ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE BASKETBALL TIPOFF MEDIA DAY

October 11, 2022

Courtney Banghart

Deja Kelly

Kennedy Todd-Williams

North Carolina Tar Heels

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: I'm really excited to get things started with the North Carolina head coach with Courtney Banghart. When you're looking into going into this season, it's really exciting.

I know you have two amazing players you have Deja Kelly as well as Kennedy Todd-Williams that were unbelievable.

You had the same starting lineup the entire season. You only add one new player, and you have a couple of players returning from injury. So it's looking pretty bright for you guys.

As far as entering this season, I remember last year having a conversation with you, and you said a lot of people really didn't think we'd be this good because they didn't know what we had. Now we know what you have. What does it look like this season?

COURTNEY BANGHART: Really well said. I remember coming here last year and saying I think we're playing a little bit under the radar because I had seen all the work they put in.

What's been really fun for me is the talent they had last year, they're better than they were a year ago. Our success is dependent on the pieces getting better. The amount of work these two in particular put into their craft on a daily basis, a lot of people wouldn't understand. It makes it a bit nuts.

But it makes us better, and I know the version you see of these two players you'll be really happy with?

THE MODERATOR: Flying under the radar. You're in the way too early top 25, top 15 team of the season. Just going back when you're looking at returning four starters, top four scorers, and 8 of the top 9 scorers from last season's squad.

I did mention the pieces you are able to add. You did have Paulina Paris that is going to be joining you as well. If you could speak to the two players you're getting back, especially with Young and what you can provide for this group.

COURTNEY BANGHART: Yes, we got hit by the injury bug last year. Teonni Key, a kid from North Carolina, about 6'5" can move, really versatile. She'll be ready to go this year, which is going to give us a big lift in the frontcourt.

We just lost Kayla McPherson for a little period of time. Not as bas as the first time. She creates a great dynamic for us as well.

And then Paulina Paris has brought so much kind of New York flair to our game and gives us a combo guard that gives us the ball in our hands and can facilitate play.

Like I said, these guys are a year better, so they look a little bit different to me as well.

THE MODERATOR: Look a little different? When you look at the physique, are you saying they're stronger? What are you saying here?

COURTNEY BANGHART: I think there's an element of confidence and growth to their game and then physicality they bring. There's an assuredness. They've been here before. They see, you put work in, you reach goals. You put more work in, you reach the next goal. I'm going to be doing what I can to bring them as far as they can go.

THE MODERATOR: I was joking with the ladies when they came on stage, and I said, wow, I don't know what to say, I have Jordan and Pippen on stage next to me.

But Kennedy, how you've grown in the off-season, what you want to improve on, just to be that player that's known for your voice as well as what you can do on the floor.

KENNEDY TODD-WILLIAMS: I would say I worked on my three ball over the summer. Everyone is able to guard me from my mid-range or attacking the basket, so expanding my range or making it hard for defenders to guard me was really what I focused on.

THE MODERATOR: When you're looking at even the jump for this group, it doesn't take much time for it to build chemistry and you've already seen pretty much everyone on the floor. What's the next step for you guys in the season?

KENNEDY TODD-WILLIAMS: Just our cohesiveness on the floor. I think really staying connected and continue to get better day by day. I think that's the biggest thing for us. Really just locking into everything we're doing on the floor has been our biggest success.

THE MODERATOR: Deja, I remember saying she's a bucket. She's a walking bucket. Just as far as earning your respect, your keep in this league, what's gone into that?

DEJA KELLY: I think me keeping my head down those first two years and really just putting the work in and knowing that I have been working the work in and it will show eventually and everyone will kind of catch on eventually, and they did.

So I think that's kind of what went into that, is just me knowing that I'm very capable of doing what I do and knowing that I put the work into doing so.

THE MODERATOR: Coach, I want to go back to even how you're challenging yourself in the non-conference schedule. Looking down the line, you see Jackson State, who really showed the nation what they can do, as well as James Madison.

You're looking at teams that -- I think you have five teams that played in the NCAA Tournament in your non-conference schedule.

What went into building that going into ACC play?

COURTNEY BANGHART: We really want to host. I think that's a real attainable goal for us. You have to have a great non-conference. You have to have great results. We play in a great conference that gives us lots of opportunities for big wins, and I want these guys to be prepared in a variety of environments.

