THI TV: Hubert Davis Pre-ACC Tournament Interview From DC

WASHINGTON, DC – North Carolina Basketball Coach Hubert Davis met with a few members of the media inside the team’s hotel at Marriott Metro Center on Wednesday morning to discuss his team as the Tar Heels prepare to play in the ACC Tournament.

UNC is the top seed this week and will open play Thursday at Capital One Arena against the winner of Wednesday’s game between Virginia Tech and Florida State. The Heels are 25-6 overall and finished 17-3 in the ACC, two games ahead of second-place Duke. UNC’s game Thursday tips off at noon.

Earlier this week, Davis was named ACC Coach of the Year. He is the fifth Tar Heel to win ACC Coach-of-the-Year honors (a total of 13 times), joining Frank McGuire, Dean Smith (eight times), Bill Guthridge and Roy Williams (2006 and 2011).

Above is video from Davis’ Q&A session, and below are a few notes from what he had to say:

*Davis grew up in the DC area, in Burke, VA, and attended Lake Braddock High School. This is home to him, and it carries great memories and some sad ones.

“I was born in Winston-Salem (NC), but my dad worked 35 years with the Department of Education for the United States government. His office is just right down the street. So, this was home to me. It brings back great memories.

“But it also brings back sad memories because of my mom. Taking her to the hospital for her doing radiation and chemotherapy. So, there’s a lot of here for me.”

*Davis is one to often deflect any kind of praise, so when asked about his Coach of the Year award and how it further links him with Dean Smith, Bill Guthridge, and Roy Williams, he gave praise to his assistants. He called it a “staff of the year award,” and not a personal one.

*Davis gushed about RJ Davis winning ACC Player of the Year.

“Awesome. Just unbelievable. 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.”

*Davis joked that when he told Armando Bacot about being named to the ACC’s All-Defensive team, Bacot called himself a “3 and D” guy. Meaning, after hitting two 3-pointers a week ago against Notre Dame in the final home game, that’s the “3” part, and the “D” part is because he’s made himself into an outstanding defensive player.

*Davis acknowledges he can get really fired up on the sidelines, so much that his wife has him wear an oura ring so she can monitor his heart rate.

“I always tell the guys, ‘I don’t know how you play this game absent of emotion.’ And I want people to play with their personality. And so, for me, the hardest part is I’m 53 and can’t play anymore, so I just get so excited out there. I will jump up, I will stop, I will raise my hand.

“That’s why I stand up the whole game. I don’t know how Coach (Roy) Williams sat down the whole game, I just can’t sit there.”