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#UNC coach Courtney Banghart and guard Laila Hull after blowout victory over Pittsburgh
Feb 22, 2026
#UNC coach Courtney Banghart and guard Laila Hull after blowout victory over Pittsburgh
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0:00
Well, it was the youth movement um
0:01
today. Um and you know, you can see how
0:04
much this group readies for their
0:06
opportunities. Um you when you have so
0:09
many older guys that you're sitting out
0:11
for kind of the long stretch that we
0:12
have ahead to have so many young guys
0:14
come in and and do what we've asked them
0:15
to do, play with the great energy and um
0:17
obviously outside of that first quarter,
0:19
I thought we kind of had our had what we
0:21
needed from the pace. So career high
0:22
from Ila. I mean no one's surprised. But
0:25
you know that it's just also good that
0:27
when we needed her, she and a lot of the
0:28
other young guys were what we needed
0:30
obviously with Brooks and Elena and
0:32
Laney. These guys are all young too, but
0:34
um the youth movement prevailed.
0:36
Well, I don't know if you're aware that
0:38
Tom worm at the play guy when you were
0:39
hitting so many three-pointers, he
0:41
called you a blowtorrch.
0:44
U
0:45
would you kind of feel like you get in a
0:48
zone sometimes?
0:50
Yeah, I feel like I do. I think just the
0:52
work that I put in to make my shot kind
0:55
of automatic, I guess. Um, kind of helps
0:57
[cough] me in that way. Once I see a few
0:59
go in, I have confidence in all the rest
1:00
of them.
1:01
You ever what you would actually be
1:02
called a Blood torch?
1:04
I've never been called that before, so
1:06
that's really interesting. Um, it's a
1:08
compliment. I mean, it's a testament to
1:10
the work that I put in to make sure that
1:11
I am not blood torch. So,
1:15
did did you all have in mind that the
1:18
school record was within reach tied it?
1:21
Yeah. I mean, it's it's just not the
1:24
human that I am to call timeout, advance
1:27
it, and go for it. I mean, that's just
1:28
not these guys didn't choose to play for
1:30
someone like that. So, um had they
1:32
gotten it, that would have been that
1:33
would have been that what this that
1:34
would have been what this game called
1:35
for. Um but, you know, we're playing for
1:37
the W's and we got him.
1:39
So, obviously, uh Harris didn't play the
1:41
second half. No, I played her five. I
1:43
was told her I'd play her five, so I
1:44
went 56 minutes over. 56 seconds over.
1:46
[snorts]
1:47
Um and and uh maybe you didn't play the
1:50
situation.
1:50
I told her I'd play her zero.
1:52
Yeah, we did. We have a long stretch. We
1:53
got a big week next week. We go right
1:55
into the ACC tourney. We go right into
1:56
the NCA tourney. So, you know, these
1:58
guys these guys need the game minutes.
1:59
They need the game pressure minutes. Um
2:01
and you know, we know what we're going
2:03
to get from Nyla and from and from
2:05
India. So, um you know, and I give a lot
2:08
them a lot of credit because they could
2:09
say, "Oh, well, you know, I only got a
2:11
couple games left." They're they're big
2:12
picture guys. So they they're they know
2:14
that the more that we can get um for
2:17
example, the more that Leila can get
2:18
these game pressure minutes and pace,
2:20
it's just going to help us for our run.
2:21
They're fine.
2:22
So India wasn't on the injury report.
2:24
It's just surely rest.
2:25
Just surely rest. Yeah. I know it sounds
2:27
really really NBA like, but you know
2:29
there's just no I mean you saw our warm
2:31
up. I mean it's just there's just again
2:33
we need this and um we got two big games
2:35
next week and then you literally go
2:36
right into a a three-game tournament. So
2:38
you know you just got to be smart. Mhm.
2:41
I have to ask what happened between the
2:43
first and second quarter.
2:44
Yeah, I bet.
2:44
And you guys tied your season high in
2:47
quarter points, 30. Um, so what what
2:50
happened?
2:50
I think it's more what happened in the
2:51
first quarter. Our pace was so bad. We
2:53
were 0 for 10 from three. Same guys shot
2:54
the shots in the second in the second
2:56
quarter, third, and etc. Um, but our
2:58
pace was so bad in the first in the
2:59
first quarter. We came out a little bit
3:01
slow. Um, you know, and we with that
3:07
the offense flows and not right. So, we
3:09
just were we were just kind of step a
3:11
step slow, not characteristic of
3:12
ourselves. I think it's more what the
3:14
first quarter was than what the rest of
3:15
it was.
