Tag: Courtney Banghart

Where does UNC WBB land in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25?

Can the UNC women’s basketball team play up to its Way-Too-Early preseason ranking?

The UNC women’s basketball team is going to look a little different this coming season, but it’ll still be full of talent.

North Carolina said goodbye to star guard and scoring leader Deja Kelly, plus reserves Anya Poole, Alexandra Zelaya, Teonni Key and Paulina Paris, in the transfer portal. The Tar Heels will return three starters, plus they bring in several stars from the recruiting trail .

In what’s typically a deep ACC, UNC is expected to thrive in its sixth year under head coach Courtney Banghart.

North Carolina is also predicted to thrive amongst all of college basketball. Just a month ahead of their first regular season game, on Monday, Nov. 4 at 11 a.m. against Charleston Southern in Carmichael Arena, the Tar Heels were ranked 13th in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25.

“Depth, with an interesting mix of experience and youth, should be the hallmark for the Tar Heels,” Charlie Creme wrote. “Lexi Donarski and Alyssa Ustby return for their fifth seasons, joined by 6-3 senior Maria Gakdeng and point guard Grace Townsend, a grad transfer from Richmond. Courtney Banghart added another point guard in freshman Lanie Grant, the Virginia player of the year, and 6-5 five-star recruit Blanca Thomas. The 6-4 Ciera Toomey is ready to go after redshirting last season.”

Ustby, Donarski and Gakdend are returning starters from 2023. Ustby was practically a walking double-double in 2023, averaging 12.5 points and 95 rebounds per game. Donarski is a sharpshooter, making a UNC-high 74 3-pointers last year, while Gakdeng’s 51 blocks at center led UNC.

Townsend is a do-it-all point guard, as she averaged 4.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists and a career-high 13.4 points per game for Richmond during the 2023-2024 campaign.

Grant and Thomas are two of the best recruits in recent North Carolina memory. Toomey is a former Miss Pennsylvania basketball winner.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Coaches and players echo “connection” for UNC at ACC Tip-Off

“Connected” like never before is the sentiment from coaches and players alike for the upcoming women’s basketball season.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, the second day of women’s basketball was featured as a part of the ACC Tip-Off media event. Yesterday, a plethora of women’s college basketball teams were interviewed that finished today with a few teams including UNC women’s basketball.

Represented at the media event for the Tar Heels were head coach Courtney Banghart and veterans Lexi Donarski, Alyssa Ustby, and Maria Gakdeng.

Head coach Courtney Banghart was asked first media day what excites her most about the upcoming season.

I think that this is a really connected group. It’s a popular time to talk about those types of words, but it’s not a word I would have always used and this group is really connected with one another. We have a healthy blend of experience with a lot of youthful talent. Most importantly, our experience tangibly sheds that to their peer groups in a really connected way, and we’re healthy!

Coming into a season where the team lost its best scorer Deja Kelly to the transfer portal, hearing that the girls have come together and are seeking to play as one unit could be huge for the upcoming season.

In the same press conference, Alyssa Ustby, a fifth-year senior this year, echoed Banghart’s sentiment about the team saying “I attribute a lot of my successes to my teammates … just being a part of an incredible program that has coaches who are invested in my development.”

There will be ebbs and flows to the upcoming season for the preseason ranked No. 13 Tar Heels, but there is nothing better than seeing full-court basketball played when no one cares who gets the credit.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Could a Top-20 recruit be headed to the UNC women’s basketball team?

Can the UNC women’s basketball program compile a convincing case to lure this top recruit in the Class of 2025?

Thanks to their rediscovered success in recent years, including four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, the North Carolina Tar Heels have become a premier destination for women’s basketball talent.

UNC can thank head coach Courtney Banghart, plus the star-powered duo of Alyssa Ustby and Deja Kelly, for that recent success.

North Carolina’s deepest run since Banghart took over came during the 2021-2022 campaign, making the Sweet 16 before falling to eventual champion South Carolina. The Tar Heels won an NCAA Tournament game in each of the past three years, with the most recent coming against Michigan State this March.

Ustby nearly averaged a double-double last season, with 12.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, not far above her career averages of 12 and 8.2. Kelly, now with Oregon, averaged at least 16.3 points per game in each of her past three years.

What UNC loses in Kelly, it gains in several talented freshman recruits entering the fall, highlighted by reigning Virginia Girls Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year Lanie Grant.

North Carolina is also in the mix for a Class of 2025 standout, with Top-20 recruit Jordan Speiser, a 5-star recruit and Missouri’s reigning Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year, announcing the Tar Heels as finalists.

Iowa, Kansas State and Ohio State all made the NCAA Tournament last year, highlighted by the Hawkeyes making the Title Game, before losing to South Carolina. TCU hasn’t made the Big Dance since 2010.

