When UNC HC Courtney Banghart reflected on her heartwarming first interaction with Tennessee legend Pat Summitt

North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart met legendary late Tennessee coach Pat Summitt for the first time while she was an assistant coach at Dartmouth. Banghart shared the heartwarming story of the memorable interaction in a tweet in June 2016 after Summitt's death.

Banghart was already in her ninth year coaching at Princeton when Summitt died at the age of 64 after battling early-onset Alzheimer's disease since her diagnosis in 2011. That morning, Banghart tweeted about the circumstances of how she met Summitt.

"I first met Pat Summitt when I was in my 2nd year as an assistant coach," she wrote. "I left Disney's massive Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando during one of their signature flash floods."

Courtney Banghart explained how she could not locate the rental car she had parked earlier for the morning game. In the meantime, Summitt was trailing her and offered help.

"'Don't you have an umbrella?' I could barely speak," Banghart wrote. "'An umbrella seems like a smart item to pack next time. Come here. Get under here with me.' I'll remember those words forever. So there I went, walking out to the parking lot huddled under an umbrella with Pat Summitt."

Courtney Banghart wrote that she was embarrassed because she wasn’t even sure where her car was parked, but Summitt insisted on helping her find it.

"We eventually found the car (truth be told, SHE spotted the lit taillights first). As I got out, she said: 'Courtney, that was fun. I hope we meet again,'" Banghart wrote.

Banghart also shared a follow-up story about the second time she encountered the Hall of Fame coach. About a year later, she was in Bayou for an AAU event when Summitt once again left a positive impression on her. She was having dinner when Summitt walked in.

"I went over to say hi, to thank that hilarious hero of mine for saving me from the fiasco in Orlando," Banghart added. "As we finished up dinner, I asked for the bill. The young server said: 'The bill was taken care of by Coach Summitt. She told me to tell you, 'good luck finding your car.'"

Courtney Banghart once said she respects Pat Summitt but leads in her own way

After a brief stint as an assistant at Dartmouth, Courtney Banghart spent 12 years as the head coach at Princeton, where she took the program to seven NCAA Tournament appearances.

In 2017, while still at Princeton, she sat down with RealWoman to discuss her coaching style.

"I learned that to be a successful leader, you have to do it your way," Banghart said. "For a young coach, I didn’t feel like I had to be Pat Summitt or Geno Auriemma. I have to be true to me, and therein lies my best chance to be successful."

Banghart left Princeton to take over the North Carolina Tar Heels in 2019. Except for the COVID-19-impacted season, she has taken UNC to the NCAA Tournament every season since.