3:16
And how did you guys get back on track?
3:18
Was it a talk in the locker room?
3:20
No, because it was by the second
3:21
quarter. I mean, we there's no locker
3:22
room talk between first and second. I
3:23
think the, you know, we went to the
3:25
younger guys and we knew we were going
3:26
to lean on them and and they um are the
3:28
teammates that they are. They know that,
3:30
you know, Ila and these guys know that
3:32
like, okay, we've got to do be what the
3:33
team needs and we needed a whole lot of
3:35
from them tonight. So, really, it was
3:36
you have to ask her. I I don't I was
3:37
saying the same things the whole time.
3:39
Yeah. I feel like with our group, the
3:41
younger group, we kind of know that when
3:43
we go in, all we need to do is play hard
3:45
and that's going to help the team a lot.
3:47
So, I feel like having that mindset and
3:50
like that shift is very, very important.
3:52
I think especially with us, all we care
3:53
about is helping the team win. And if we
3:56
notice that what whatever we're lacking
3:58
in the first quarter, we're going to do
3:59
that in the second quarter when we get
4:00
our opportunity. So,
4:02
for both of you, just the way they were
4:03
defending you, did you think the
4:05
three-point opportunities were going to
4:06
be there?
4:08
Um I think yeah. Yeah, I thought so. I
4:12
just um kept myself ready and you know
4:14
obviously we scout them and their
4:16
defense and everything. So um we know
4:19
that when an opportunity comes, we just
4:20
have to knock it down and be confident.
4:22
Yeah, that that second group, man,
4:24
that's what we count on them to do is
4:25
just space the floor, attack it in
4:26
transition, attack it in the quarter
4:28
court, shoot when you're open. There
4:29
are, you know, high percentage
4:30
three-point shooters and um you know,
4:32
you got to pick your poison, right? And
4:33
they really were collapsing on interior
4:35
[snorts] penetration. and they were
4:36
collapsing on interior entry. Um and so
4:38
they were giving up the arc, right?
4:40
Other games, you know, Duke really
4:41
guarded the ark, you know, so you just
4:43
got to play a lot of different ways in
4:44
the ACC. I feel really fortunate as a
4:46
coach that in late February, you can sit
4:48
um all of your upper classmen and and
4:50
you're not worried. I wasn't worried at
4:52
all. I mean, I didn't have to have a
4:53
conversation with Laya. I didn't have to
4:54
do anything. It's like I just this is
4:56
what I expect. Um so I do feel really
4:58
fortunate. Um but it just I think some
5:00
teams there's like this this massive
5:02
jump between and I've had teams like
5:03
that. There's a massive jump between the
5:04
first group and the second group.
5:05
There's just not, right? There's just
5:07
not. And um and they showed it today.
5:09
Does it need that OAVA got the time for
5:12
you there?
5:12
Yeah. Works at it. I mean, she was in
5:15
the gym an hour before everybody else
5:16
again this morning. I mean, um they all
5:18
do. I mean, I don't think Leila's had a
5:20
day off yet. I mean, they just on days
5:21
off, they lift, they they shoot, they I
5:24
mean, this is a really this is a
5:25
basketball team that happens to be good
5:27
students, you know? This is these guys
5:29
are into it. Um and so I'm just not
5:31
surprised. This is I don't I mean we can
5:33
tell but I I you have no idea how many
5:35
times those nets have to be replaced.
5:37
They're in there all the time.
5:38
Coach, with the pink out and the Coach
5:40
Joe shirts and
5:41
today carried like a lot more meaning
5:43
than basketball.
5:45
What does that mean to you and uh the
5:46
players?
5:47
Yeah, I mean it's it's a lot. You know,
5:50
Dana was one of the best to ever do it,
5:52
you know, and the loss of Dana is um it
5:55
just doesn't sit well. You know, women's
5:58
cancer is real. Um, and everybody in
6:00
this arena um, was touched by Dana, you
6:03
know, and so the fact that we had to
6:05
lose one and then of course what Joe's
6:07
been with grit and grace has had her
6:09
fight, you know, it's it's real. This is
6:12
real, you know, these guys are living
6:13
their life. We're all living our life
6:14
and we follow our passion. But, uh,
6:16
yeah, and then my own children, they had
6:18
games today and they wanted to be at
6:19
National Women's Sports Day and they're
6:20
boys, you know. Um, but they they just
6:23
see these kids as their heroes and they,
6:25
you know, that's just a these guys are
6:27
got a lot to play for today.
