Up next in 10
#UNC wing Alyssa Ustby, Coach Courtney Banghart and guard Indya Nivar after Heels move to 10-1.
Dec 12, 2024
#UNC wing Alyssa Ustby, Coach Courtney Banghart and guard Indya Nivar after Heels move to 10-1.
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0:00
open up for questions yeah so far that's
0:03
10 you know this is far along into the
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season we're certainly uh glad to be
0:07
sitting where we are um you know it's a
0:09
I thought we were okay tonight quite
0:11
honestly um part of that's on them they
0:13
play really hard and um they're physical
0:16
and we didn't really respond to that
0:17
well from the beginning but regrouped um
0:20
good to see us play in some full court
0:21
pressure we needed to see that um we
0:24
need our guys to kind of finish getting
0:25
through exams so that we can move on but
0:28
we were it's a good say that you're we
0:30
were okay tonight and we it was so
0:32
convincing so we'll take it another
0:34
solid defensive game um you played as
0:37
much Z as I've seen and as much a full
0:39
court press was that particularly
0:42
because of this scout or their personnel
0:44
yeah I I doubt we defend I needed to
0:46
find a way to kind of get them a little
0:47
bit more energy I mean this group gives
0:48
you everything they have and and meaning
0:51
my team and they were they just were a
0:53
bit slow tonight I thought they were a
0:54
little lethargic not intentionally it
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was just like their move their body was
0:57
moving slower than their brains and and
1:00
so it was a way to get them moving
1:01
differently actually quite honestly um
1:03
but it was also good to get reps at it
1:05
we know to win in the ACC we're going to
1:06
have to play a variety of ways and so we
1:08
wanted some live reps at at doing things
1:10
that we're going to need throughout the
1:11
ACC season I think you said against yod
1:14
that maybe some of your players didn't
1:16
have reps enough to play zone exactly
1:18
but it's a different yeah we finally
1:20
have more time yeah we feel more
1:22
comfortable with people that can play it
1:23
I mean it takes a lot of energy to play
1:25
in the in the full court for that long
1:26
um so you know Indie and Alyssa who are
1:29
excellent at it you know they it just
1:31
wears them out after about four minutes
1:32
so it's good that we have more guys to
1:34
go to Alissa you had four steals tonight
1:36
part of that in that zone where you're
1:38
kind of like playing that defensive back
1:39
position you come up and steal that I
1:41
mean there's so much talk about you
1:43
offensively this off season but how much
1:44
do people kind of forget that you're
1:45
like this good Defender that can get so
1:47
many steals like this yeah well in order
1:49
for me to get the steals like our
1:51
defense our like full court defense is
1:53
positioned where we have like one up top
1:56
and then we have uh two guards right
1:58
behind them and their activity and ball
2:00
pressure made those guards throw loopy
2:02
passes and so that's where I'm able to
2:05
like kind of time cuz I know where my
2:06
spots are they're either throwing in
2:08
place a or place B and then like once
2:10
the ball's thrown in the air and again
2:12
big credit to our front line of my
2:13
teammates because they made those steals
2:16
possible for me cuz if it's a direct
2:17
line pass there's no way I'm getting to
2:19
those but to coach's point I think the
2:22
zone defense really helped spark some
2:23
intensity and it really made it tough
2:25
for Greensboro to move the ball around
2:27
and get some good looks how much does it
2:29
help that you have a 10-man rotation to
2:31
run a a press like that all all game and
2:33
wear them
2:35
down what about you Andy oh yeah it
2:37
gives especially me a break after like
2:40
expending so much energy especially when
2:42
we press full core and play that zone
2:45
but it also just adds depth everybody
2:47
doesn't need to go oh too many minutes
2:49
that wears down on our bodies throughout
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the season so that's going to keep us
2:53
healthy keep us full force against
2:55
everybody it's hard to beat and you talk
2:58
about how you guys got into the passing
3:00
that really frustrated him oh yeah
3:04
that's something we worked on since the
3:06
summer um just our defensive principles
3:08
um we work with Walt making sure we're
3:10
in those gaps stunting at the drives um
3:13
and I think our positioning is what gets
3:15
us those Steals and for you the shooting
3:18
it's kind of been a struggle recent
3:20
games it nice to jump out of that today
3:22
had some threes and got a go oh yeah I I
3:24
was working on it so it's just it just
3:26
finally showed um coach bangart just
3:29
been feeding me with confidence um
3:31
