NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - STEPHEN F. AUSTIN VS NORTH CAROLINA

March 18, 2022

Courtney Banghart

Carlie Littlefield

Deja Kelly

North Carolina Tar Heels

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by North Carolina.

COACH BANGHART: It's always a great event to be at. I think I've been in this tournament a variety of times and it just never gets old. This is, I think, the premier event in athletics. And it's in part because how earned it is.

I could not be prouder to have the group of people that I have with me, both in terms of the entire team and the two sitting to my right in terms of what they've meant to this program all year long. Carlie, your grit is a huge piece of who we are. And, Deja, your consistency has helped us all year long.

These are two kids that are a treat to coach. And they're important to what we do. And they're surrounded by a group of people that are a connected bunch. So we think it's an earned opportunity. And I know my guys are eager to get it underway.

Q. Some issues getting here. Could you help all of us understand how much you love adrenaline and how a quick nap makes everything okay? But seriously, it was tough getting here. Describe the journey and if you've got your sea legs underneath of you, both of you?

DEJA KELLY: It was a pretty long journey getting here. It was fine. We got some food. We were just chilling at the airport just waiting to leave. But I think we got our legs back, a little bit. What do you think, Car?

CARLIE LITTLEFIELD: It probably helped us adjust to the time change a little faster because we were exhausted when we got here. It helped me fall asleep. And I mean nothing wakes you up quite like the Arizona sun. So that also helped, I think.

Q. Just the feeling of being here but not settling, understanding there's work to be done, understanding how special this is and yet there's work to be done. If you both could talk about that a little bit.

DEJA KELLY: It's a special thing here. We're all really excited. It's a great opportunity for us. But not worrying about any of the other stuff that's going on. We're just worried about getting on the court, getting our shots up, just mentally preparing and locking in for what we've got to do tomorrow.

CARLIE LITTLEFIELD: I just think it's a blessing playing basketball in March. So it's something we don't take lightly. I've been lucky enough to have been to, this is my third NCAA Tournament now, and I haven't made it out of the first round. I'm definitely coming in here hungry trying to pass that hungriness along to the team.

Q. Carlie, your father is an Arizona graduate. So is he a U of A fan or how is that going up with the U of A graduate?

CARLIE LITTLEFIELD: As a kid I've been to a lot of Arizona football games. I was born in Arizona. But I think I know where his loyalty lies for this weekend. But he is. He's been a Wildcat fan. But not this weekend.

My family is in Iowa still. But I have a bunch of relatives who live in Arizona who will be able to make the game.

Q. Deja, I noticed this week that you signed another NIL deal with [inaudible]. And I was just wondering how have you sort of separated the business side to your basketball all season, and especially now going into the most important time of the year?

DEJA KELLY: From the start, when the NIL thing came out, I knew basketball was going to come first. This is just something on the side, something extra. And I was never going to let it intertwine. And my agency has done a really good job helping me not let it distract me at all. And I think just me focusing on what I've got to do every day on the court, it hasn't really affected me at all.

Q. Carlie, sometimes do you have to help folks appreciate how great the basketball and softball and athletics, how great that component is in the state of Iowa when sometimes you might be overlooked just a little bit. And what's the enrollment of your school? What was your class size?

CARLIE LITTLEFIELD: My graduating class size was about 540.

Q. That's bigger than I thought.

CARLIE LITTLEFIELD: I was in the biggest class of Iowa. I didn't ride a tractor to school, none of that. But I do kind of make it known, I think that's where my grit comes from, like what Coach said, that blue-collar Midwestern. I do have to make it known that Iowa is where it's at. I'm not sure my teammates believe me.

COACH BANGHART: Debatable.

CARLIE LITTLEFIELD: She doesn't believe me either, but I'll always stand by, Iowa is where it's at.

COACH BANGHART: My first time I recruited Carlie, her dad sent me all these options to go to while I was waiting for the game. It was negative degrees. So not even zero. So I went directly to the hotel. I stayed in the car until I was as close to the door as possible and then ran in. Iowa is not where it was at in that moment.

CARLIE LITTLEFIELD: But it was worth it.

COACH BANGHART: It browse us together so it's on my will-visit-again-maybe list.

Q. Is there a chip on the shoulder in terms of you having to prove yourself or is it more I'll quietly help you understand what I'm all about?

CARLIE LITTLEFIELD: I think it's a little bit of both, for sure. Kind of depends on the day, too. Sometimes I'll have a chip, if I feel like a chip is needed. Otherwise just go about quietly show them what actions.

Q. What would be the chip that's needed? Give us an example.

CARLIE LITTLEFIELD: I guess just hearing -- just Iowa disrespect, or I'm hearing like our team is young. I wouldn't say that's disrespect, but just hearing doubt, I think, is when it's needed. So kind of bring everybody along, being, like, no, we're here for a reason. We're full hard workers. I think that's the time when it's needed.

