Davis' Homecoming Didn't Disappoint

NEW YORK – Homecomings can be nice, reflective, and even emotional times.

For RJ Davis, that can also be a heck of a lot of fun.

Davis and his North Carolina teammates put on a show Saturday, edging Ohio State, 89-84, in the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden, which is located 27 miles from Archbishop Stepinac High School, where Davis played before becoming a Tar Heel.

For his efforts, the 6-foot point guard scored 21 points, assisted on four buckets, grabbed eight rebounds, and registered two steals in Carolina’s win. He was masterful in the second half running the show, and his New York grit spread onto his teammates aiding their effort to match the Buckeyes’ brute and brawn.

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Davis, a native of White Plains, always gives that NYC fortitude. But playing before a throng of family and friends, he was further fueled to play the New York way.

“It was up to expectations for sure, just the energy, and the type of game it was,” he said, when asked about the overall experience and being NYC in front of his NYC people. “The game came down to the wire, overtime. Big time shots, big moments, it's something that lived up to expectations for sure, and for us to get the win and dig deep through the second half and overtime, what more can you ask for?”

Before Saturday, Davis had hoped he could one day play in the Garden. It’s a dream all hoopsters in the Big Apple area have. But it never materialized for Davis in high school.

Stepinac’s state title game when Davis was there was held in nearby Fordham University’s arena. Davis’ Garden experiences had been relegated to watching NBA stars visiting the Knicks.

“I've seen Lebron (James) play here,” he said. “(Russell) Westbrook, D. (Derrick) Rose. I've been here like three or four times.”

Saturday, Davis’ family and friends, “25-plus” strong, saw him on this grand stage.

“It hasn’t hit me,” Davis said, when asked if he took in a moment to soak in the fact that he was here, in this place, on that floor, under those banners honoring the Knicks and New York Rangers hockey traditions. “But when I walked into shoot around, I was looking around.

“For me to go from the stands to on to the court to play, it kind of hit me but I don’t think it will actually hit me until we get out of here.”

UNC was there in the CBS Sports Classic, an annual four-team event the Tar Heels are a part of. This is the ninth year of its existence, and had previously taken place in Brooklyn once, Las Vegas three times, Chicago twice, New Orleans, and Cleveland during the COVID year when no fans were allowed.

The MSG deal was a stroke of good fortune for Davis, who will play here again next year if he returns for his senior season.

“We're playing in the Jimmy V Classic,” UNC Coach Hubert Davis said, when asked if Carolina was returning to the Garden next season. The former New York Knicks guard said playing in this famous building will be a regular thing for the Heels for the foreseeable future.

“As long as I'm the head coach at North Carolina, we'll always have a presence here in the Garden. This is home for us.”

And it’s home for RJ Davis, who didn’t let his friends and family down while fulfilling a dream.