6:29
Obviously a bigger challenge. I I don't
6:31
know if you were aware, but Virginia
6:33
just won at Louisville 74 to 72.
6:36
So,
6:37
yeah,
6:37
obviously th you already knew Thursday
6:39
was going to be tough, but this
6:40
Oh, yeah. I mean, we knew last Thursday
6:42
was going to be tough. You know, this is
6:44
a tough league. I think, you know,
6:45
there's a lot of good teams and um, you
6:48
know, we're just That's partly why I
6:49
didn't like how we started the first
6:50
quarter. I mean, we just kind of were a
6:51
little bit slow and we know this is this
6:53
team's got a lot of growth to make on
6:54
the other side. So, we think we
6:56
approached it with that. But, um,
6:57
whether whether Louisville wins that
7:00
game, whether Virginia wins that game, I
7:03
mean, it's they're both good teams,
7:04
right? I thought we had Louisville and
7:06
we didn't, right? Um, we have to go to
7:08
Virginia. Virginia beat us last year
7:09
here. You know, it there's a lot of good
7:11
teams. So, that I haven't even followed
7:13
that score because it doesn't matter.
7:15
What matters is is we have to go to
7:16
Virginia and play a really good Virginia
7:17
team on the road and and honor that with
7:19
the best we have and then we've got um
7:21
uh Duke at home. Like it's another big
7:23
week and that's why you join the ACC.
7:26
How are you guys kind of carrying that
7:27
energy on the younger side and this is
7:29
for both of you um with that younger
7:31
kind of team who hasn't gone on the
7:33
tournament run yet or have some of these
7:35
long stretches? I
7:36
think you coach them the way that you
7:38
you coach everybody, right? Like the
7:40
world's not going to wait for Leila to
7:41
get experience, right? we just need her
7:43
to be ready when she's called upon. And
7:44
so, um, I think she's a great example of
7:47
that. She's a sophomore in terms of her
7:48
playing career. Um, and so, you know, I
7:50
don't think we would have won the, um,
7:52
Cancun Challenge without her, right? I
7:54
mean, it's like she's just got to
7:55
continue to to stack days and and this
7:58
she and her her younger teammates or her
8:00
young teammates are a month better. I
8:02
said that to the TV before the game. You
8:03
know, I didn't tell them that we were
8:04
going to sit the two that we sat, but I
8:06
did tell them that there's a lot of
8:07
young people that, you know, we're going
8:08
to lean on. Um, and we expect them to
8:11
show the growth they've made and why
8:13
this team is good now versus in December
8:14
is we're two months older, right? And
8:16
so, um, yeah, I don't I don't play
8:19
around with wins and losses. I compete
8:21
and I knew that, um, these guys I need
8:24
them to be ready for next week and in
8:26
the ACC tournament and I know she feels
8:27
more ready now.
8:30
About your journey going through the red
8:32
shirt year and then
8:33
and then trying to earn more playing
8:36
time. What has that been like for you?
8:38
Um, you know, it's it's been a battle as
8:40
everything is. Um, you know, you come in
8:43
uh freshman year expecting to play or
8:45
[snorts] like contribute at all.
8:47
Obviously, I get hurt, so I don't I
8:49
don't get that opportunity whatsoever.
8:51
Um, and then I just keep learning and
8:53
growing from there. My actual freshman
8:55
playing season, I was under a lot of
8:58
veteran players who were very good and
9:01
also I got to learn from. So, it was
9:03
less like, oh, I need to play, but more
9:05
like I need to learn and experience and
9:07
see what I can do. And then I think this
9:09
year was just keeping at that and just
9:11
working hard and doing what I can to
9:13
contribute to wins to this team um in
9:16
any way that is possible and keeping my
9:18
head in it. I feel like for a lot of
9:20
people you can get discouraged by this
9:22
process and by maybe not playing or
9:25
whatever whatever but I think for me it
9:27
was more of my mental side and staying
9:29
in it. I don't I don't think without my
9:31
mental strength that I've grown the past
9:32
year that I would have been able to play
9:34
like this today. So,
9:35
it's a really good point.