Q. Did the pig wrestling help your reputation, or did that make you, did folks just think what a hayseed?

CARLIE LITTLEFIELD: Also a little bit of both. But I think I always tell people it helped my defense. Think of the footwork required to stay after a pig. You've got to be diving on the floor for that pig. I think there's a lot of similarities and cross over between the two.

Q. Who won that battle?

CARLIE LITTLEFIELD: So my team didn't win that competition but I think we got the best of the pig. I'd love to try again now that I'm older and wiser.

Q. (Off Microphone) on tape, and then getting to practice and work on your things but also work on what they do so well because here it comes?

DEJA KELLY: I think us just staying locked into what we do, what we do best, what we've done best all year. I think just staying focused on that is really important because, like you said, it's a real short turnaround. But I think the more we focus on us, I think, that will be beneficial.

CARLIE LITTLEFIELD: I echo that and just say taking one possession at a time, staying in the moment, staying locked in. If you mess up one possession not let that lead to two or three possessions. And just cherishing every moment that goes along with that. Like, not making those moments too big, not taking it too lightly, just cherishing every single second we have on the floor.

Q. Can you talk about having the same starting lineup the whole season? That's a rarity. What's that like for you guys?

DEJA KELLY: I would say just it's the same five, that we just built that chemistry. It's the whole team. It's all 14 of us. But I think just that first five, Coach Banghart obviously did a good job of taking the first five to throw the first punch. And I think we've been pretty consistent with it all season. And having Eva, she's like also a starter, basically.

CARLIE LITTLEFIELD: I think it's let us get some nice consistency. And it kind of helped us all find our roles quickly because you kind of know what's expected of you in the first five minutes, what's expected of you when you come in off the bench. And I just think the consistency is a big factor.

Q. [Inaudible] is that by design [inaudible]?

COACH BANGHART: I'm one of those kind of old-school coaches that I don't care who scores as long as we score. Right? So I think anytime you focus on yourself in a team game that requires so much back and forth, and the beauty of basketball, there's not -- I think it's the only true two-way sport where you're not offense, you're defense, you're kind of equal all the time and one of five. So you're impacting the game all the time.

So if you obsess on any one part of it, it actually plays to your detriment. And I think with inexperienced teams we've talked about it with Deja, that she's such an elite scorer. Sometimes if she focuses on that it messes up with all the other things she can do to help our team win.

And so I think the versatility that we have in our roster is really helpful because as a coach and as a team I think we go in knowing that we don't need anyone to be healthcare worker Lees. We don't need anybody to be Superwoman. We need to be able to stay connected. And as the game comes, if we need you to facilitate, need you to score, need you to get stops, we've got to be able to adjust to the ebb and flow of the game.

To answer your question, I don't think it's schematic. It's recruit really good players and put them in position to win basketball games. And we'll read the game as it goes.

Q. Deja and Carlie, Stephen F. Austin brings a lot of pressure defense, and you've dealt with it well most of the season. Why have you been so successful against pressure like that, and what are the particular challenges they'll give you on Saturday?

DEJA KELLY: I think pretty much all season it's about being poised, not letting anybody who has pressured us speed us up. Even though we like to play fast I think once we break the pressure pretty well, we execute pretty well after the fact.

And I don't think it will be any different come tomorrow. We're going to stay poised, me and Carlie, we have the ball in our hands a lot. Just us working together to break that pressure and then just getting us into our stuff afterwards, I think we'll be fine.

CARLIE LITTLEFIELD: Like Deja said, pressure is about not letting it get you too sped up, but also not letting it slow you down in the half court. So just continuing to be in that attack mindset. And I think we've been good at that all year just because we trust each other a lot and you have to break a press like five against five. So I think we've done a good job of finding out ways we can be most helpful to each other over the full court.

Q. Do you guys look at this as an opportunity to make them pay for that kind of strategy?

DEJA KELLY: I would say so. I would say so. We like pressure. I personally like pressure. It allows you to attack hips, probably get them in foul trouble. Personally that's something I like to do to our opponent. I think this is a great opportunity for us.

Q. Carlie, as a the most experienced player in terms of NCAA Tournament games played, what have you told your teammates about that, and (indiscernible) possibly get that first win?

CARLIE LITTLEFIELD: I've been reiterating how exciting I am for this another opportunity to be in the NCAA Tournament. That's what I've passed along to my team and how it's not easy to make it so you have to cherish every chance you get.

But I can't put into words how excited I am. I'm always excited no matter if it's an NCAA game, ACC Tournament, [inaudible], I'm just excited to take the floor with this group.

