There is something special that sets Courtney Banghart apart.
I have watched the UNC women’s coach from afar since she took the job in 2019. On the sideline during games, she had a cool, calming demeanor that seemed genuine. The more I watched her, the more I was convinced that is exactly who she is.
The highlight of her coaching career had to be Monday night after most Carolina fans had gone to bed. Banghart’s No. 5 seed Tar Heels were playing a second-round NCAA game in Tucson against favored Arizona, which missed the last shot to win the 2021 national championship.
From the opening tip, Banghart had control of her team and her players’ emotions. They were prepared to play against the athletic Wildcats and beat them badly in their own gym. Carolina ran crisp sets, scored off the dribble and used an active defense that produced 15 points off turnovers.
UNC has the best women’s team it has had since those back-to-back Final Four entries under Sylvia Hatchell 15 years ago. The current Tar Heels are determined, unselfish and work hard. They play together and, Monday night, they had fun quieting the Arizona crowd.
The small band of Carolina blue supporters were making as much noise as the 8,000 red-clad Arizona fans, who expected their team to move on to the Sweet 16 again, but saw it outplayed badly from the jump. The Tar Heels had a plan and a cool, collected coach.
Banghart is still building depth to her program, but she certainly has some players. Wearing those striking light blue uniforms that their men counterparts wore in taking down Baylor over the weekend, Carolina was led by sophomores Deja Kelly and Kennedy Todd-Williams, who combined for 34 points while Alyssa Ustby channeled Armando Bacot with her 13th double-double of the season.
Refusing to be unnerved by a poor-shooting first half, Banghart’s team came out blistering in the third quarter to make 54 percent of their tries and extend an 11-point halftime lead to 20. And it was game over.
With her three young kids watching from behind the bench, the former Princeton coach and Dartmouth three-point shooting star kept that composed, Ivy League look for the biggest win of her career.
Clearly, there are more to come in the years ahead.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines