of stock in
10:10
the importance of who starts, but maybe
10:13
two or three most people think we'll
10:16
start. Uh how do you think that's going
10:18
to play out and how big will your
10:21
rotation be say in a game against uh
10:24
UCLA or somebody like that?
10:26
I don't know. You know, I think the
10:27
freshman have shown incredible talent. I
10:30
mean, Nyla Brooks and Tia Henderson,
10:32
Lisa, Latisa, I mean, these are really
10:33
good players that, um, I just I get to
10:36
see them in a game environment. It's
10:38
really hard to say that. Um, and then,
10:40
of course, the experience pieces, they
10:42
just there's reliability there, right?
10:43
Um, uh, and so it depends on how we want
10:45
to play, you know, do you want to be
10:47
really big? Do you want to be smaller?
10:49
Do you who we playing? I think our
10:51
lineup more than in the past will be
10:53
based on our matchups. Um, and maybe
10:55
not. This is our same five every night.
10:57
Um, but it is not just coach speak like
11:00
I've I've literally practiced for two
11:02
weeks with them. And so there's just
11:04
with so many new faces that we expect to
11:06
contribute depends a little bit on how
11:08
they remain consistent um where
11:10
availability turns into reliability and
11:12
also where um how we want to play
11:14
against that opponent like play UCLA
11:16
with size.
11:16
Did you feel like you didn't get the
11:17
same Rayiah when she came back from the
11:19
injury late in the season? It didn't
11:21
seem like she was quite the same. Um
11:24
yeah, you know, I think Raniah wasn't
11:26
necessarily shouldn't necessarily have
11:27
been playing, but you try sitting
11:28
Reneiah Kelly, like that's not going to
11:30
happen, right? And so, um she we got a
11:32
lot considering what she was going
11:34
through. Um you know, Rene is just a
11:36
dog. Like don't make me go into a big
11:38
game without Ray Kelly, right? And um
11:41
you know, the fact that she was able to
11:42
what she and Alyssa were able to do
11:44
after so much time off to beat um
11:46
Florida State in the tournament and then
11:48
what they were able to do to help us get
11:49
to a sweet 16 with you know, Mia has
11:52
been shut down since then. like we're
11:53
not messing around with her, right? And
11:55
so, you know, I think that's it shows
11:58
their spirit and a lot's in there for
11:59
her.