Q. Do you have any background coming this far west? And do you know Adia Barnes, personally, anything like that?

COACH BANGHART: My 12 years at Princeton we did a lot in the L.A. area, basically L.A., Chicago, Atlanta, some of the major cities. So I've got a lot of familiarity coming out here.

We played in Cancun this last season, or two seasons ago, whatever -- they all come together; that's how old I'm getting. But I think the time zone change and all that, the travel that we had, these kids are young. It's really us that get tired, right?

And so Adia, we're both working moms, part of that Moms in Coaching deal. And have great respect for the journey, that we both want to be great at both. And that takes a village. It takes a village of women that are in it, and it takes a village outside of the lines as well. But that's kind of where our connection started, just knowing that that's who we are and we're proud to do it. And there's an added level of respect given how we're doing it.

Q. Last year when Adia was, quote/unquote, brave and bold enough to talk about nursing, she just had her second child and nursing -- and coming out saying to Holly Rowe, hey, I had business to take care of before coming out on the court. How much did that resonate with you, and was there a part of you that just said, yeah?

COACH BANGHART: A lot. It's not just coaching but we have big microphones. If I was in banking or if I was a lawyer, my microphone wouldn't be as big but it's the same challenge. Being a working parent, not just a working mom, but being a working parent, you go through that -- the advice I always give is that in that first year you will think you're not good enough at either one -- not a good enough professional and not a good enough parent. And that's totally normal.

What you end up learning is you're exactly where you're supposed to be. I remember when we were that 30-0 year 2015, I called Craig Robinson, I was coaching his daughter, Leslie, and he was the coach at Oregon State. I said, I have a challenge on my hands. I have twins. They're 5 months old. I feel like I have to include them because it's just such a lot on one parent.

And he said, are you asking me if you think I should have them at practice or traveling? And I said, kind of. And he said, I hope you do. As a dad who is a daughter who is going to be a some day be a working mom, I want her to watch every minute of what you do and how you can be great in both spheres.

And that meant a lot because I thought, exactly right. Why am I trying to separate to show how dialed in I am? I now have multiple responsibilities that are very public.

I thought his advice, I've taken it and I've run. My kids are here with me on this trip as well. And again we think we might be here a week. That's a long time to be without your family. So I'm grateful for Carolina making that possible. And we do a good job of being present for the team. And my guys are a part of it. And that's just kind of how it goes.

Q. (Off Microphone)?

COACH BANGHART: First of all, it's a team -- I've been the mid-major coach that comes, you finally get a chance to play against the Power five. No one will play you in the non-conference. So I'm familiar with their mindset. And that is, we've won 28 games. We've brought back most of what we had last year. We don't get a lot of these chances.

So you're playing with that kind of oh, my gosh, we finally have a chance. We finally get to go take kind of a giant brand down. And there's an incredible amount of comfort and eagerness that that brings. And so just our guys meeting that energy that they're about to see.

I think their pressure is something we're used to. I give our league a lot of credit. Miami, Clemson, these are teams that, Syracuse, that have been high-pressure teams. And we've been okay because we're sort of best over 94 feet anyway. And so that doesn't worry me as much. I think always the nerves of the environment, the finality of your season is on the line. Does that make you tight or not? It's that balance of trying to keep them loose but also owning the moment, like Carlie said. This matters.

So a little bit more about us that worries me, but with the great respect of that Stephen F. Austin wouldn't probably be able to schedule this game in the regular season, nor Texas A&M. So, when they get a chance to play a Power Five I lived it at Princeton for 12 years. I was, like, now is the time.

Remember, we beat Michigan, we went home-and-home with Michigan, beat them by 30 each time. After the game Kim said we're never playing you again. I said, I understand. We'll just try to get somebody else in your league to do it. So this is kind of Stephen F. Austin's chance to say finally we get a chance, and we know that.

Q. Coming out of the ACC, [inaudible] how much does that help you stay loose at this moment?

COACH BANGHART: Again, coming from Princeton, where maybe you didn't have in your league as much competition, then you get met by the NCAA Tournament. It's, like, whoa. I feel very different that we played Virginia Tech very recently, obviously Louisville very recently.

Our whole league is so good. So I feel gratitude to the ACC season because they've prepared this team for whether it's pressure, size, physicality, speed, shot making, guard play, et cetera. Very different than how I felt coming into this tournament when I was coming in from Princeton.

So I think our kids should feel comfortable in that, that they've had to play, even though we weren't successful against Virginia Tech and didn't play particularly well in that game, that's a really good team, arguably a top 15. I think they should be hosting, or us or Notre Dame. One of the three of us should be hosting.

