Courtney Banghart

Helping to guide Princeton to unprecedented heights, the 2015 Naismith National Coach of the Year, and named one of Fortune Magazine’s 50 Greatest Leaders, Courtney Banghart will be in her 10th season as head coach of the women’s basketball team in 2016-17. The winningest coach in program history, Banghart has amassed a 192-73 (0.715) overall record with a 104-19 (0.845) mark against Ivy League opponents.

The 2015-16 Princeton women's basketball team made Ivy League history as it became the first school in conference history to make the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid. The Tigers had three players named to the All-Ivy League teams in Michelle Miller (first team), Alex Wheatley (first team) and Annie Tarakchian (second team). Banghart's squad ranked in the top 10 nationally in rebounding margin (third), defensive rebounds per game (fourth), rebounds per game (seventh) and scoring margin (seventh).

Princeton’s undefeated 30-0 regular season in 2014-15 was the best in Ivy League basketball history, mens or womens. Under Banghart’s guidance, the Tigers also achieved the highest-ever ranking for an Ivy program, climbing as high as No. 13 in the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls.

Under Banghart’s tutelage, the Tigers finished with a program-best mark of 31-1 last season. With an 80-70 first round victory over ninth-seeded Green Bay, Princeton became just the second Ivy program to record an NCAA win.

For her efforts, Banghart was named the Ivy League’s inaugural Coach of the Year. Named one of Fortune Magazine’s 50 Greatest Leaders, Banghart was also tabbed the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) National Coach of the Year and ECAC Coach of the Year.

Inheriting a team that had never played in the NCAA Tournament, Banghart has led the squad there in six of the last seven years, capturing five Ivy titles in the process. Securing the best NCAA seed in Ivy history (No. 8) in 2014-15, the Tigers were the No. 9 seed in 2012 and 2013 and the No. 11 and 12 seeds in 2010 and 2011, respectively.

Four different Tigers earned All-Ivy accolades in 2014-15, including three first-team selections (Blake Dietrick, Annie Tarakchian, Alex Wheatley). Of the four times that an Ivy program has placed three members on the first team, three of them have been by the Tigers. Princeton also saw three players receive first team laurels in 2010-11 (Devona Allgood, Addie Micir, Lauren Edwards) and 1977-78 (C.B. Tomasiewicz, Margaret Meier, Jackie Jackson).

For the fourth time in six years, a Tiger also laid claim to the Ivy League Player of the Year award (Blake Dietrick – 2015, Niveen Rasheed – 2012, 2013, Addie Micir – 2011). Since her arrival in 2007-08, Banghart has aided in the development of two honorable mention All-America selections (Blake Dietrick, Niveen Rasheed), 15 first-team All-Ivy picks, eight second-team selections and two honorable mention recipients.

As a team, Princeton wrapped up its 2014-15 campaign ranked second in the nation in scoring margin (+23.2), three-point percentage (40.5), and field-goal percentage defense (34.2). Third in the country in field-goal percentage (49.1), the Tigers were sixth in rebounding margin (+11.2) and scoring defense (52.6), seventh in three-point defense (26.3), 12th in assists per game (16.9) and 19th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.18).

Playing the most games in program history (32), the Tigers set school records in points per game (75.8), total points (2,424), field goals made (921), field goal attempts (1,831), field goal percentage (.491), rebounds (1,338), assists (541) and blocks (143).

Guiding the Tigers to at least 20 wins and a postseason appearance in each of the past seven seasons, Banghart is no stranger to success. Jump-starting the Princeton renaissance, Banghart’s 2009-10 squad finished 26-3, punching the program’s first ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

Once again dominating the Ivy League in 2010-11, Princeton captured the second of four-straight conference titles, making a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers won two more Ivy crowns in 2011-12 and 2012-13, respectively, posting records of 24-5 and 22-7. The 2011-12 squad finished the year ranked No. 24 in the AP Top-25 poll, becoming the first Ivy program to earn a national ranking.

As both a coach and a player, Banghart has made 10 trips to the NCAA Tournament and two trips to the postseason WNIT. A four-year letterwinner and three-year starter at Dartmouth College, Banghart was a two-time first-team All-Ivy honoree and owns the Ivy League record with 273 career three-pointers. Knocking down a program-best 97 triples in 1999, she earned the Ed Seitz Award as the top three-point specialist in the nation.

Earning a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience in 2000, Banghart worked at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va., where she served as the girls’ athletic director and the head coach of the girls’ basketball and tennis teams. Returning to her alma mater, she later earned a master’s degree in writing and leadership development in 2007, while spending four seasons as an assistant coach for the Big Green.

A native of Amherst, N.H., Banghart was inducted into the Dartmouth College Hall of Fame in 2004 before being inducted into New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

2017 KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Courtney spoke about building and sustaining a culture of winning. She addressed ways to acquire the right people and share a disciplined approach to player and people development. Through providing examples of how to manage with intentionality, Courtney looked inward by talking about controlling the controllables. Wholelistically and daily, one needs to be committed to values-based leadership and communicating authentically. In doing so, she has found that the score always takes care of itself.

The Philadelphia Coaches Conference brings together a diverse group of coaches of youth, high school, college and professional teams.