9:37
Did you ever make more than five threes
9:38
in high school?
9:40
Um,
9:42
maybe. I don't think so, though. I think
9:45
four was the most in high school.
9:46
So, the best you've ever done?
9:47
I I'm Yeah, I think so.
9:49
I don't know if you add up all your
9:50
practice days. Yeah.
9:51
How many do you have in Cancun? Not the
9:52
same.
9:52
I have four.
9:53
Felt like you shot the lights out of
9:55
that one, too.
9:55
Yeah. Yeah.
9:57
Ila, I'm curious. Uh you mentioned that
10:00
you you know got into your own zone
10:02
after making that one three and you kind
10:04
of believe you can do it more but you
10:06
know after you made yours um Laney also
10:08
shot her first free throw of the night.
10:10
I I wonder how much um you guys look at
10:14
each other for momentum and how much
10:17
like someone else making a three kind of
10:20
you know makes you believe in yourself
10:21
anymore.
10:22
Yeah, I think it's very much a thing
10:24
especially with our team. are so
10:26
connected and we care about each other
10:28
and our successes so much that like one
10:31
person doing well gives another person
10:32
confidence to also do well and to play
10:34
well. So I think um maybe me hitting
10:38
shots made Laney think that she was
10:39
going to hit shots. Me seeing Laney
10:40
hitting shots, me seeing Brooks hitting
10:42
shots was like, "Oh, like we can really
10:45
do this." And stuff like that. So I
10:46
think
10:47
yeah, I think we love each other so much
10:50
and we're so connected as a team that we
10:52
see each other's makes as our own makes.
10:54
So that is kind of how like that keeps
10:56
carrying on and then we each get more
10:58
confidence and that might not even be
10:59
like three. It's just driving like you
11:01
see Lisa coming in the game like she's
11:03
doing what she needs to do and Tia all
11:05
of them. So yeah.
11:07
What' you see from Nyla the other day
11:09
cuz like today was her first start just
11:12
like what did you see from her today?
11:15
Me um I mean she's just a dog really. Uh
11:19
she earns everything she gets. She's
11:21
also such a hard worker and she's one of
11:24
those people that if she's having a bad
11:26
day, if she's doesn't think she's
11:28
playing well, you just never know. Like
11:29
she keeps a smile on her face. She
11:31
encourages everybody. She is a light in
11:34
everybody's
11:35
game and also everybody's lives. [cough]
11:37
And I think no, she earned she earned
11:39
the start. She could have started
11:41
anybody for India, but she started Nyla
11:43
Brooks and she earned that. And so I
11:45
think she also took that on very well
11:46
with how she played.
11:48
Well said.
11:50
Yeah. Coach, what are some of the things
11:51
you do on the sideline mentally to kind
11:53
of see the game as a whole
11:55
and that way you can make adjustments
11:56
rather than kind of turn into a fan just
11:58
kind of watching?
11:59
Yeah, you know, it's you spend so much
12:02
time with them. I watch a lot of film.
12:03
Um I can't really I'll look forward to
12:05
the day I retire and I can watch
12:06
basketball and not have a notepad, you
12:09
know. I really I I really am still
12:11
thinking the game all the time. You
12:12
know, we ran some actions for Lelay. I
12:14
think she could have had I actually
12:15
think she could have had two more, you
12:16
know. Um, and so I'm I'm constantly
12:20
thinking through exactly that. How are
12:21
they guarding certain things, you know,
12:23
on both ends of the ball? Um, it's
12:24
partly why I stand the whole time is
12:26
because the coach's seats are so close
12:27
together, right? And so if I have to sit
12:29
and I have to hear a lot, right? I'm
12:30
trying to focus on what I'm doing. Um,
12:32
and so yeah, I'm pretty cerebral about
12:34
it, but it's it's like same thing in
12:36
practice. I'm I'm much more animated in
12:38
practice, perhaps a little bit more
12:39
vocal. Um, but in in the games, I've
12:42
done enough. I like these guys. I
12:44
prepare enough so that when my name is
12:45
called, which is on game days, I'm
12:47
ready. Right. And I think that that's
12:48
kind of what permeates our roster.
12:54
Anybody else?
12:59
Got your story.
13:02
Cool. All right, guys. Yep.
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