Eight, seven, six ... Courtney Banghart sets up at the three point line and snags the pass ... five, four ... she sends the ball sailing through the air, hitting nothing but net ... three, two ... Banghart races toward midcourt, firing her arms in the air, jumping up and down. She's going wild. The whole Dartmouth bench starts to go wild. And soon, the whole place is shaking with deafening cheers and whistles.
Welcome to Big Green basketball, Banghart style.
It was only the end of the first half of Saturday's game against Harvard, but Banghart's three-pointer had just brought the Green even with Harvard. Banghart's long-range buzzer beater was all it took to bring a full house to its feet in Leede Arena.
This wasn't a first-time incident in Courtney Banghart's short collegiate basketball career, and it certainly won't be the last. The first-year guard has brought enthusiasm and an awesome outside shot to the Big Green.
But that's not all.
"Impressive" is probably an understatement to describe her talent. Superhuman is probably more the right word.
To say Banghart starred on the court in high school would be correct, but not all of her success has been on the basketball court. Banghart has two New Hampshire state singles tennis championships and two doubles championships to her name.
Banghart's jaw-dropping feats don't end with just basketball and tennis. She was also an all-American soccer player for New Hampshire and holds the state record for single-season and career scoring.
Let one statistic summarize Banghart's high school success: she played on 12 state championship-winning teams.
So is it any wonder why this three-sport star was a top recruit for Dartmouth?
When choosing Dartmouth, it was the well-rounded students and coaches that appealed to her.
"I loved the people so much," Banghart said, adding, "Coaching was also a key reason why I came here."
Coming off the bench this season for the Big Green, Banghart has made her presence known, posting the highest points-per-minute average on the team.
"She's a spark plug," Head Coach Chris Wielgus said.
Banghart also leads the team with 10 three-pointers, and is second on the team with 26 steals.
Banghart's ultra-competitive nature comes across when she talks about the team this season. "Our youth shouldn't be an excuse ... we don't want to wait to win."
The excitement that Banghart brings to the team is something she sees as an important aspect to winning. "Emotion is huge, and generally there isn't much emotion in the women's game," she said.
"She plays with a great deal of enthusiasm," Wielgus said.
Forward Jill Marple '97 said, "Sometimes when she gets excited, she talks so fast that no one can understand her."
Banghart admits to her ebullient nature.
"I have so much fun ... I lose all control. If I stop to think, I'll get myself in trouble."
Now that she's focused on just one sport, Banghart treasures her court time that much more. "I have to make an impact when I'm in there. It just makes my time on the court that much more exciting," she said.
"She doesn't back down ... she's truly fun to coach and to watch," Wielgus said.
In spite of Banghart's spotlight role in high school, team goals are at the top of her list of priorities. "I'll trade anything for an Ivy League title ... It's all about 'we.'"
Getting used to having such a large following of younger kids has been a new experience for Banghart. "The fan club is so supportive," she said.
Banghart described several incidents after games when she's signed autographs for kids on the same page of a program that she'd previously signed.
Even though Banghart didn't play soccer for Dartmouth this fall, she hasn't ruled out continuing her soccer career in the upcoming years. "You never know what's going to happen," she said with a smile.
But for now, it's more than likely that her tennis racket will stay packed away in her closet for a while. In collegiate tennis, "you're supposed to hold all your emotions in check," Banghart said.
And of course, playing without emotion for Banghart would be like forcing her to play with a hand tied behind her back -- though it's unlikely that even that couldn't stop her.
Banghart has accepted her change of role and venue over the past year. "I've gone from being a big fish in a small pond, to a small fish in a big pond," she said.
But regardless of the size of the fish or the pond, Courtney Banghart's enthusiasm has made an impression on the team, and most of all, the fans.
