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Deal ends Friday!!!
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CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina Coach Hubert Davis met with the media Tuesday afternoon in advance of the Tar Heels’ game versus No. 24 Michigan on Wednesday night at the Smith Center, which is part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
UNC’s coach fielded questions via zoom for about 20 minutes with most of the focus on his team’s defensive performances so far and how he’s gone about getting them to improve, as well as the chemistry on the team, in addition to some other topics.
UNC is 4-2 while the Wolverines are also 4-2. The game tips at 9:15.
Above is video of the entire presser and below is a full transcript of what Davis had to say:
Q: What was the primary thing you worked on regarding defense over the last week in which the process of improvement begins with that?
DAVIS: “Well, one of the things we consistently worked on (from) the start of the season is our transition defense. That has to be great. We have to have guys sprinting back, you have to have guys talking and communicating. One of the things that I’ve said consistently, is you sprint back not with a sense of urgency but with a sense of emergency. So, our transition defense is something that we worked on a lot this past week. It’s something that we have to get back to and do really well.
“Defending the paint, guarding the ball. The thing from a defensive standpoint I got from the couple of games that we played in Connecticut, it was how many points in the paint (96 in two games) that we were giving up. And I’ve said before that going into this year there were two areas that I wanted to really be better at. One, guarding the ball. I felt like over the last couple of years we haven’t been good just containing and guarding the ball. And number two, is being in position where we can contain the dribble drive and not allow teams to get into the paint, but also be in position where we can defend the three as well.
“So, defending the paint and making it very difficult from an offensive standpoint to attack the basket and get points in the paint. That’s what we want. And from a defensive standpoint, that’s not what we want out opponents to have. So those are two things specifically that we’ve talked about and drilled in practice. And my hope is we’ve improved in those two areas.”
Q: Without having a game to judge that against, do you get the sense you guys made progress in those areas this past week?
DAVIS: “I do. I feel like we’ve made progress, I feel like we’ve gotten better. I feel like we’ve gotten back to our foundation (and) principles on talking on defense, being in the right position, communicating, team defense – all the things that we had talked about in preseason. And just, for whatever reason, up in Connecticut we really struggled with that. And so, I do feel like we’ve improved, but we’ll find out tomorrow night and on Sunday when we play Georgia Tech.”
Q: Michigan also has two losses, does it feel like they come in underrated?
DAVIS: “I don’t look at it like that at all. Michigan is an outstanding team, they’re well coached. I have unbelievable respect for Juwan Howard and his coaching staff. Michigan is a team that not only has team goals to be able to win the Big Ten and get to a Final Four and win a national championship, they have the coaching staff and the talent to be able to do that.
“We do as well. We have the same type of team goals as Michigan has, the only different would be is our goal is to win the ACC regular season and tournament title, but we also want to get to the Final Four and win a national championship as well. And with the talent we have out there on the floor, both teams have an opportunity to do that.
“Tomorrow night will be against a great opponent with an unbelievable coaching staff.”
Q: You said during these past eight days you wanted to get some togetherness with the team, what were some of the off-the-court things you did to build that trust this team needs to come together with?
DAVIS: “During the summer, before classes started, we spent so much time together apart from the floor. You were able to do that because you had that time. Now that they’re in classes, and specifically now, they’re ending the semester getting into finals, there’s a number of stuff that’s going on. We have games, we have practices, we have preparation that doesn’t allow us to spent that time as a group together.
“This past eight says, we were able to do that and just spend time together apart from the court. Not necessarily talking about basketball, just spending time together. That’s one of the parts of this job that I love, is just spending time and developing relationships with our players apart from the court. Because I’ve always said, ‘I can’t coach you unless I know you, and you can’t play for me unless you know me.
“So, these last eight days were a lot of fun, and very beneficial to me and to our team.”
Q: I was curious on your history with Juwan Howard and what interaction you may have had with him the year you spent on the staff of the Dallas Mavericks?
