CHAPEL HILL – RJ Davis is in his fifth year playing basketball for the Tar Heels, but it’s his first trying to be a full-fledged leader on the court.
It hasn’t come easily to North Carolina’s second all-time leading scorer, but he’s working it. And perhaps he’s forced to be more proactive when the team going through defensive malaises as it did in Saturday’s overtime escape past Boston College at the Smith Center.
The Tar Heels allowed BC to shoot better than 50% for both halves, allowed a team that entered the game 327th in the nation averaging 6.1 made 3-pointers a game to convert 14 on 24 attempts, and if not for a sudden rise-up defensively in the last 18.9 seconds of regulation, UNC would have suffered a devastating Quad 4 loss at home.
The Heels won, 102-96 in overtime, and avoided major embarrassment. After the game, Davis spoke about the team’s struggle to maintain a high level of energy, especially on defense. He also addressed his work as a leader trying to make players accountable and that being on a team that has such significant dips in energy is new for his Carolina experience.
Davis finished the game with 23 points and 5 assists. Below is his Q&A plus video of his postgame interview:
Q: What did it take to get that win in the end?
DAVIS: “It took everybody on the court and everybody on the bench. It was a group effort the way we persevered and was resilient towards the end. It was huge because we kind of put ourselves in that position a little bit. But the way we battled and fought to the end, we got a lot of crucial defensive stops and was able to execute on the offensive end, and that’s big time for us.
“But you’ve got to look at it as well like this could have been a game were multiple times to extend the lead and couldn’t get stops. I’m just overall happy that we got the win.”
Q: Where did that last minute come from because previously you guys were struggling defensively, and how deep did you guys have to dig to get those stops?
DAVIS: “I feel like the whole game we dig ourselves into a hole, and it kind of felt like we was coming out of the hole and then we kept putting ourselves in position where mishaps were happening. Miscommunication on ball screens. Our low man not being there. Sometimes our low man being there then them spraying out.
“Little details and mistakes like that put ourselves in a position where Boston College was able to capitalize off of. But the way we finished the game out strong, especially in overtime and got stops when it was needed was huge for us. I just wish could have done that for a full 40. But overall, I’m happy with the way we rallied the troops together and was able to win.”
Q: People are going to nit pick at this game in a lot of ways, but you’re at a point in the season now, especially coming off those two losses, is this simply a matter that a win is a win and you take a win, you move forward and just try to build on it?
DAVIS: “A hundred percent. I’m taking this win. I know it was ugly but a win is a win. And we’re at a point right now where we’re just trying to stack some wins and we’ll take the wins how they come. It was ugly today, but it’ll go up as a W.”
Q: You guys had a lot of trouble closing out on perimeter shooters. Was that partly because of communication issues as well?
DAVIS: “I think it was communication and effort. I think we lack a lot of effort and conscious energy plays that were needed that we didn’t execute well on. And that’s what allowed Boston College to get open threes and we were slow on the close out.
“If we eliminate those, because we know the answers when coach asks us like, ‘why are we not doing this’ or ‘what are we supposed to be in this position?’ We actually have to go out there and act on it rather than just keep repeating ourselves over and over again.”
Q: You mentioned a minute ago about a lack of energy. You guys bring that up a lot, how big an obstacle for this group to have 40 minutes with the energy at the right level?
DAVIS: “It’s huge, right, because I’m a big believer in playing basketball with passion and energy. You can’t really be too nonchalant, just go out there, as my dad would say, like in ‘la la world.’ You’ve got to have a sense of urgency and attention of what you guys want to do as a team and individually to accomplish.
“That’s something that we as a team get over that hump because it’s been evident that we’ve been shooting ourselves in the foot when we don’t have energy. But then when we do, you can see momentum on our side we change the whole game around.
“As long as we constantly speak that to ourselves and as a team a whole, I think we have a good chance of kind of making a run here.”
Q: How frustrating is for you when you’re going through a stretch sensing the energy isn’t where it needs to be?
DAVIS: “It’s frustrating. But I think as a leader I think I’ve been doing a good job of it the last three games kind of preaching it and staying on guys holding each other accountable. Obviously, it’s a little bit uncomfortable for me because it’s been something that I haven’t been used to in my past four years of being here.
“But I realize that I have to put myself in uncomfortable positions; putting myself in a comfort zone where I’m able to just hold guys accountable, and when I see guys’ energy dropping just raise them up, uplift each other and my teammates, and that’s what I’m going to continue to keep doing because that’s the only way we’re going to be able to be in the games.”
