RJ Davis' Summer: Mentoring & Becoming An Extension To His Coach

Note: Video of RJ Davis' interview is posted below this transcript.

CHAPEL HILL – RJ Davis is serving as a mentor these days.

In just his second normal offseason as a North Carolina basketball player, Davis has taken freshman Seth Trimble under his wing and is showing the talented newcomer how things are done. This is the culture embeded within UNC for decades, but one that Davis actually missed out on experiencing when he first arrived.

He arrived at Carolina during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, so there wasn’t a typical offseason in Chapel Hill that summer, or that fall. Or that season. He and fellow freshman Caleb Love were forced to basically figure things out on their own.

Davis has done that now, and is imparting his considerable wisdom onto Trimble.

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“Seth is my guy,” Davis said during an interview session on the Smith Center court this past Monday. “He’s been great for us. He’s super athletic and he’s willing to ask questions when he doesn’t understand something. I take him under my wing showing him the ropes a little bit, because that’s something I didn’t have my freshman year.

“So, just for me to be that veteran showing him the ways a little bit, he’s going to be more than fine. He’ll be a great player.”

The maturity Davis exudes as a mentor starting showing up in his game this past season, and is something Tar Heels fans should first look for when the team opens the season in November. After all, that has been a point of emphasis for the White Plains, NY, native. He grew a lot last season, but this spring and summer have been about taking a giant step in that respect.

Guiding a supremely talented youngster, who could take over for Davis whenever he leaves Chapel Hill, be it next spring or the following year, is just one of Davis’ many responsibilities. Such are things that cannot be found in box scores, but are essential elements of a championship team’s fiber.

“I would say junior RJ Davis will be that guy who will have a lot of confidence, have a lot of heart every game, and be a leader,” Davis replied when asked how junior RJ will be different from sophomore RJ.

“He’s going to be an extension of coach (Hubert Davis) on the floor, he’s not going to have to rely on coach to call plays, he’ll look to me to call the play or just direct the guys into winning. I’ve won my whole life, so that’s something that junior RJ Davis will bring this year.”

The game management stuff was integral in Carolina's run to the national championship game, in which it feell short to Kansas by three points.

That night, the Heels needed every bit of whatever they could muster to cut down the nets, and darn near did it, in part because the feisty Davis grabbed 12 rebounds, six on the offensive glass. In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, a rout of Marquette, Davis handed out a career-high 12 assists.

Two days later, when the Tar Heels eliminated top-seed Baylor in Fort Worth, Davis scored a career-high 30 points. He became the first UNC player to ever hand out at least 12 assists and score at least 30 points in consecutive NCAA Tournament games.

Then, his perimeter defense in the regional final victory over Saint Peter’s was top-shelf stuff. It was another example of Davis rising to whatever his team needed, along with the consistency of his game management. Davis became the Heels’ quarterback on the court, quite literally.

That element of his and the team’s growth occurred because of his increasing connectedness with his rookie head coach.

“I think the more comfort I got throughout the year of calling plays and seeing the defense, seeing what’s working, that’s definitely something that happened late in the year, and I think that’s something that’s been working,” RJ said. “So, I’m going to stick to that and continue to trust my instincts.”

Davis finished the campaign averaging 13.5 points, 3.6 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per contest. He shot 39.8 percent from the floor, including 35.1 percent from three-pint range.

The 6-foot junior guard is working on all elements of his craft, but that also includes QBing his guys, whether in real practices, of which the Tar Heels have had around seven in July, or workouts or drills.

And it includes mentoring the next wave of Tar Heels that are there now beginning their processes.

Note: Video of RJ Davis' interview is posted below this transcript.

What is the current focus this summer?

DAVIS: “We’re really dialed into what to expect this year and what we want, and that’s to win the national championship. We’ve been working hard non-stop every day summer, whether it’s individually or as a team. We’re close as a team so far, so it’s been great. The chemistry’s there, so we’re only going to move forward as well.”

What is the difference between right now and this time last year?

DAVIS: “We have more depth on this roster. We’re going to try to get back to playing fast, I think sometimes we kind of slowed down the tempo. Right now, it’s more about implementing the newcomers with returning guys, just trying to jell and get actual chemistry going. We got frustrated last week implementing our spacing. It’s not clicking right now, but we have new players, and this is our first time actually playing since April.

“It’s been great so far. We’re all enjoying it. Last Thursday’s practice was definitely competitive – the way we was getting after it. Compared to last year’s team, I think the way we changed it around kind of took a while, but I think this team is clicking like that.”

Regarding last year compared to now, athletes are very confident, but is there a difference in thinking you can get as far as you did versus knowing you can get that far?

DAVIS: “We’re definitely motivated to the point where we know we can do it, it’s (about) how much you want to give up and how much you need to dial in. I think right now our focus level is off the charts right now.”

What is Pete Nance going to bring to this team?

DAVIS: “Pete’s gonna be Pete. The way he’s able communicate with us, the way he’s able to defend one-through-five, his athleticism – we throw it up, he’ll go get it. He’s a great screener. He loves to be that team guy, he’s a great team player. I love playing with him the way he’s able to communicate to talk about this play, to see how to work it out, fix up some mixed pieces. He’s been tremendous for us all summer.”

If the Heels were going to add a piece, how important is it they got someone who can back up Armando when necessary?

DAVIS: “That’s actually something that we needed, another big to fill in just in case ‘Mando is in foul trouble and to help complement him. I feel like the addition of Pete will be a great spot.”

His thoughts on Seth Trimble

DAVIS: “Seth is my guy. He’s been great for us. He’s super athletic and he’s willing to ask questions when he doesn’t understand something. I take him under my wing showing him the ropes a little bit, because that’s something I didn’t have my freshman year. So, just for me to be that veteran showing him the ways a little bit, he’s going to be more than fine. He’ll be a great player.”

Will he play a significant amount?

DAVIS: “Yeah, I think so. I’m pretty sure he will.”

His thoughts on the other freshmen

DAVIS: “Jalen Washington is really good. Tyler Nickel is really good. Will Shaver’s really good; all of the freshmen are really good and been doing a great job. They’re actually a real close little freshmen group they’ve got going on.”

What does he see that Puff and Dontrez can add this year?

DAVIS: “They can add scoring. Their ability to run the floor, knock down open shots, rebound, defend, that’s something we’re going to need this year, especially going towards tournament time. They’re definitely going to take a big leap. They’ve been working really hard throughout the summer in the weight room, on the court. I’m definitely looking forward to them taking that leap this year.”

What will he have in his game as a junior it didn’t always have as a sophomore?

DAVIS: “I would say junior RJ Davis will be that guy who will have a lot of confidence, have a lot of heart every game, and be a leader. He’s going to be an extension of coach on the floor, he’s not going to have to rely on coach to call plays, he’ll look to me to call the play or just direct the guys into winning. I’ve won my whole life, so that’s something that junior RJ Davis will bring this year.”

Didn’t that happen later in the season when Hubert Davis didn’t call as much set stuff and relied more on RJ’s game management?

DAVIS: “Yeah. I think the more comfort I got throughout the year of calling plays and seeing the defense, seeing what’s working, that’s definitely something that happened late in the year, and I think that’s something that’s been working. So, I’m going to stick to that and continue to trust my instincts.”