You've got Michigan and the Jump Man event right here in Charlotte, and they went to the Elite Eight last year. You could have Iowa State, who went to the Elite Eight, in Greensboro with us. And you've got Oregon and Indiana on the road, one of the toughest places to play in the country.

You work so hard to have a good team. When you have a good team, you want to go out and play anybody and everybody. So it was intentional. I bit off a big bite, and I know you guys will be ready.

THE MODERATOR: So are they in those talks with you -- I just remember being on the other side saying, how do you want to be challenged? When you have leaders that you trust -- and I know that was one thing you were talking about even last season. How much of their input on who you want to play and how they want to be challenged goes into it?

COURTNEY BANGHART: I think for them they're typical college kids. They'd love to play in Bora Bora, they would love to play in Hawaii.

No, I think for them the better the game -- I think there's an element of trust that they know, whoever you think we should play wherever, let's do it.

We try to get them into their home region. Kennedy is from North Carolina and we already played in Texas, so there's an element of that as well.

Like I said, I think my job is to put them in the best situation possible to have the best success and to play the best. That's why they came to Carolina, and I know they're looking forward to it.

THE MODERATOR: Wanted to go and talk about the ACC. Obviously one of the premier conferences from top to bottom. You went 13-5 last season in conference play. Challenged each step of the way.

When you're looking at how you guys can set yourselves apart even more this season, how does that work? I'll start with you, if you don't mind.

KENNEDY TODD-WILLIAMS: Obviously the ACC is very competitive, but really, like I said, just growing each time. When we step on the floor, just competing a long way. That goes for me.

DEJA KELLY: I think for us, just kind of now that we are an experienced group, I think knowing what it takes to reach the goals we want to reach and knowing that we put in the work together over the summer and in the off-season, and just knowing that we have that experience under our belt now and that we're not babies anymore.

So I think that will definitely set us apart.

THE MODERATOR: I wanted to go back to you, Kennedy, with Coach Banghart saying good things about you. She's a gym rat, always putting in extra work to make herself better and that love for the game fuels her.

Where does that love for the game, where did that begin? Obviously you're playing at a very high level, but how does that feel?

KENNEDY TODD-WILLIAMS: It feels great knowing that my work is showing and it's continuing to show. I was playing basketball since I was five, so really that competitive drive, passion. I'm so passionate about the game, and I love the game.

I know my work is going to show any time I step out onto the floor. Getting those extra reps, staying in the gym is how it's fueled me, and it's going to continue to show on the floor. And I know that Coach trusts in me and everything.

THE MODERATOR: Has anything changed for you guys in the season? We do have two of your top players here. You only graduated one player with Littlefield, and when you're looking at what Hodgson can do for you and what that's been like for your group, what is different about this style? I know being top three in scoring offense as well as scoring defense was big as far as the balance of your team. What went into creating that?

COURTNEY BANGHART: I think what made our team so special last year was their connectedness in the locker room. I think also it's a group, as you can hear in their answers, they just were focused on the next day. How can I get better? How can I get better? It sounds so workmanlike, but that's their identity.

We were able to -- when we beat Louisville at home in a great game and we had to go to Florida State three days later, a team we hadn't beaten on the road the whole time, we talked about our goal was never to beat Louisville. Our goal was give ourselves a chance to win every game we play, so next up. That's just the way they operate.

My hope is they find their connectedness in the same way they did last year. In their own unique way, but the same result, and that they stay committed to the journey because this is a really tough league. We've got NC State, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech twice, plus everyone else in the conference.

So you just can't get too up and too down. You got to keep getting better. I think that's going to be my mission, is keep them focused on that, and that's going to be their job as experienced talent knowing you're going to play your best basketball late. So keep going.

THE MODERATOR: Don't worry, Deja. Coach said very nice things about you too, and I'm going to get to that in just a second?

But I remember last season you talked about who's going to step up in those moments of adversity, who's going to be that voice, that leader, who's consistently stepping up, and you wanting to be a better lead in this season. Everyone understands what you can bring to the floor. So she did mention that, just how you've grown exponentially as a leader.

What was the conversation there last season and what you wanted to do and why you wanted to be that piece? Where do you feel like you're fitting in so far?

