University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Jerome M. Ibrahim
Official Practice Underway For WBB
October 1, 2021 | Women's Basketball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The 2021-22 UNC women's basketball team has been working hard together for months, but Thursday the Tar Heels made it official. Carolina took the Carmichael Arena court for its first official practice of the season, focusing on beginnings and setting an energetic tone.
"OK, first things first," UNC coach Courtney Banghart said to her team before explaining the opening assignment, a high-energy defensive drill.
The 14 Tar Heels – six of whom are new to the roster – took the court in navy tops, all properly tucked in, and Carolina blue shorts. For the next two hours they hustled, high-fived and cheered each other on. "Jog off, jog on!" sophomore Alexandra Zelaya reminded the group at the first water break. All her teammates did.
"The biggest thing about this group is there's a clear sense of collective purpose," Banghart said after her team wrapped up Practice No. 1. "To them, this week turns the page, so it feels like now everything we do is for a game whereas last week it felt like everything was for us to continue to get ready for the season.
"This is the start of game prep, so this is less about how you fit in individually and more about how we move along together. Everything connects to that."
The Tar Heels are working toward the season tipoff on Nov. 9, when UNC will host North Carolina A&T, the reigning MEAC champ, at Carmichael Arena. That game will mark the Carolina debut for four freshmen – Destiny Adams, Teonni Key, Kayla McPherson and Morasha Wiggins – all of whom were ranked among the nation's top 20 in this freshman class. Joining them as new faces are two transfers, Eva Hodgson from William & Mary and Carlie Littlefield from Princeton.
On the other end of the spectrum is Jaelynn Murray, a fifth-year senior who is now in graduate school at UNC. Thursday she provided additional instruction to her teammates when they needed clarity, passing on the advantage of experience.
Murray and junior Malu Tshitenge are the only current players who were on Banghart's first UNC squad in 2019-20. Redshirt junior Ariel Young joined that team at midseason after transferring from Michigan (but didn't play until last year). Along with Hodgson and Littlefield, they'll provide game experience on a team that's mostly sophomores (five) and freshmen (four).
That leadership was on display after the team trailed 6-0 in a defensive drill against the practice players. Hodgson asked her coach if the players could huddle up, Banghart said sure, and the Tar Heels gathered for a players-only talk. "I just said that all our mistakes are the little things – not talking enough, not jumping into the passing lanes, etc. so let's just communicate a little better, get one stop at a time and be better than we just were," Hodgson recalled later. The Tar Heels earned the next four points and went on to win the competition.
"I give a lot of credit to our older guys," Banghart said. "It's a good sign when on Day 1 they're saying 'We're not going to just keep going. We're going to stop and address things and get better.'"
The Tar Heels got better on Thursday, capping two hours of drills and shooting with conditioning. Eventually they huddled at midcourt and Murray led the team in the practice's exclamation point:
"Family on three ... one, two, three … FAMILY!"
"This is a group that's really connected and they're showing great focus," Banghart said. "They support one another. You can tell a lot about a team from how they handle the ebbs and flows of a practice – this group just stays connected so there's a lot to build on."
"OK, first things first," UNC coach Courtney Banghart said to her team before explaining the opening assignment, a high-energy defensive drill.
The 14 Tar Heels – six of whom are new to the roster – took the court in navy tops, all properly tucked in, and Carolina blue shorts. For the next two hours they hustled, high-fived and cheered each other on. "Jog off, jog on!" sophomore Alexandra Zelaya reminded the group at the first water break. All her teammates did.
"The biggest thing about this group is there's a clear sense of collective purpose," Banghart said after her team wrapped up Practice No. 1. "To them, this week turns the page, so it feels like now everything we do is for a game whereas last week it felt like everything was for us to continue to get ready for the season.
"This is the start of game prep, so this is less about how you fit in individually and more about how we move along together. Everything connects to that."
The Tar Heels are working toward the season tipoff on Nov. 9, when UNC will host North Carolina A&T, the reigning MEAC champ, at Carmichael Arena. That game will mark the Carolina debut for four freshmen – Destiny Adams, Teonni Key, Kayla McPherson and Morasha Wiggins – all of whom were ranked among the nation's top 20 in this freshman class. Joining them as new faces are two transfers, Eva Hodgson from William & Mary and Carlie Littlefield from Princeton.
On the other end of the spectrum is Jaelynn Murray, a fifth-year senior who is now in graduate school at UNC. Thursday she provided additional instruction to her teammates when they needed clarity, passing on the advantage of experience.
Murray and junior Malu Tshitenge are the only current players who were on Banghart's first UNC squad in 2019-20. Redshirt junior Ariel Young joined that team at midseason after transferring from Michigan (but didn't play until last year). Along with Hodgson and Littlefield, they'll provide game experience on a team that's mostly sophomores (five) and freshmen (four).
That leadership was on display after the team trailed 6-0 in a defensive drill against the practice players. Hodgson asked her coach if the players could huddle up, Banghart said sure, and the Tar Heels gathered for a players-only talk. "I just said that all our mistakes are the little things – not talking enough, not jumping into the passing lanes, etc. so let's just communicate a little better, get one stop at a time and be better than we just were," Hodgson recalled later. The Tar Heels earned the next four points and went on to win the competition.
"I give a lot of credit to our older guys," Banghart said. "It's a good sign when on Day 1 they're saying 'We're not going to just keep going. We're going to stop and address things and get better.'"
The Tar Heels got better on Thursday, capping two hours of drills and shooting with conditioning. Eventually they huddled at midcourt and Murray led the team in the practice's exclamation point:
"Family on three ... one, two, three … FAMILY!"
"This is a group that's really connected and they're showing great focus," Banghart said. "They support one another. You can tell a lot about a team from how they handle the ebbs and flows of a practice – this group just stays connected so there's a lot to build on."
Players Mentioned
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