If  the Tar Heels land Speiser, she’d be one of their greatest recruiting victories in program history. Speiser is fresh off a dominant junior campaign, in which she registered a career-high 22.9 points per game for Lutheran St. Charles, en route to a state championship.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Cory McNeill joins Courtney Banghart’s staff as an assistant coach

Former East Carolina women’s basketball assistant coach Cory McNeill joins Courtney Banghart’s staff.

It’s a great day to be a Tar Heel, as the University of North Carolina women’s basketball program has hired [autotag]Cory McNeill[/autotag] as an assistant coach.

The announcement came Tuesday morning, with the news popping up on the program’s social channels. McNeil joins the staff with a solid amount of experience, with his last stop being with the East Carolina Pirates, coaching to a conference championship and an NCAA tournament appearance in 2023.

UNC head coach [autotag]Courtney Banghart[/autotag] is entering her sixth season as the head coach of the program, spoke highly of McNeil in the press release listed below.

“We are thrilled to add Cory to our coaching staff and to the Carolina family,” Banghart said. “He is a proven winner, an experienced and talented coach, a dedicated skill developer, and an impactful recruiter. Cory brings upbeat and positive energy paired with a relentlessly competitive spirit. He will absolutely move our needle and we’re all excited to add this invaluable teammate to our Championship Pursuit.”

It’s fair to say the program will look different next year with UNC’s star Deja Kelly departing for a fresh start with Oregon. So, it makes perfect sense for new staff additions with a new identity being formed within the team.

There’s no telling what next season can have in store for the Tar Heels, but adding McNeil to the staff is a great start.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Champions line Carmichael Arena for UNC’s Alumni Day victory

Sunday’s UNC women’s hoops game honored the 1994 NCAA Championship-winning team. The current Tar Heels dominated UVA in a 13-point victory.

Sunday was exactly the type of game UNC’s women’s basketball team needed.

After losing on the road to Florida State last week, Carolina came back home to Carmichael Arena for a special game – Alumni Day.

In front of an announced crowd of 4,579, the Tar Heels dominated UVA from the opening tip for an 81-68, UNC victory.

Carolina star captains Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby were the on-court highlights, combining for 44 points on 16 game field goals and eight free throws, but the main highlights were on UNC’s guests: members of the 1994 NCAA Championship Team.

There were over 90 Tar Heel women’s hoops members in attendance, including longtime Championship-winning head coach Sylvia Hatchell, Jennifer Alley and current head coach Courtney Banghart. A halftime ceremony honored all present, with the 1994 title team introduced between the third and fourth quarters.

Heading back to the game, UNC never trailed against a Cavaliers squad that lost its fifth consecutive matchup. The Tar Heels’ most dominating quarters came in the opening and closing ones, with a 19-12 advantage after the first and 28-16 after the final frame.

“Hats off to a really good Virginia team,” UNC coach Courtney Banghart told GoHeels.com. “Those guys have had a really tough conference schedule so far, they’ve already played NC State twice, they’ve played us, they’ve played Duke, and Georgia Tech. And Camryn Taylor – hats off. She’s a hard kid to guard.”

The Tar Heels look to start another winning streak this Thursday, as they travel to Georgia Tech for a 6 p.m. tip-off. The Yellow Jackets (12-5, 3-2) are coming off an 84-46 loss at Duke.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

 

Deja Kelly becomes 25th Tar Heel to reach 1,500 points, helps UNC take down Oklahoma

Not only did the UNC women’s basketball team beat Oklahoma on Tuesday night, but star guard Deja Kelly reached a historic scoring mark.

For the first time in nearly a month, the UNC women’s basketball team is enjoying a winning streak.

Carolina started the year 5-0, then lost three in a row. The Tar Heels beat UNC-Greensboro to open December, lost to UConn, then obliterated Western Carolina on Friday, Dec. 15.

UNC picked up its second-consecutive win on Tuesday, Dec. 19, topping Oklahoma 61-52 in the Jumpman Invitational.

While the victory was a sweet early Christmas present, it was a basketball landmark for one Tar Heel.

Deja Kelly, one of the best guard in women’s college basketball, became the 25th player in program history to reach 1,500 points.

How Kelly reached 1,500 in Tuesday’s game, though, came via one of her season-best outputs. The senior scored a game-high 21 points on 7-of-14 field goal shooting, plus a 7-of-12 mark from the free throw line.

According to the Daily Tar Heel, Kelly also played the game with an illness. Sounds familiar…remember Michael Jordan’s flu game?

Kelly received a lot of praise from her teammates and head coach Courtney Banghart, who noted she wanted to suit up regardless.

“Deja is a dog,” senior forward Alyssa Ustby told the Daily Tar Heel. “That girl will do anything for her teammates, and she knows how much she brings to our team and so being sick, and she was pretty sick, and so for her to come out here and to play so selflessly and to even get to the basket and just hold her own was remarkable.”