DAVIS: “I did not coach Juwan Howard when he was with the Mavericks. I spent one year with the Mavericks. I was player development coach after I retire in 2004, but he was not part of the Dallas Mavericks at that time. The only connection that Juwan Howard and I have in terms of us being in the NBA, is that we were traded for each other.
“In 2000, I was with the Dallas Mavericks, and on the trading deadline February 22, I got traded that day to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Juwan Howard. Now, Juwan went from the Washington Wizards to the Dallas Mavericks, I went to the Washington Wizards along with Christian Laettner, (and) Courtney Alexander. And so, that’s the only connection I have with Juwan Howard in terms of the NBA.”
Q: Were you the primary recruiter on (Michigan center) Hunter Dickinson, and what do you see from him that makes him so good?
DAVIS: “I was not the primary recruiter of Hunter Dickinson, but I’ve always been a huge fan of his. He’s from DeMatha (Hyattsville, MD), and I grew up right outside Washington, D.C. area, so I’ve seen him play for a number of years. And he also played on the same AAU team, Team Takeover, in the EYBL with Armando (Bacot).
“He’s a guy that can consistently score down low in the paint. He’s a guy that works extremely hard to get low position down low on the block. And he’s extremely skilled; he’s a fantastic passer. And he can shoot the ball from the outside. He’s got a consistent 15, 17-foot jump shot, and can also extend to three-point range.
“But, how he competes, how hard he plays, are the things that jump out to me, and I’ve always been a big fan of Hunter Dickinson even when he was in high school at DeMatha and AAU, and I’m a big fan of watching him at Michigan.”
Q: We spoke with Roy Williams for the better part of two decades about the challenge of help defense and also defending the three. From your perspective, what are maybe the one or two or even three keys in trying to balance that process?
DAVIS: “One of the things that we require of our guys is to be able to guard two different types of actions. They’re athletic enough, skilled enough to be able to be in position to help, but also be able to close out and contest threes. That’s expected of them, and it’s expected of them because they’re talented enough and knowledgeable enough and smart enough to be able to do that.
“In terms of protecting the paint, you want to take away layups and dunks. One of the things we’ve talked about in transition and in half court is, ‘What is out end game?’ And our end-game philosophy is no layups and dunks, no lace-up wide-open threes, and don’t put them on the free throw line. Make them make at least two passes or more so our defense can get set.
“So just being in position so you can guard two actions is something that we require because they’re talented enough and able to do it. You can be in help position to stop the dribble drive and stop penetrating in the paint, but you can still be in position to highly contest a three-point shot as well.”
Q: Have you seen the number of players who play a tough, physical brand of basketball increase in recent years, and ho do you take a team that might not be as tough as you want and make them tough?
DAVIS: “I haven’t specifically looked at that and noticed that around college basketball, but that’s something resonates with me. That’s who I am. I’m all about the big things – winning championships and my hopes and dreams are the same as the hopes and dreams of our players. I want them to have the experience of winning a national championship, and I also want them to have the experience of having long, unbelievable careers in the NBA.
“But I also find, and I think the toughness that you’re talking about is the people that find great joy in the practice, the preparation, and the process, not just the play. And that’s something that’s who I am. And the thing that we talk to our team every day is about finding that joy and enjoyment and that passion. Not just in the play and playing the games, but in the preparation and practice that put you in a position to play possibly your best in the game.”
Q: Is the player that plays with toughness something they’re born with or can you coach it into players?
DAVIS: “It’s a great question. So many people have asked me do I think I would have had the career I had at Carolina and gone on into the NBA if it wasn’t for the death of my mom when I was 16. And when somebody asks me that question, I can’t say that I would have. I can’t definitively say that.
“I know that experience that I had in high school hardened me, it changed me, and put me in a position of toughness and understanding that every day isn’t guaranteed. So you don’t have the option of taking a play off. You don’t have the option of not playing hard. You don’t have the option of not showing up to practice and the game. And you don’t have the option of not preparing and practicing as hard a you can because you’re not guaranteed the next day.
“I don’t know if it can be taught, I don’t know if it can be coached, but I can’t definitively say that experience didn’t change me to put me in a position to look at basketball and compete in that way for the rest of my career.”
