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North Carolina Coach Hubert Davis took part in the weekly ACC Conference Call on Monday to field questions about his team, with much of the focus on the recent play and production from the players coming off the bench.
Davis discussed Kerwin Walton’s improvements and confidence, what Dontrez Styles has done to earn minutes early in the last two games, and he was also asked questions about Anthony Harris’ role even though he isn’t playing, as well as some players recently mentioning they have spoken with therapists to help them through some things.
Above is the full video of Davis’ Q&A session, and below are some notes and pulled quotes from what he had to say:
*When Hubert Davis drew up a shot for Kerwin Walton midway through the second half in a win at College of Charleston in November, it seemed like business as usual for Walton. He was the Tar Heels’ lone consistent effective perimeter shooter last season, and when the Heels needed a bucket, Davis knew who to call on. Over the next couple of months, however, Walton didn’t have many shots drawn up for him, or if he did, he didn’t convert many.
He scored 14 points in the win over CoC, and his high output over Carolina’s next 18 games was just six points. Walton didn’t even score in half of those games. But this past week, he displayed some added nuances to his game, particularly the use of the dribble – going left, crossovers, and more – and he also hit some shots.
Walton scored seven points in 15 minutes in a 79-77 win at Clemson last Tuesday, and in a rout of Florida State on Saturday, Walton played 16 minutes and tallied nine points. For the week, he was 5-for-10 from the field, including 3-forr-6 from the perimeter, plus he hit all three of his free throw attempts.
A starter last season, Davis said teams would defend him more closely this season. So, the sophomore not only had to adapt to that, but his new role.
“Going into the season this year, I told him rarely will he be left open,” Davis said. “Coming into the season, he was the only one percentage-wise was making threes. So, for him to be effective on the offensive end he had to be aggressive. He’s got to move without the basketball, he’s got to aggressively come off of screens, he’s got to put the ball on the floor, he’s got to attack the basket, he’s got to get to the free throw line.
“I agree over the last couple of games, he’s been doing that more, and as a result, he’s been better offensively. I like it.”
*Staying on Walton, after quite a few games, he has spent a lot of time on the court working on his game doing a variety of drills, and rarely getting up perimeter shots. He has clearly been working on the parts of his game that needed to improve. And some of that – mainly his handle – have surfaced in recent games.
Has Davis seen those parts of his game improve, and along with it, Walton’s confidence move in the right direction as well?
“One of the things, and not only Kerwin but for everybody, that I tell the players, is I want basketball players, I don’t want specialists,” Davis said. “I don’t want three-point specialists or defensive specialists or energy and effort specialists, I want basketball players.
“So, in regards to the only difference between Kerwin and Armando is size. We want them to be able to handle the basketball, to distribute, to rebound, to defend, shoot the ball, make threes, get to the free throw line, make energy and effort plays.
“That’s one of the things that I have consistently told Kerwin is I don’t look at him, nor do I want him, to just be a shooter, I want him to be a basketball player. If your shot’s not going in, what can you do to add benefit for our team to be successful out there on the floor.
“And with Kerwin’s size as a wing player, I think he can be an excellent defensive player, I think he can distribute the basketball because he’s a willing passer, I think he can handle the basketball, I think he can rebound. And those are things I think can be a huge impact from a positive standpoint for our team in addition to his ability to shoot the ball from the outside.”
*Freshman forward Dontrez Styles played four minutes in the first half at Clemson and was the first reserve to enter the game (at the 13:03 mark) in the win over FSU. Styles recorded personal UNC highs of 16 minutes, eight points, and four rebounds versus the Seminoles, and he had two rebounds in his stint versus the Tigers.
What was it that got him spots early in those games, and did he do enough to earn continued playing time in the first half of games moving forward?
“Well, Dontrez has been great all season. It’s always an adjustment for any freshman going from high school to college, especially playing at this level and just learning (about) attention to detail, and how every possession counts on both ends of the floor.
“The reason why Dontre lately has gotten more playing time is because he’s played really well at practice. I know it sounds simple, but it really is. If you play well at practice, I’ll play you; and if you play well at practice and I put you in the game and you play well in the game, I’ll keep you in the game. There’s no difficult formula other than that.
“The guys that get on the court are the guys that practice really well, and the guys that get the most minutes are the ones that play well when they’re out there on the floor. That’s what Dontrez has been doing over then last couple of weeks.
“I was really happy for him for how he played against Florida State, and we really needed it. His level of athleticism is something that we don’t have a lot of. And against Clemson, and also against Florida State, he played extremely well.”
*Over the last week, both Leaky Black and Dontrez Styles have opened up some about how speaking with a therapist has helped them get through some rough patches. Davis was asked about that, and he took it in a direction that speaks more to the overall culture of the program he is creating for his players, which extends well beyond the basketball court.
“Those are things that we talk about a lot as a program and as a team,” Davis replied. “But I think it really generates from relationships that we have; not just amongst the teammates, but also the coaching staff.
“I’ve said this before that our guys are required to stop by the office three times a week, and we can’t talk about basketball. So, they stop by the office and we talk about a number of things. And I really believe that the time shared with them off the court and them seeing us fathers, as husbands, as not just coaches, and just the communication that we have with our players, allows them to be open and vulnerable.
“I’m glad that they’re talking about the things that they are working through and working on. I think that’s very important to be able to have a voice and feel comfortable to be able to use that voice. I’m very proud of our guys for being able to do that.”
