In the matter of a year, RJ Davis’ stature in North Carolina Basketball lore went from one of many good guards in its deep history to one of its best.

For his play, Davis was a consensus first-team All-America, and was named ACC Player of the Year. He was the first Tar Heel to win the honor since Justin Jackson in 2017.

“Awesome. Just unbelievable," UNC Coach Hubert Davis said. "I want all of our players to be celebrated and supported, encouraged, noticed. I felt like RJ, in some sense, has been overlooked and it’s overdue. And for him to be celebrated the way he has been all season; yes, he’s had a terrific season, but he’s had an outstanding career.

“For me, being one of his coaches, being able to see what RJ has brought to this team and this program and this university, even off the court, brings tremendous joy to my heart.”

The senior from White Plains, NY, also set a single-game scoring record in the Smith Center with 42 points against Miami. The performance was a masterpiece and vintage RJ. So much that it had the UNC students chanting "one more year" toward the end of the game, requestion the sharpshooter use his Covid season and return to Chapel Hill for another campaign.

“I love our fans, I love the students here,” Davis said some 15 minutes after setting the record. “Throughout the whole year, they’ve showed a lot of love for me, and I saw the ‘one more year (signs).'"

That night, his 36-point game against Wake Forest, 20-point game streaks, money buckets, so much about his season is revealed by his many amazing stat lines. It truly was one of the best seasons ever turned in by a Carolina guard.

That cannot be debated. Numbers don’t lie.

Now, Davis did not win a national championship or an ACC Tournament championship. But he did just about everything else in his career, and if this was his swan song, he capped off his time in Chapel Hill in legendary status.

We will look at Davis’ career at another time, though it must at least be noted to fully articulate how magnificent his senior campaign was.