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CHARLOTTE – North Carolina Coach Hubert Davis spent about a half hour with the media in the breakout room Tuesday at the annual ACC Tip Off at the Marriott Charlotte City Center.
Davis was asked an assortment of questions ranging from his current relationship with Roy Williams, never cussing in front of his team, his thoughts on playing a game each year in New York City, the balance of hugging a player and getting on them, Armando Bacot’s maturity, Caleb Love’s growth, his expectations of Leaky Black, rebounding, defense, Kerwin Walton hunting his shot and much more.
Above is the video of Davos’ 32-minute Q&A session, and below are some notes and pulled quotes from what he had to say:
*Even though the Tar Heels were 18-11 last season and fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time this century, UNC still led the nation in rebounding margin plus 10.4, along with averaging 17 second chance points per game. But now that the Heels are running more of a spread approach on offense, Davis says the mandate on rebounding the ball on both ends of the floor remains.
“Three, four, and five are going to the offensive glass,” Davis said. “No different. We’re going to be one of the best, if not the best offensive rebounding team in the country. We’re going to the offensive glass. That’s who Carolina is, that’s our foundation, (and) that’s not going to change.”
*In a lot of programs, assistant coaches are the ones who put their arms around players during tough moments on the court as well as off. The head doesn’t do that as much. But Davis’ nature is to show emotion, to hug, and the perception is he isn’t one to jump on his players. THI had a chance to watch a full practice two weeks ago, and Davis certainly displayed an ability and willingness to chew out his team when necessary.
Yet, there isn’t much to him balancing that as now the head coach. He isn’t new to yelling at players when it’s called for.
“There’s no difference to the way I coach them now compared to when I was an assistant coach,” Davis said. “There are times that I’ll get on them and there’s times that I’ll encourage them. I believe in encouragement, I believe in support.
“I have relationships with these players. I spend a ton of time with them. So, when I tell them to box out, they don’t take it personally because we’ve had lunch together, we’ve had breakfast together, they’ve been over to my house, we’ve gone bowling.
“It’s all about relationships and time spent with the players, so that my communication on the floor they don’t take it personally and we’re all on the same page.”
*Only a handful of Tar Heels have played in front of a packed Smith Center before, as the sophomores dealt with an empty or near-empty building last season due to COVID. But this season, the Dean Dome will be packed, and the team will have a more normal Carolina experience.
“I’m really excited,” Davis said. “That’s one of the reasons why I brought back the Blue-White game. When I was at Carolina, we didn’t have Late Night With Coach Smith, it was just the Blue-White game. And actually, it was right after a football game. People would go to the football game and just jog down the hill and come to the Blue-White game, and it would be an intersquad scrimmage for 22,000.
“I wanted to bring that back for our guys that haven’t played in front of a crowd in the Smith Center, especially for most of our guys that haven’t (also) played in front of a crowd for over a year-and-half.
“So, I’m excited for Kerwin Walton, RJ Davis, Caleb (Love) being able to run through that tunnel for the first time and see 22,000 in the stands. It’s going to be an exciting night.”
*Davis is emotional and passionate, and he is in his dream job. The reverence he has for Dean Smith, Bill Guthridge, Roy Williams, that his uncle (Walter Davis) starred at UNC, and everything UNC basketball means. So surely he’s had some moments when he’s sat back, exhaled, and allowed his reality to fully register in a personal manner.
“I haven’t had time to exhale,” he said, laughing. “Six-and-a-half months it’s been live action.”
Perhaps a singular moment that has stood out?
“Probably the one settling moment was the first day of practice,” he said. “It’s not the first official practice (last month), but the first practice that we had in the summer. All of us were together at mid-court and we were going through the thoughts of the day, and it was really emotional to be in that place where Coach Smith, Coach Guthridge, and Coach Williams had been.
“To be in front of those guys that have trusted us. To see Coach (Jeff) Lebo standing there next to his son Creighton. And Coach Lebo, who was a senior when I was a freshman; it was an emotional day. So, if I could pick one particular point where it brought me to my emotions as being the head coach, it would be that first time that we had an official practice in the Smith Center.”
*Davis loves to smile and laugh, that is an absolute. And he did a lot of that Tuesday. One particular question drew both and brought on a terrific response. It centered on the moment Tuesday, being surrounded by the media, having cameras in his face, and the focus of so many members of the media.
“People ask me this all the time,” he said, smiling and referring to being in the limelight. “I played at Carolina. I played 12 years in the NBA. And I was with ESPN for seven years. So, this is great, I appreciate all the cameras and the microphones, but I’ve been here before (more laughter).
“Yes, I have not been a head coach before at the University of North Carolina before, but in terms of having these types of expectations, being on TV, being in the limelight, I’ve been there before. We’re okay (and more laughter).”
*Davis doesn’t hide his affection and appreciation for Dean Smith. He knew Smith at the age of four when he went to UNC games to watch his uncle play for the Tar Heels. Now that he’s in the same seat Smith occupied for nearly four decades, Davis thinks about him even more. But to be clear, he never stopped thinking about him.
“It’s not just this job,” Davis said. “There hasn’t been a decision that I have made where I haven’t thought about what Coach Smith, Coach Williams, or Coach Guthridge would say or do. We have these new shoes, by Jordan, and on the side of them it says, ‘Dear Dean.’ I wear those every practice because it has Coach Smith’s name on the side of the shoe. It makes me feel like he’s there.”
