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UNC's guards Lexi Donarski and Grace Townsend and Coach Courtney Banghart after win over Wake
Jan 24, 2025
UNC's guards Lexi Donarski and Grace Townsend and Coach Courtney Banghart after win over Wake
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0:03
coach and then we'll open up for
0:05
questions yeah I mean it's always hard
0:07
to win an ACC game and um that second
0:10
quarter will be an opportunity for us to
0:12
kind of lock in and and understand um
0:15
how much we have to stay focused how we
0:17
want to play um but other than that
0:19
there were a lot of good stretches for
0:20
our guys um right right down the roster
0:23
um so uh two people here did a whole lot
0:26
more tonight than I did so I think they
0:27
should be taking some questions Lighty
0:30
have you ever been on a shooting run
0:32
over three games like you you're on
0:34
right
0:35
now I don't think
0:37
so honestly I don't know I mean it's
0:40
hard to keep track of that after five
0:43
years but but I mean yeah it's it's been
0:46
feeling really good I feel like we've
0:48
played three really solid team offensive
0:51
games over the last three games and so
0:53
that just opens up things on the inside
0:56
and the outside for us so but this the
0:58
confidence and the mentality has to be s
1:00
right now talk talk about the feeling
1:02
out there when things are going like
1:03
that yeah it's fun I mean we had a great
1:05
crowd tonight lots of energy um so it's
1:08
just really fun to be able to play in
1:09
front of a crowd like that and it always
1:11
feels good when they go in like like the
1:13
last game are your teammates doing
1:15
things to get you more open is the
1:17
offense giving you more open shots than
1:20
you were before the three games yeah I
1:22
mean I feel like it's just we take what
1:24
they give us and in the last couple
1:26
games people have really been attacking
1:28
the paint going off a two feet when when
1:30
the defense collapse and finding open
1:32
Shooters and we've done a really really
1:34
good job of that and just working to
1:35
continue to control the basketball and
1:38
win the pain as many times as we can
1:40
Grace early in the the game when you had
1:42
that and one I know you at the free
1:43
throw line and then someone in the crowd
1:45
yelled like that was nasty or something
1:47
like that what was your reaction to that
1:49
and then um I'm surprised you made the
1:51
you stay composed but what was going
1:53
through yeah um so then and W and then
1:55
it was loud and then it got really quiet
1:56
and he said that was nasty I think that
1:57
was pretty funny but no I'm glad I made
2:00
that free throw Min the other ones but
2:01
no I think it's a pretty when you're in
2:03
this environment and car Michael of
2:04
being home and being able to experience
2:06
that is a really amazing feeling yeah
2:08
and five for five on the night how was
2:10
your shot and the looks you were getting
2:11
how did you feel it felt good I mean I
2:14
was attacking I was aggressive but also
2:15
trying to stay under control and look
2:17
for my shot so taking the shot without
2:18
trying to force it but definitely start
2:20
hopefully get on a good run now you were
2:22
challenging their defense you you uh
2:24
Drew six fouls oh wow
2:30
so so it was just by by Design trying to
2:33
attack the rib I think it's when we've
2:36
been talking about recently getting out
2:37
of transition but also seeing the outs
2:38
when we get in the paint looking for our
2:40
Shooters outside as the defense will
2:42
collapse so I think that's just a mix of
2:43
making sure we're St focused on the game
2:45
plan and make sure we're also looking
2:46
for our teammates as
2:47
well Lexi have you always like thought
2:50
yourself as a shooter when someone says
2:52
like Define your game or something is
2:53
that the first word that comes to your
2:55
head always no but I mean I like like to
3:00
shoot so I'm fine with it do you think
3:03
shooting became like the biggest part of
3:04
your game I would say just throughout my
3:06
college career it's continued to become
3:09
more and more of a role yeah growing up
3:12
were you not so much like a power behind
3:14
none of it was catch and shoot growing
3:16
up it was all I mean she has a gy in her
3:18
house
3:20
yeah yeah but I would say it's just as
3:22
I've gotten to college and progress
3:24
throughout my career it's just continued
3:25
to be more and more C have you coached a
3:28
player that's been on a perimeter she
3:30
didn't run like this every three days I
3:32
mean if she can't remember five years
3:33
you want me to remember 20 I mean you
3:36
know um it Lexi is so easy to coach
3:39
because she's she she's so competitive
3:42
and you know she gives it to you on both
3:44
ends so to be honest I'm thrilled when
3:46
she makes shots but there's so many
3:48
other parts of her game that we need her
3:49
for I mean she's incredibly vocal um she
3:52
very much knows the game plan um and
3:55
she's able to share it she infuses her
3:57
teammates with confidence um she plays
3:59
with Jo
4:00
I mean so yeah I mean I think have I
4:03
probably I don't I don't really know to
4:05
be honest but um we're certainly glad
4:07
