We are less than 3 weeks away from the tip-off of a new college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to start preparing for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with High Point women’s coach Chelsea Banbury, who talked about making the NCAA tourney last March and her expectations for this season.
You played basketball at FGCU: how good a player were you back in the day? That was a long time ago! I think that I was a good player: I played PG and loved to play fast/make passes in transition, but my teammates made me look better than I was.
In 2008 you received the Eagle Scholar-Athlete Award as the student-athlete with the highest GPA: how did you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? We went to practice very early in the morning and had the rest of the day left for classes/homework. I was there to get my degree and took it seriously, so I did as well as I could with both school/basketball.
During your 11 years on the coaching staff at your alma mater your team played in the NCAA Tournament or WNIT every single season: what is the secret to winning games in March? Preparation was very important to our success, but the work did not start in March. You must build the right work habits/chemistry early in the summer and then keep getting better each day.
You were hired as coach at High Point in 2019: why did you take the job? I thought that it was an incredible opportunity: the campus is unreal and the academics are impressive, so it is an easy thing to sell. The athletic director/president both want us to succeed, and now we have a $180 million arena/hotel/conference center. This is a special place, and I wanted to come in and build my own program.
In your 2nd year as head coach, you made the 2021 NCAA tourney before losing to UConn: what are your memories of facing Paige Bueckers/Geno Auriemma? Geno was out with COVID, so Chris Dailey was coaching the Huskies. 1 of the things that is underappreciated is how good their defense is. Paige was the national POY that year: her mid-range game is as good as I have seen but it was a couple of her passes that blew me away, so I know that she will continue to do great things.
You have been named conference COY twice in the past 5 years: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It has everything to do with our players, so it is more of an honor for our entire team because they are the ones who put our game plan to work. I have been fortunate to coach a lot of good players who bought into what we want to do so they deserve all the credit, and my staff has also been great at supporting me.
Last year you had 1 of the most balanced-scoring offenses that I have ever seen with 5 different players scoring 9.7-10.4 PPG: was that a happy coincidence, or is that exactly how you want your team to play, or other? That 1 was a happy coincidence. We talked a lot about passing up a good shot for a great shot but last year it could have been anyone’s night to score. Certain teams have 1 player who will take 20 shots/game, but when you have a selfless team that will share the ball you become a lot harder to scout. If you are the most open person, then the ball will find you. We have a lot of good scorers this year too…although it might not be quite as balanced as last year.
Take me through the 2025 postseason:
In the Big South tourney title game, you had a 6-PT win over Longwood: what did it mean to you to win a conference title for just the 2nd time in program history? It was awesome! I do not know if it is more about relief when you are a coach, but seeing all the players celebrate after all their hard work paid off was very cool. We had a senior guard named Nakyah Terrell who broke her leg in the tourney semifinal. It broke my heart to not have her out there for the final, but she still helped us win that game, so I was a little emotional.
In the 1st 4 your team had 15 STL in a 6-PT loss to William & Mary: what did your team learn from its postseason run that you think will help them this season? Understanding the intensity of March. William & Mary made 6-9 3-PT shots in the 1st half so you must take every opposing shooter seriously. Once you get to the postseason you will get everyone’s best so you must be ready to execute your game plan at the highest level.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We are like every other team: our goal is to continue to win championships and be playing our best basketball in March. I do not expect us to be ready for March right now, so I just want us to get better every single day and enjoy the grind.
