University of North Carolina Athletics
The Tar Heels' team theme "Strong On Own, Best Together" will carry over to a season of education and advocacy.
Photo by: Dana Gentry
Bigger Than Basketball: Tar Heels Aim to Educate and Activate
November 23, 2020 | Women's Basketball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The UNC women's basketball team headed into the 2020-21 season with its eyes on a goal bigger than basketball. The program is dedicating the season to advocating for and bringing awareness to a range of causes that are near and dear to the Tar Heel student-athletes and coaching staff.
Each week the team will have one or two focuses, depending on the number of games. So far in the season, the Tar Heels have educated and advocated about:
• Food Insecurity, Nov. 25 vs. Radford
• The Black Lives Matter movement, Nov. 28 vs. UNCG and Nov. 29 vs. High Point
• Down Syndrome Awareness: Dec. 3 vs. South Carolina State and Dec. 6 vs. Charlotte
• Promoting Literacy, Dec. 10 at. Wake Forest and Dec. 14 at Miami
• Homelessness Awareness: Dec. 17 vs. Syracuse and Dec. 20 vs. Wake Forest
• Alzheimer's Awareness: Week of Dec. 28-Jan. 3
• Gun Violence: Jan. 10 vs. Miami
• Pediatric Cancer: Jan. 14 vs. Virginia Tech and Jan. 19 vs. Syracuse
• Mental Health: Jan. 24 vs. Notre Dame
• Frontline Worker Appreciation: Jan. 28 vs. Louisville and Jan. 31 vs. Virginia Tech
• LGBTQ Rights Awareness: Feb. 4 vs. FSU and Feb. 7 vs. NC State
• The Fight Against Breast Cancer: Feb. 14 vs. Pitt
• Domestic Violence Awareness: Feb. 18 vs. Clemson and Feb. 21 vs NC State
• Shop Local and Support Small Businesses: Feb. 25 vs. Georgia Tech and Feb. 28 vs. Virginia Tech
The week's cause will be announced each Wednesday during the season on GoHeels.com and the UNC women's basketball social media channels @UNCWBB.
The season-long effort is part of UNC's team theme: Strong on Own, Best Together. "It's about your role in serving the greater whole," UNC coach Courtney Banghart said. "That applies not just to basketball, but to life."
Around each cause, the team will aim to both educate and activate, learning more about an issue or cause while also coming together to create impact. Each Tar Heel has selected one of the causes to learn more about, and she will present information to her teammates during the designated week as part of the education focus.
For the "activate" part of the plan, the team will find COVID-safe ways to serve the community throughout the season. For this week's food insecurity focus, the team packed snack bags to donate to TABLE, a local organization that provides food to hungry children living in Chapel Hill and the rest of Orange County.
During each game this season, the staff will wear shirts drawing attention to that week's designated cause.
"In dedicating our season to advocating for and bringing awareness to marginalized populations, areas of need, and causes that impact our community, we hope to do our part to inspire change, as we work to become a better, safer, more inclusive America," Banghart said. "So many things are tricky about this year. When things feel uncertain it's great for all of us to think outside ourselves and do what we can to help others."
During the preseason, Banghart asked her players about the causes that were important to them. The uniqueness of the responses stood out to her, illustrating that while the 12 had plenty in common – all UNC students, all passionate about basketball – they also differ widely in their experiences.
"This is a diverse team of individuals, brought together by this sport that's adored by the whole country," Banghart said. "Our team is a beautiful mosaic and we work together to play this game – imagine if we could do that outside of basketball as well. We want to work together and make a positive impact."
Each week the team will have one or two focuses, depending on the number of games. So far in the season, the Tar Heels have educated and advocated about:
• Food Insecurity, Nov. 25 vs. Radford
• The Black Lives Matter movement, Nov. 28 vs. UNCG and Nov. 29 vs. High Point
• Down Syndrome Awareness: Dec. 3 vs. South Carolina State and Dec. 6 vs. Charlotte
• Promoting Literacy, Dec. 10 at. Wake Forest and Dec. 14 at Miami
• Homelessness Awareness: Dec. 17 vs. Syracuse and Dec. 20 vs. Wake Forest
• Alzheimer's Awareness: Week of Dec. 28-Jan. 3
• Gun Violence: Jan. 10 vs. Miami
• Pediatric Cancer: Jan. 14 vs. Virginia Tech and Jan. 19 vs. Syracuse
• Mental Health: Jan. 24 vs. Notre Dame
• Frontline Worker Appreciation: Jan. 28 vs. Louisville and Jan. 31 vs. Virginia Tech
• LGBTQ Rights Awareness: Feb. 4 vs. FSU and Feb. 7 vs. NC State
• The Fight Against Breast Cancer: Feb. 14 vs. Pitt
• Domestic Violence Awareness: Feb. 18 vs. Clemson and Feb. 21 vs NC State
• Shop Local and Support Small Businesses: Feb. 25 vs. Georgia Tech and Feb. 28 vs. Virginia Tech
The week's cause will be announced each Wednesday during the season on GoHeels.com and the UNC women's basketball social media channels @UNCWBB.
The season-long effort is part of UNC's team theme: Strong on Own, Best Together. "It's about your role in serving the greater whole," UNC coach Courtney Banghart said. "That applies not just to basketball, but to life."
Around each cause, the team will aim to both educate and activate, learning more about an issue or cause while also coming together to create impact. Each Tar Heel has selected one of the causes to learn more about, and she will present information to her teammates during the designated week as part of the education focus.
For the "activate" part of the plan, the team will find COVID-safe ways to serve the community throughout the season. For this week's food insecurity focus, the team packed snack bags to donate to TABLE, a local organization that provides food to hungry children living in Chapel Hill and the rest of Orange County.
During each game this season, the staff will wear shirts drawing attention to that week's designated cause.
"In dedicating our season to advocating for and bringing awareness to marginalized populations, areas of need, and causes that impact our community, we hope to do our part to inspire change, as we work to become a better, safer, more inclusive America," Banghart said. "So many things are tricky about this year. When things feel uncertain it's great for all of us to think outside ourselves and do what we can to help others."
During the preseason, Banghart asked her players about the causes that were important to them. The uniqueness of the responses stood out to her, illustrating that while the 12 had plenty in common – all UNC students, all passionate about basketball – they also differ widely in their experiences.
"This is a diverse team of individuals, brought together by this sport that's adored by the whole country," Banghart said. "Our team is a beautiful mosaic and we work together to play this game – imagine if we could do that outside of basketball as well. We want to work together and make a positive impact."
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