she's on our team coach how has this
4:09
team adjusted from one half to the next
4:11
I know it kind of nine turnovers in the
4:13
second quarter and kind of let wake back
4:15
into it but it seems like a lot of times
4:17
this season you responded well in the
4:19
third quarter and how's that Trend gone
4:21
yeah I mean I think again I think it
4:23
shows the trust that we have throughout
4:24
the roster and staff like we're we're
4:26
trying to help right and so I think our
4:28
halftime is a chance for us to be able
4:30
to be like okay what's happening let's
4:32
let's remember where we can be good and
4:34
where we can be better um and these guys
4:36
are all ears and I I give these these
4:38
are two fifth year seniors that
4:39
understand that you know there's es and
4:41
flows and they're responsible for the
4:44
positive as well as the negative at
4:45
times so we were able to show them you
4:48
know we were able to show them the pace
4:49
and urgency and I think when they see
4:51
themselves not performing to the level
4:52
they want that that helps yeah how
4:54
important you talked about their
4:56
experience how important is it to have a
4:58
fifth year guard coming off the bench
5:00
for you and kind of providing that spark
5:01
in the first quarter and third quarter
5:03
yeah I mean we're you know coaching
5:05
Grace she's such a great kid that she
5:07
wants to do whatever this team needs and
5:09
you know I I feel like you can say it
5:11
Every Which Way But the her ability to
5:12
get to be aggressive and to put pressure
5:14
on the defense is what we need right but
5:16
that at times might feel like we're
5:18
asking her to be selfish which we're not
5:19
right and so I think she's adjusting to
5:22
how her aggressiveness really is what
5:24
this team needs um and as she said
5:27
herself it's just it's an upward Trend I
5:29
think she's gotten that point where she
5:30
sees it um people forget when people
5:32
transfer that there is an adjustment
5:34
period for for them no matter how good
5:35
they are right Lexi's playing her best
5:37
basketball now right um and so the
5:40
adjustment is thank God it happened when
5:41
it did because we need this version of
5:43
Grace um and um yeah that's how I'd
5:47
answer that you say Alexi is playing her
5:49
best basketball now is this the best
5:51
basketball you've seen throughout her
5:52
career year I think so because she's so
5:56
much more vocal I mean I know she's
5:57
always been vocal but I feel like if as
5:59
long as long as she knows what's
6:00
happening out there I feel like
6:01
everything's okay like she will make
6:02
sure people defensively are doing what
6:04
they need to do and all of that um she's
6:06
doing more off the dribble she's
6:07
changing her Pace off of screens better
6:10
um you know she's quicker on her on her
6:12
shot release because that's what we need
6:13
her to do I think she so wants to play
6:15
basketball the right way um and
6:18
sometimes you have to be able to just
6:19
shoot it a little bit quicker than you
6:20
might like because that's what the
6:21
defense wants um and so when you have
6:23
two fifth year seniors that are leaning
6:25
into coaching I mean they deserve to be
6:27
good right because they haven't they
6:29
they they're not they're not done
6:31
helping this team get better so um yeah
6:33
I think she's playing her best
6:34
basketball really on both ends and how
6:36
she's leading this team even when she
6:37
was struggling a little bit you know I
6:38
commended her leadership like she's been
6:40
leading this team regardless of how it's
6:41
been going for her so she deserves this
6:45
just putting sorry just putting on your
6:46
coaches association hat for a second I
6:48
know this is last week but we talked a
6:50
lot about the importance of just unit
6:52
distribution finally you know had that
6:54
um approved with this performance funds
6:57
just tell me a little bit about I mean
6:58
what do you see is the impact of this
7:01
potentially on a program like yours but
7:03
also I mean a conference like the ACC
7:05
yeah I mean I think what it does is it
7:06
it financially rewards your investment
7:09
in basketball right and um it's a long
7:11
time coming when I mean there are more
7:13
season tickets sold for the Iowa games
7:15
than there were for the for the men's
7:18
Indiana Pacers right women's basketball
7:19
is really on fire and so so it's time
7:22
right and the fact that the only
7:24
incentive that has been postseason
7:26
Financial incentive has been to the men
7:28
that puts a lot of pressure
7:29
administrations because it means the
7:30
better your men are the better your
7:32
Athletic program is right um and we're
7:34
not an anchor and we've proven it right
7:36
and so now it's allowing these
7:38
institutions like our own that have
7:39
invested in women's basketball to be
7:41
rewarded for that right um and these
7:43
guys will have to um Pay It Forward
7:45
right by performing well in the NCA
7:48
tournament um but it's it needed to
7:51
happen I'm not sure the distribution is
7:52
yet where it absolutely will be it needs
7:54
to be um but it's the right step and it
7:56
reminds me that you know women weren't
7:58
voting in the 60s right like you to sort
8:00