DEJA KELLY: I think me taking on that role came with a lot. It was me just looking outward and looking at what those next steps were going to be for me as a player and what my next growth steps were.

Before, it was me kind of trying to find my way and figure out how I wanted to operate. Then once I kind of stopped thinking so much and kind of just settled in, I think that's when it kind of showed that I was ready to take on that leadership role, and I think I've done a pretty good job so far.

It all comes down to the mentality. We all know we want to win. We all have the same goal. So me just helping push our team to reach those.

THE MODERATOR: I know we have five minutes left. Any questions in the audience?

Coach, I wanted to go over that philosophy with you. One of my favorite things about I didn't like zoom so much, but being in your presence and just hearing about just the philosophy and how you were just really, I guess, nurturing and how you were challenging this young corps to be good every single game. You mentioned it every game, we just want to win that game.

But the philosophy this season, how has that changed?

COURTNEY BANGHART: I think the big thing is this is a group that needs cheerleaders and they need challengers. My job is to do both, right? When Kennedy needs a challenger, I got her. When she needs a cheerleader, I got her. And her teammates have to sort that out as well. It starts right here, right?

So this particular group collectively and individually, I stand ready to be their challenger, and I stand ready to be their cheerleader because ultimately it's about their process.

It takes an element of trust because it's not always easy to be challenged in a way that I have to do it at times. And then the cheerleading part, I come at it authentically so they know I'm not trying to just give them praise. I do that through film, I do that through live action, and I do that through conversation.

I always say you want to recruit and coach guys that you can lose with because, if you do, you won't lose a lot. And what I mean by that is, when we're walking down that tunnel after that game against South Carolina, walking over to the locker room, I walked into that locker room and I looked at my staff and said, well, we can lose with this group because they gave us their best every day, they trusted our process. They gave each other their best. So I can lose with that.

So that's our goal is to make sure that every day in practice I'm building a team that I can lose with, and then it won't happen so much.

THE MODERATOR: It's like The Amazing Race, no pun intended.

(Laughter).

I wanted to go to even, for Kennedy and Deja, just when she's talking about the philosophy and what you guys want to do as far as like the locker room, I think that's the most important thing is the coaches can tell you what to do, but when you're looking at how you control the locker room in this season, how is that different for you guys?

Got you, Coach.

COURTNEY BANGHART: Thank you. I love it.

DEJA KELLY: I think we've kind of had those conversations as a team just that at the end of the day it comes down to us, how we want to carry each other and help push each other to be our best. So trying to figure out the balance of those things and what it takes and what exactly we need from each other because we know that we're all we've got.

And we're completely fine with that, and we're fine with what we've got. And just knowing each other and learning with each other and growing with each other and learning what's best for us to reach the goals we want to reach. I think it comes down to us at the end of the day, and I think we've done a pretty good job so far.

KENNEDY TODD-WILLIAMS: Coach always says, strong on our own, best together. Everyone brings our piece. When we're together and we're connected and we're striving to be our best, it's definitely a mentality shift to just be together.

Like Deja said, just really staying connected, and we're just -- we keep getting better for sure.

THE MODERATOR: Well, practices are obviously under way, and tip-off, we're here at the ACC. It only means we're getting that much closer to the first day. If you can, take us behind the scenes a little bit.

Oh, we're wrapping up. One last thing.

When you're looking at someone that may surprise some people, who is that player?

COURTNEY BANGHART: On our team?

THE MODERATOR: Yes.

COURTNEY BANGHART: Gosh, in a new group, it's hard to find the surprise of any of them. I'm trying to think here looking down our roster because we're still in practice mode.

I guess I would say it's a group I'm surprised by every day. I hope these guys surprise you in a good way, and I hope they all do. I hope that Teonni Key's journey in college basketball is a good one as she's now with us. I think Kayla McPherson, whenever she's back, will be a highlight for us as well.

Really, I'm fascinated to hear your answer because they're all an element of surprise.

THE MODERATOR: Who do you think the surprise player is going to be?

KENNEDY TODD-WILLIAMS: Kayla McPherson.

DEJA KELLY: Kayla and Teonni, I think they're both capable of being really good players.

THE MODERATOR: We'll put a little star by your name. Thank you so much. Good luck this season.