CHAPEL HILL – Regardless of what North Carolina’s basketball team does on the court over the next couple of months, RJ Davis will long be remembered and acknowledged.
His achievements, honors, and impact on UNC Basketball are here to stay and appreciated, as just nine home games remain in his highly productive career.
And that’s where the focus is here. Davis passed former Tar Heel and current assistant coach Marcus Paige on Sunday night as the program’s all-time leader in made 3-pointers, as he now has 303. Paige also jumped into the top 10 all-time leading scorers in ACC history. It should also be noted he’s third on UNC’s all-time scoring list and is just 15 points behind former teammate Armando Bacot for second all-time in scoring.
So, with the Tar Heels tied with Campbell at 9-9 on Sunday at the Smith Center, Davis drained a 3-pointer giving the Heels a 12-9 lead and himself the all-time mark. Moments later during a dead ball situation, Davis was acknowledged by the public address announcer with images on the video boards noting his achievement.
He stood at the top of the key as the near-capacity crowd rose to its feel increasing the depth of the ovation. Davis pointed upward taking it all in.
Following the game, we spoke with Davis about the historical shot, but also how he appears to be creeping toward how he played last year when he was named the ACC Player of the Year. Davis scored 23 points on the night, including hitting half of his 10 three-point attempts. He scored 17 in the win over UCLA and 29 in a narrow loss to Florida.
We discussed the historic mark, Davis finding himself, the return of his step-back shots, and wearing pink shoes. Here is that conversation:
Q: We are starting to see the step-back more. Is that a sign you’re feeling your game more.
DAVIS: “I lived off the step-back last year, so I think it’s coming back right now. And I think also with my teammates, their ability to score, you’ve (defenses) have to pick your poison whether you’re going to guard them or me. That opens up a lot of space for myself and is why I’m able to get easier shots.”
Q: You had on the pink shoes tonight. You scorched in them last year. Was that a conscious decision to try them again?
DAVIS: “I’m like superstitious but then not superstitious. I kind of wanted to start off going into ACC play. I know it wasn’t an ACC game but just this (it’s) about heading into the right track. I feel like my pink shoes are my lucky shoes, so that was my decision going into the game.”
Q: You have achieved a ton here, but did you need to have a game like this going into ACC pay?
DAVIS: “When I felt like myself again was Florida. I kind of felt myself coming back into my kind of the old vintage RJ. I was able to knock down shots and be confident in the realm of the game. Just that stretch of games from Florida to UCLA up until now, I feel like I’ve put together, me personally from a mental standpoint a good stretch of games where I feel like I’m not really putting too much pressure on myself to make or miss every single shot.
“Just go out there and play free, because I feel like I had a weight on my shoulders, and more so of me putting that on myself more than anybody else. And that’s because I just want to be really great, but I realize I was stopping myself from producing what I’m better showing.”
Q: You got a loud ovation when it was announced you set the record. You stood on the court and pointed upward. What was going through your mind?
DAVIS: “I just thank God for putting me in this position to be able to achieve that. I think there was a reason I came back, there’s a reason I’m in this position. So, all the glory goes to Him, and what’s that I did so I just point out to thank Him because my life has changed from last year up until now. I’m just grateful for everything that’s been coming my way.”
In addition, someone else asked Davis about passing Marcus Paige.
DAVIS: “I grew up watching Marcus, and for me to pass him and him to hand me the torch is just a real moment because now he’s a coach now (and) he’s paving the way for myself but the rest of us guards.”
Also, we asked UNC Coach Hubert Davis if he thinks RJ is returning to form. Here is what he said:
HUBERT DAVIS: "I do feel like he's in a better rhythm out there on the floor. I do feel that way. I feel like the last three games, he's finding his rhythm. It really is with a new lineup, and changing lineup, too. I think one of the things that helps is just the growth of Ian, getting another score out there. So when you have another person out there that can go get buckets, very similar to what he experienced last year, where you had Cormac (Ryan), Harrison (Ingram), Armando (Bacot) and had a little bit more space to be able to get into his offensive game. So I'm really happy for him."