of need a chance for people to um women
8:03
just need to be given a chance and if
8:05
you're given a chance we will prove our
8:08
value sorry uh question for both you
8:11
coach and Lexi you said that you that a
8:13
big point of emphasis was working on
8:15
that quicker release can you kind of
8:17
describe what that transition was like
8:18
was that difficult was that over the
8:20
summer when when did you make that
8:22
change yeah I would just say it's been
8:25
pretty constant throughout my years here
8:28
um I don't know if it was like one
8:29
specific thing but it's like every drill
8:31
that we do the coaches are on me to get
8:33
it off a little bit quicker no matter
8:34
what no matter how quick I get it off if
8:36
I think it's quick it's not quick enough
8:38
like just continuing trying to get it
8:40
just that much quicker so I can get it
8:42
off against a team that would be able to
8:45
contest it but I'm able to get it off
8:48
first yeah and we've just kind of again
8:50
it's that makes it a little bit
8:51
challenged at times um and she wants to
8:53
play basketball the right way so she
8:55
doesn't want to take that challenge shot
8:56
just like she wants to play basketball
8:57
the right way so she's going to make
8:58
sure everybody's all set up the way
9:00
they're supposed to right and us getting
9:01
them to be more aggressive is why this
9:03
team is continuing to get better so Cory
9:05
best 20 game start in your six seasons
9:08
here what's been the big what have been
9:11
the bigest factors in getting you here
9:12
to this point um
9:16
Robbie um you know good players um good
9:19
players and I think players that fit my
9:21
personality in that work you put in
9:24
trust it right um and it starts from the
9:27
seniors and the fifth years it starts
9:28
with the coaching staff like just trust
9:30
the work you put in um and this has been
9:33
you know this is a labor of love this is
9:35
not something we sign in and sign out
9:36
for it's all the time right and so we've
9:38
been able to get kids that believe in um
9:41
the work that needs to be put in and
9:43
then they trust the work that needs to
9:44
be put in um and that they're here for
9:46
the right reasons they're here to win
9:47
they're here to be a part of something
9:49
transformative um and they get because
9:51
of that right um so it's hard to win any
9:54
game I I think I really like this team I
9:57
can't believe we only have four more
9:58
home games um because I really liked
10:00
coaching them you know I certainly like
10:02
that we've won 20 games but I like that
10:03
I've really just enjoyed the journey and
10:05
um you know we still got some holes um
10:07
that we've got to sh up but they're
10:09
better than they were a month ago and
10:10
that's what matters is is is the biggest
10:13
thing that worries you disappoints the
10:15
from yeah I mean well there's always
10:17
something right these poor guys I'm
10:18
never happy it's either you miss free
10:19
throws or now you turn it over too much
10:21
or now you're not being aggressive
10:22
enough right and I have to the way up
10:23
here Alexi said hey that's 18 and I have
10:26
to remember that right I can be
10:27
relentless and I know that right and so
10:29
so um that's why it's good that I love
10:31
them because I look at them and I'm like
10:32
you know they're just good kids right
10:33
they're really good people um but yeah I
10:35
mean there's games we' typically been
10:37
really good with the ball and I don't
10:39
know why in the last four games we've
10:40
been a little more careless with it I
10:42
don't know but our shooting is better so
10:43
before I didn't like how we were
10:44
shooting but we were taking care of the
10:45
ball right so I guess with being a
10:47
little more aggressive I'm going to have
10:48
to live with some more turnovers um but
10:50
I'm not going to have to live with 18
10:51
right um and they know that and um you
10:54
know we'll be able to we'll show it to
10:55
them and they'll they'll adjust
10:59
it's easy to find a shot when people
11:01
like you are driving the paint and then
11:03
kicking it back out to the perimeter can
11:05
you just talk about like that level of
11:06
trust you have when you're picking it
11:07
out and how you see that in Lexi oh
11:10
every time I drive Lexi is always
11:12
communicating where she is even today I
11:13
came to her in a Timeout I was like let
11:15
me know where you are in transition cuz
11:16
every time I pass to her I have complete
11:18
faith and trust it's going to go in I
11:19
comes out of 10 and I believe it even if
11:21
she's missed three I don't care I'm
11:22
going to get her the ball even
11:23
more like she was hot today and it's
11:25
like she's been hot so much this season
11:27
so I think just I Lexi shows you Time
11:30
After Time what she's going to do she's
11:31
reliable and I think me being able to
11:33
trust her just like I don't even think
11:35
about it anymore
11:37
honestly Trey getting close yeah I mean
11:40
I saw her do her little dance there I
11:42
was like come on now she can dance like
11:44
that she can play yeah she's getting
11:46
close she's dancing again great thanks
11:49
everyone thanks
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