making sure that I believe in the work
3:33
that I put in and today it was a good
3:35
night so it was a 1584 and four steals
3:39
do you feel like this was your best
3:40
allaround game in the season so far it
3:42
definitely doesn't feel like it um and I
3:45
don't know like which parts of the game
3:46
kind of cloud that for me but I'm just
3:49
happy that we got the win and like this
3:51
game was a a stepping stone to help
3:53
prepare us for like what's coming next
3:55
in terms of Greensboro was really good
3:57
at downhill attacks we had to play
3:59
really solid One V one defense but make
4:01
sure we're kind of in our Gap so yeah U
4:04
I would say it was it was a decent
4:06
overall game but again I'm just more
4:08
focused on like did our group get better
4:10
today in this game and just kind of
4:11
focused on the next one ahead because we
4:13
know always the next game is the most
4:14
important one uh UNCG was ninth in the
4:18
country only allowing like 50.7 points a
4:20
game how is scoring 80 points against
4:21
this team after getting out to a little
4:23
bit of a slow start kind of provide a
4:24
testament you guys' offensive
4:25
improvement over the
4:27
season I think it speaks to our ability
4:29
to adjust in game and so again like
4:33
credit to coach for getting us into um
4:35
some Zone d right away cuz that changed
4:37
the intensity to slow them down and that
4:38
turned into that created some offense
4:40
for us you know we got a lot of steals
4:41
we got out and um so yeah it just
4:44
created more offense opportunities
4:45
because we picked it up on that end but
4:47
yeah it definitely speaks to all the
4:48
work that our girls have been putting in
4:50
for so long we're hitting shots and I
4:52
don't even I don't know the stat but I
4:53
feel like we could have shot better and
4:55
we I don't know exactly but um yeah so
4:58
it was a good offensive day and we'll
4:59
just going to keep growing I don't know
5:01
if it's because of the physical game un
5:02
Le you got scraped on your left yeah
5:04
yeah one time I I guess I threw the ball
5:06
directly out of bounds with no contact
5:08
so just add it to my turnovers so I
5:11
think that is the part that's clouding
5:12
If today was considered a good
5:13
performance it's the turnovers that I'm
5:15
really focusing on minimizing so uh
5:18
courney big your best start in three
5:20
seasons yeah uh how how do you feel
5:24
about how everything's progressing but
5:26
obviously it ramps up on Sunday oh yeah
5:29
for sure you know we've had I feel like
5:30
we've had a tough schedule um also and
5:33
so we feel like we're I know more about
5:35
who we are now than I did a month ago um
5:38
it it's great because I what's great as
5:39
someone said you know asked me about you
5:41
know about the ACC and and what I look
5:43
forward to and my answer was quite
5:44
simple I look forward to coaching my
5:46
team you know I really like this group
5:48
of people um they're we well pieced
5:50
together they're totally committed to
5:52
they'll be all ears and then all action
5:55
and all focus in for our prep for
5:57
Georgia Tech and so it validates the
5:59
work because it they then can do it
6:01
right um and then on offense they they
6:03
share the ball and they make the
6:05
adjustments and um so yeah it's a it's a
6:08
good start it's a really good start
6:09
because I really like this team and it's
6:11
not me liking it liking them um because
6:14
they're good people I like them because
6:15
they're good people and because they're
6:17
really fun to coach they're they're
6:18
really trying to do what we're asking
6:19
them to do is there any Clarity on
6:21
Kayla's timeline at this point there
6:24
really isn't um you know she's running
6:26
now which is great and um there really
6:28
isn't to be honest I have to throw in a
6:31
non-basketball question for un owner I
6:34
believe there was a football coach you
6:36
hired today wonder what your reaction
6:38
was well I'm from I'm from the Northeast
6:41
right I I've lived in New Hampshire for
6:42
29 years so I'm a I'm a DI hard New
6:44
England Patriot fan um and of course now
6:46
a Die Hard Drake May fan so a lot of
6:48
connections to that uh to that
6:49
organization and obviously Bill had had
6:51
a ton of success up there and um I'm
6:53
also really close to Mac I'm really
6:55
close to any coach at Carolina because
6:56
they've chosen here um and that's kind
6:58
of there's a there's a mirrored path um
7:01
you know this is not an easy way to
7:03
choose to make a living right and so
7:05
there's a there's a kindred spirit you
7:07
have with those that choose to coach and
7:08
they choose to do it here um and so I
7:10
look forward to welcoming and being and
7:12
being however helpful I can and uh
7:14
supporting his team as I did Max and I
7:16
know that he'll support ours maybe not
7:18
as well as Max it's pretty hard to do um
7:20