We have yet to see anything on MJ himself complementing Kelly, but we’ll be on a close lookout for it.

What will Kelly and her teammates do for an encore on New Year’s Eve against Clemson?

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions. 

Tar Heels escape Davidson trap in 74-70 win

The North Carolina women’s basketball program moved to 2-0 on the season, after escaping Davidson’s trap with a 74-70 win.

The North Carolina women’s basketball program hosted Davidson Sunday night, looking to start their season 2-0.

Davidson walked into this meeting as no slouch, already winning their first two games with a win over USC Upstate and a shocking 57-52 win over Wake Forest. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels handled business in their first game, blowing out Gardner-Webb 102-49.

This game would be more of a struggle for the Tar Heels, with Davidson keeping pace throughout. After the Tar Heels got out to a 20-13 lead, Davidson outscored UNC 13-11 in the second quarter, and kept it close in the third, but that wasn’t enough to close the gap.

However, in the fourth quarter, the wheels started to fall off for the Tar Heels, with Davidson going on a 15-4 run for the lead. Despite struggling to find a bucket, UNC was able to claw themselves back into the game, going on a 12-6 run to close out the game and clutch their second win of the season.

One of the biggest strengths UNC has this season is their depth and that would be the difference maker in this one. They had four players in double-digits, with Deja Kelly leading the way with 18 points.

The Tar Heels will now turn their sights to Hampton University for a midweek game.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Indya Nivar shines in Tar Heel debut

North Carolina women’s basketball transfer Indya Nivar shined in the Tar Heel’s game-one victory.

The North Carolina women’s basketball program kicked off its season with a lopsided 102-49 victory over Gardner-Webb.

One of the stars in the win is sophomore transfer [autotag]Indya Nivar[/autotag], who led the team in scoring with 17 points and notched in 11 rebounds. Nivar scored more points and rebounds in her debut with UNC than she had in any game last season with Stanford.

After the game, Nivar met with the media alongside head coach Courtney Banghart and teammate Alyssa Ustby, who was asked about her blockbuster performance in her debut.

“I just feel really happy that I’m here,” Nivar said. “The people around me have been supporting me through my process of adjusting to a new school and a new environment. I think they’ve been really helpful in my process, and making sure I’m developed in the way that I need to and that I’m comfortable in the way I need to perform for this team.

It was a great start to the regular season for the ball club, as they turned their sights to Davidson.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Courtney Banghart starts her journey as president of WBCA

North Carolina women’s basketball coach Courtney Banghart starts her journey as Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) president.

North Carolina women’s basketball coach Courtney Banghart has cranked up her two-year term as Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) president.

Banghart started her tenure by presiding over her first in-person board meeting. Banghart continues to put her Tar Heel stamp on women’s basketball, working her way up the leadership ladder after spending two years as the Vice President of the WBCA.

In a press release done by Go Heels, Banghart explains what the honor means to her to represent women collegiate basketball coaches.

“The sport of women’s basketball is at such an exciting time,” Banghart said. “Serving our organization in this capacity is both an honor and a responsibility, and it will get my best. I look forward to working with our coaches to ensure this inflection point for our sport is fully realized.”

Women’s basketball continues to grow, with more eyes on the product than ever before. Last season, the LSU vs. Iowa NCAA championship game set a new viewership record (9.9 million), a 103% increase in viewership from a year prior to the South Carolina vs. UConn game (4.85 million).

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions. 

UNC women’s basketball offers scholarships to three top recruits

Courtney Banghart offers scholarships to three top 2026 recruits as she continues to build for the future.

The North Carolina women’s basketball program is heavy at work building for the future as they have offered three top ten recruits from the 2026 class.

Courtney Banghart and staff offered 15-year-olds McKenna Woliczko, Trinity Jones, and Jacy Abii. The highest recruit out of the three is Woliczko, who ranks 4th on the ESPN 2026 class list, followed by Jones, 6th, and Abii, 9th.

Woliczko, a part of the 2023 FIBA U16 women’s basketball team, is an ideal fit for UNC. The 6’2 forward has averaged 11.8 points and 9.7 rebounds in six games. Her best game came in the semifinals against Argentina, where she finished with her tournament high 24 points and tacked on 13 rebounds.

Jones has also made her mark on the 2023 FIBA U16 women’s basketball team, averaging 9.5 points and 6.7 rebounds. Her best performance came in the group round against Puerto Rico, where the 6’1 guard finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, going 8 for 9 in field goals.

Lastly, Abii has displayed good court vision and the ability to score during her time on the 2023 FIBA U16 women’s basketball team. The 6’1 guard averaged 8.3 points, 5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in the tournament. Abii’s best game in the group round against Colombia was 13 points and 7 rebounds.

All three would be a massive get for UNC’s women’s basketball program, continuing to build the culture through the strong recruiting from Banghart.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.