CHAPEL HILL – RJ Davis doesn’t wear goggles anymore when he plays basketball, and hadn’t even thought back to the day when he did for some time, until a reminder was sent his way earlier this week.
In the frenzy of messages he received after scoring 42 points Monday night against Miami, one stood out from the others. It came from an old friend, and caught Davis by surprise, but it was a good surprise.
“One of my friends sent me a picture of when I was like a little kid,” Davis said during an interview Friday at the Smith Center. “When I was in third grade, I had a little Caeser’s ball fade (buzz hair cut). This was when I wore goggles… I used to wear goggles back in the day.
“I thought that was funny, and I (scored) like 42 points.”
The senior UNC guard probably won’t share the photo on social media, but guesses it’s out there for anyone who wants to search for it.
Davis used to do the goggles pose with his fingers after draining 3-pointers, something he did seven times in the 75-71 win over the Hurricanes. But back in the day, corrective lens goggles were mandatory for the sharpshooter.
He also wore glasses growing up. The goggles had corrective lenses, and went hand-in-hand with the glasses.
But by the time Davis reached middle school and became more aware of his attire and how he presented himself, it was time for the glasses and goggles to hit the road.
“I was just like, ‘I’m not wearing them glasses anymore,’” he said. “So, I literally just stopped wearing them, and then my eye sight got better.”
Keep in mind, Davis didn’t take off the glasses and goggles because he was seeing better, he took them off because middle school dudes aren’t exactly dudes wearing glasses. Or so he thought at the time.
“It was more like a cool factor,” Davis admitted, smiling. “I was going through my middle school age, so I was like getting into fashion more and just tired of wearing goggles when I played basketball. So, I was like, ‘I’m definitely not wearing these anymore.’”
The ACC’s leading scorer at 21.7 points per game, Davis doesn’t wear contacts now, his vision is fine, as his 41.1 percent effort from the perimeter illustrates. That including 7-for-11 from outside against the Hurricanes on a night he was 14-for-22 from the floor.
The scoring binge came two days after Davis was just 1-for-14 against Virginia. But the Wahoos have a tendency of making volume scorers look pedestrian. Miami didn’t, and Davis took advantage, netting the most points ever in a college game in the Smith Center, which has been in existence for 38 years.
It was also the most points in regulation by a Tar Heel since legendary Charlie Scott was leading Dean Smith’s team in 1970. Hence, the heavy influx of attention on social media.
“A lot,” Davis replied, when asked how many people he heard from. “Obviously, the messages are a lot, but on Instagram, and Tik Tok, and a bunch of them; you know a lot of adds and mentions on Instagram and Tik Tok, I couldn’t really go through them.
“As far as my mentions, it was mainly close friends and family members congratulating me.”
Monday night was the second time in five weeks Davis set a career-high, as he went for 36 points in a win over Wake Forest.
With the ninth-ranked Tar Heels (22-6, 14-3 ACC) hosting NC State on Saturday, another scoring outburst by Davis will surely lead to a dose of atta boys. And maybe even an old-school photo of himself from back in the day.