but um yeah you I wish him all the luck
7:22
in the world and and we'll all like the
7:24
Carolina coaches do we'll all be here to
7:25
help however we can but as a patriot fan
7:27
Die Hard overjoy Die Hard I can't wait
7:30
to check in with my dad because he's
7:31
still he is he is going to yeah he'll be
7:34
thrilled to just know that there's more
7:35
connection here just like we root for
7:36
Drake may now even more than we did when
7:38
he was here um so yeah I've watched a
7:40
lot of Patriot Games I've spent a lot of
7:42
time you know reading about belich and
7:45
the education of a coach is one of my
7:46
favorite books which is about his
7:48
journey um but yeah it's just it's good
7:50
that we can now move forward I know
7:51
there's been a lot of drama and just
7:52
trying to get someone hired and figure
7:53
out what's best for this University and
7:55
and now we can move forward have you met
7:56
him um it's a good question and I think
8:00
I met him at a lacrosse game his
8:01
daughter's a lacrosse coach um so I
8:03
think I met him at like a Ruckers
8:04
lacrosse game many years ago when I was
8:05
at Princeton but was a long I'm getting
8:07
old a long time ago Alysa uh I know
8:10
before like two seasons ago even last
8:12
season you really struggle with staying
8:14
out foul trouble I feel like this year
8:15
especially even only one personal foul
8:17
how have you been able to take that part
8:19
out of your game and really stay on the
8:21
defensive end yeah I think that comes
8:23
with being a little more disciplined and
8:26
if something doesn't go my way try I'm
8:28
not going to try to make up for it with
8:29
more effort I'm going to be a little
8:31
smarter and so I think that's definitely
8:33
kept the fouls down however last game I
8:36
did foul out and so that is the first
8:38
foul out of the Season took some of your
8:40
fouls today yeah thank you thank you I
8:42
really appreciate it but yeah so I'm
8:44
just yeah we're we're
8:47
progressing um Blanca and Sierra both
8:49
played a lot of minutes you know kind of
8:50
filling in at the big spot how do you
8:52
think they did filling in for Maria and
8:53
working with the that lineup in a 3-2
8:56
offenses or 3-2 defensive game yeah
8:58
those two kids are freshman right and
8:59
they don't play like it I mean these
9:00
guys you probably don't remember your
9:02
freshman year you might right it was a
9:03
long time ago for you but um it's hard
9:06
to come in and play a freshmen
9:07
especially as a big kid because you've
9:09
been bigger than everybody else so you
9:10
haven't had to rely on angles and and
9:13
speed and and retention and the things
9:15
that you have to do at this level um
9:17
these guys are great celebrators of them
9:19
and and urge them along and um you know
9:21
and they're learning on a really good
9:22
team so that's hard too right because
9:25
these guys' standard with both their
9:27
actions and their words are really high
9:29
um so I I just I love their mindset they
9:31
they're totally committed to whatever
9:33
they can do to help um and they are
9:34
making progress and getting better um
9:37
and so that they are 12 minutes and 15
9:40
minutes better than they were before the
9:41
game that's what I would say definitely
9:43
I don't know how much you dug into it
9:44
but can you speak specifically about
9:46
what the challenges Georgia Tech will
9:48
give you on Sunday yeah Georgia Tech's a
9:49
really really good team well coached you
9:51
know Nell's an excellent coach who's
9:52
done this for a long time um she's got
9:54
excellent guard play um they're downhill
9:57
attackers they've got you know they're a
9:58
lot like us actually you know they've
10:00
got eight guys that score six points or
10:02
more um they have a very high assist to
10:05
turnover ratio they have a lot of
10:06
assists per game um you know they're so
10:09
they share the ball they're by committee
10:11
um you know they they rebound they're
10:14
they're excellent on the glass as well
10:16
um you know so it's just a really good
10:18
team you get this far into the season if
10:20
you've got if you're ranked you've got a
10:21
lot of proven success so um we know it
10:24
will be a great challenge there's more I
10:25
like this time of year because you're
10:26
more familiar so I don't have to start
10:28
like when you look at Greensboro you
10:30
literally start over and you're like
10:31
okay I got to wrap my arms around who
10:33
they are pretty good sense of of who
10:34
Georgia Tech is I've obviously watched
10:36
them a bunch um already but um yeah
10:39
they're just they they've got really
10:40
good players and they play together
10:42
they're definitely a team they're not a
10:44
you know they're not a they're not a
10:45
group of islands out there they are
10:46
they're going to try to beat you
10:49
together great thanks everyone thanks
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