Courtney Banghart's 10 on 10: The 2014-15 Season

PRINCETON, N.J. - Recently finishing her 10th season, Princeton head coach Courtney Banghart sits with 208 career victories, 113 of which have come in the Ivy League. She is fourth all-time in the Ivy League in career and conference wins.

Banghart's 10 on 10: The Coaching Staff
Banghart's 10 on 10: The Class of 2013
Banghart's 10 on 10: The Alumni Weekend
Banghart's 10 on 10: Addie Micir '11
Banghart's 10 on 10: Overseas Trips
Banghart's 10 on 10: Bella Alarie's Freshman Season
Banghart's 10 on 10: Tani Brown '10 and Cheryl Stevens '10
Banghart's 10 on 10: Academic-Athletic Fellows
Banghart's 10 on 10: Blake Dietrick '15

To celebrate her 10 years at Princeton, the Ivy's all-time leader in overall winning percentage and conference winning percentage, laid out her 10 favorite memories. In this article, Banghart's memories will continue with a look back on the 2014-15 season.

As if there was any doubt.

Between the coaching staff, great senior classes, alumnae, impressive freshman seasons, great leaders, the ten memories have covered it all in Banghart's 10 seasons at Princeton.

30-0.

Perfection.

"The 2014-15 season was special beyond words," said Banghart. "First and foremost, it was a team with great leadership. The senior class of Alex Rodgers and Jessica Shivers, along with co-captains Mariah Smith and Blake Dietrick were consistent, relentless, enthusiastic, and fearless, with their love of the game, winning, and each other superseding everything. This was a team-led team, as the best teams always are."

The 2014-15 schedule began with a 59-43 decision over Pittsburgh on Nov. 14 as the game was the first collegiate basketball game in the country with its 11 a.m. start time. Following two wins, former first lady and Princeton alumna Michelle Obama '85 looked on as the Tigers' earned its fourth straight victory with a 63-56 win over American.

It wouldn't be the last time we hear from the First Family of the United States.

Traveling to a different country hardly stopped Princeton as it rolled off three more victories at the Cancun Challenge in Mexico over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Banghart's unit was dominant in the month of December. The team's win over Georgetown set an Ivy record for best start in the conference's history. The closest margin of victory in the month was a 28-point decision (87-59) at Delaware (Dec. 16). Banghart picked up her 150th career victory vs. Portland State (Dec. 20), a game where Princeton broke the 100-point milestone for the first time in program history.

The Tigers would finish 2014 at 15-0, earning the Fordham Holiday Classic Championship, dropping Hartford and Fordham.

Prior to the Hampton game, Princeton broke its own record, earning a No. 22 rank in the Associated Press (AP) Top-25, the highest mark ever for an Ivy squad. That record wouldn't last.

After trailing in the second half for just the second time all season, the Tigers closed out the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 75-63 victory over Hampton.

The next day, the Tigers did not something no other Ivy League team has ever done. They appeared in the USA Today Coaches' Poll (No. 24).

Blake Dietrick reached the 1,000-point milestone as the Tigers cruised by Penn., in the Ivy opener. She became the 22nd player in program history to reach the mark. As the impressive Ivy League victories continued, Princeton climbed up the polls, reaching No. 18 in the AP poll and No. 20 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll as the month of February rolled in.

On February 9th, the South Carolina Gamecocks lost to the Connecticut Huskies, 87-62, in a game featuring the top two teams in the country. Why did that game mean anything in the story?

It left the Princeton Tigers as the lone team in Division I with no losses.

Yale provided the stiffest Ivy test for Princeton (Feb. 14). In New Haven, the Bulldogs did not allow the Tigers to pull away, but coach Banghart's unit snagged a 56-50 win. It was the first time all season that the team did not lead by at least double-digits in a game.

Banghart broke the program record with her 164th career win, passing Joan Kowalik, as the Tigers dropped Yale once more at Jadwin (Feb. 27), 67-49. The next night (Feb. 28), the team honored its senior class before disposing Brown, 79-67, breaking the program record for wins in a season (27).

March began with the Tigers as the No. 13 ranked team in the country. Princeton completed the final Ivy weekend with decisive victories at Cornell (70-37) and Columbia (63-44). The victory over Columbia clinched the inevitable, the outright Ivy title, but also broke the conference mark for best start in a season, men or women, surpassing the 1970-71 Penn men's team.

There was one game left in the regular season. One opponent standing in the way of an undefeated regular season.

Penn.

A staple of coach Banghart's tenure in Princeton, the Quakers were held to 29.6 percent (16-54) shooting, which included a 1-of-15 (6.7 percent) showing from behind the arc as the Tigers earned a 55-41 decision.

30-0.

Perfection.

"The key for this team is that they really stayed in the moment," stated Banghart. "They were never too good and never good enough. They stay totally engaged to the journey of getting better every single day. There was so much media following the season, but we approached the attention as a chance to share our story, not as an added pressure. As a team, we knew how good we could be, and credit to the players, they were laser-like focused on being great."

As you would expect, Princeton cleaned up the Ivy awards as Dietrick was honored as the Player of the Year while Banghart was a unanimous choice for the inaugural Coach of the Year accolade. Dietrick, Annie Tarakchian and Alex Wheatley were picked as the first-team All-Ivy while Michelle Miller was honorable mention.

The NCAA Tournament Selection Show announced that Princeton, despite being ranked No. 13 nationally, would be an eight seed vs. ninth-seeded Green Bay. The Tigers' seed was the highest in conference history.

Princeton fond itself trailing at halftime for just the second time all season as Green Bay held a 35-34 lead. The Tigers worked themselves back and pushed in front by eight, 54-46, with 11 minutes to go in the game. The 2015 Ivy champions maintained its lead throughout the second half, but Green Bay made one more push with two minutes to go.

Leading by four, Tarakchian came up with a steal in the right corner. Finding Wheatley underneath, Tarakchian helped stretch the cushion to six. With Princeton getting another stop, Green Bay fouled Dietrick to stop the clock, but the senior calmly stepped to the line and hit two free throws to make it 73-65 with 1:06 remaining in regulation.

The 2015 Ivy League Player of the Year came through when the team needed her the most. Princeton's victory was just the second time an Ivy League school had won in the NCAA Tournament.

"The very best teams need a consistent star," stated Banghart. "Blake's improvement as a player in her time at Princeton was unparalleled. She played 5 minutes a game her freshman year, didn't start until her junior year, and earned her way into one of the Ivy League's greatest player and the co-captain of the best team in Ivy League history by the end of her career here. Her dedication was because she cared so much about winning. Her competitive spirit drove this team, while her classmates ensured the pieces were committed to the possibilities."

There was a great crowd at the Xfinity Center in College Park, Md., to watch the Tigers make history. However, there was one particular person that stood out.

The President of the United States, Barack Obama.

What a day.

Unfortunately though, all good things must come to an end. A few days later, top-seeded Maryland, who would go on to the Final Four, used a 20-4 run to open the second half and defeat Princeton, 85-70.

The postseason accolades for Banghart were numerous following an extraordinary season.

USWBA Coach of the Year
Fortune's 50 Greatest Leaders
Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year

"That season was a validation of all that we believe, recruit, and work so hard for here at Princeton," said Banghart as she reflected back. "We dare to be great and are willing to put the work in to give ourselves that chance. We grow leaders and rely on their impact. And we strive to enjoy both the moment and the process. Winning is fun, but so is the hard work to get there. To be amongst the nation's elite was validation from the outside world, but to us, it was what we earned."

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Courtney Banghart's 10 on 10: The 2014-15 Season

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