They're all teams we've played and we're comfortable with. That's a huge help. I know that, just like it's a huge help for Stephen F. Austin that they were in this environment last year with the same roster. We don't have that experience, but we have a huge help in that the teams we played, the margin of error has been so small.

The teams that maybe SFA has played over the last ten games, the margin of error might be a little bit bigger. That's how it felt to me coming from Princeton. So all of a sudden the possessions mattered more and it was, like, whoa. So I have a lot of gratitude to the ACC as a conference for preparing us in that way.

Q. Question about the same starters. Your perspective in terms of cohesiveness, continuity, that kind of thing?

COACH BANGHART: I think people operate well with clarity. So when you know what's expected of you, there's an element of that's all you're trying to reach, as opposed to sometimes you lack clarity that can make people a bad version of themselves. So there's incredible clarity in this group with what we need from them and what we need off the bench.

Also, I give them all credit, I told them at the beginning of the year, you can't get COVID. It can't happen to you. Whatever that means to you, that's what happens.

So if you can have zero friends while you're here or you have to live with a bubble, I don't really care. No COVID. So they've done a really good job staying away from that as best they could as well.

But I feel like there's a comfort sometimes you can get complacent. With the consistency, that's a very natural thing. But these guys are uber competitive -- uber. I mean, we're doing this bracket challenge just as a team and staff, and day one just came out. We're like, already, how am I not first? Everybody. So I think the complacency that sometimes can happen with consistency is taken care of through competitiveness. So we get to really enjoy the clarity instead.

Q. The roles are clearly defined?

COACH BANGHART: Yeah, I think so. I think the connectedness, I think, more so than their roles. Like, it's not, oh, wait, sometimes we switch that. With Dan I switched that. With Amy I don't. It's like no, no, this is how we do it with everybody.

There's a connectedness defensively of things they've seen together as a fivesome. And Eva -- having a kid like Eva, I think she's underappreciated -- not in our locker room.

The reason I say that she'd be starting at most teams. She was the basically the CAA player of the year. From a very small town in New Hampshire. Kind of a different story. But for her to be able to come in off the bench, go in at any spot, be whatever we need, ball handler, scorer, facilitator, defender, a really good team has that, a sixth man that can be anything.

Doesn't need to be warmed up, can play against a team already warm. So she's just been kind of that huge piece as well to what we do.

We didn't have her in the Notre Dame game. I think it cost us the game. Because of COVID. She broke the rules and got COVID.

But I think the consistency even for her of what she needs it to be for us, it's not like sometimes she plays 10 and sometimes she plays 28. That lack of clarity can be hard for this age group. Very clear: We need you to be ready for 25 every night.

Q. You made some reference to there being travel difficulties. I don't know anything about that. Could you tell me about that and how spring break in sunny Arizona has been for the players.

COACH BANGHART: We were supposed to leave, we were at the airport -- all the days come together for me -- we were at the airport I think about 4:30 for a 5:30 flight. These are giant children, giant toddlers, as I call them. They're on a bus that they don't fit comfortably on.

Two hours in, like 6:30, our director of ops called the NCAA, what is happening, you told us you were cleaning the plane. There was a windshield wiper issue, which I was willing to fly without a windshield wiper.

But apparently it had to do with the motor. Who knows. We went and got them a bite to eat. We got everybody off their feet -- I'm sorry, out of the bus. And then we came back. And there was just, because they sent a different plane, there was an additional delay.

So we didn't get here until probably about 1.00 a.m. this time -- is that about right -- which is 4.00 a.m. our time that we're comfortable with. So thank God we were able to leave Wednesday and not Thursday. I'd be highly stressed if that was the case. But the gratitude and ease with which this group traveled with was not surprising but was welcomed. But it was a long trip for especially the adults.

Q. And then the spring break in Arizona, have they been able to enjoy that?

COACH BANGHART: I don't really care about how they feel about spring break in Arizona. I think our cheerleaders and band are having a good time, so I envision.

But we got here Wednesday night, like I said, or Thursday morning, however you dictate that. Yesterday we wanted them to move around a little bit. We got some shots up here at Arizona. And then they watched some of the men's, watched our men play.

And then they went to some mall for a little bit. These are hoopers. I don't think they're that interested in -- they haven't asked where the pool is. That's just not how they roll. They're here to play basketball.

Q. Any concern about (indiscernible) given that it's so long since you played [inaudible], you think they're in a good rhythm coming into the game?

COACH BANGHART: You and I will find out together, I think. But no, I think there's -- a team that plays with so much pressure doesn't let you kind of sink your teeth into the game in a good way. We've got to be head on. I think we stayed -- we've been on the court a bunch, but the timing and rhythm that a game requires, we might have to adjust a little bit to that in the first few minutes of the game. But it's a 40-minute game. We've got to make sure at the end of that 40 minutes it's in our favor.