Q: You were able to get (freshmen) Dontrez Styles and D’Marco Dunn into the game against Asheville, I was just wondering if giving them that little taste is something that is mindful and you’d like to try to get them out there here and there to gain some experience/
DAVIS: “I do. And I’m a huge fan and am so happy with the play and the development of Dontrez and D’Marco. I’ve said this before, by the time that they leave Carolina, they’re going to be one of the best Carolina players in Carolina history. They’re going to have unbelievable careers here, and they’re going to have long NBA careers. I really believe that they’re that good.
“And as good as they are as basketball players, it’s even more enjoyable to be around them on a daily basis. And I’m so happy that I get to coach them. I’m so thankful and happy that they’re here at Carolina. And I want them out there on the floor. It was great to be able to give them some minutes against UNC-Asheville, and I’m very excited about hopeful as the season continues to give them even more time.
“Because, one, they are deserving of it, and number two, they’re good enough to be out there on the floor. They can really help us.”
Q: Is there any added significance to winning tomorrow just to build some early confidence?
DAVIS: “I don’t put any extra importance on this game as fun and exciting a challenge as it is to compete against Michigan tomorrow night. They were the next team on our schedule. As I’ve said before, I’m about the process – the practice and the preparation – and for us it’s about getting better each day. I don’t focus on the end-goal, my focus is on every day as a team: ‘can we improve, can we get better?’
“Today at practice, we have an opportunity to get better as a team. Tomorrow night against Michigan, we have an opportunity to get better as a team. So everyday that’s my outlook. That’s the way I look at things. I don’t put any more importance on one game, especially on one on tomorrow night being December first and it’s only our seventh game.”
Q: You said on your radio show the team chemistry off the court is ten out of ten but on the court is still developing. But fans are saying there isn’t a lot of hype after a good play or the bench mob isn’t hyping up players. Why do you think that is and has it been addressed?
DAVIS: “One of the things when I said that is it’s developing. At the beginning of the year, everyone is just trying to find out their roles and rotation, and that takes time. One of the things I love about every player on our team is they want to play. I think the real problem is if you have a player on your team that it doesn’t matter if he plays or not.
“Every person on our team has the desire to be out there on the floor, not just for the benefit of themselves, but for the benefit of the team. As I said before, I can’t play all 17 guys. Some guys will play and some guys will not. And at the beginning of the season, developing roles and rotations sometimes that’s hard, sometimes that takes a little time to adjust to.
“But I love this team, I love how much we’re growing in terms of our chemistry on the floor, and I was really happy with this past eight days that we had just to build our chemistry out there on the floor. I feel like we’re a better team now compared to where we were eight days ago.”
Q: You said on your show you want to get Kerwin Walton more involved, why do you think he hasn’t gotten many opportunities, and can you expand on how you look to get him more shots?
DAVIS: “I think a couple of things. It’s a two-way street, one of the things from an offensive standpoint for Kerwin, last year he wasn’t on anybody’s scouting report and so they were leaving him open. And I really believe Kerwin is one of the better shooters in the country, it’s not even close. And so this year coming in, he’s on their scouting board.
“He was the only guy that consistently made shots from three-point range from our team last year. I think he shot 42 percent from three-point range. So, teams aren’t leaving him this year. So one of the things that I told him is that he’s going to have to be more aggressive. He’s going to have to move more, one of the ways is to set screens.
“I’ve always believed that the person that usually sets a screen, that’s the one that usually gets open. But he has to actively work hard to come off screens, to run in transition, to be hard to guard. And then from me being more intentional in terms of calling specific plays for him. So that’s something that me being a head coach coaching Kerwin is something that I’ve learned and grown in terms of he prefers calling an actual play for him.
“But also, as I said a two-way street, he also has to be aggressive as well. He’s been doing a great job of that at practice. And as I said before, I think he’s one of the better shooters, basketball players in the country, and I’m really looking forward to him being more aggressive there on the floor, and us being able to intentionally set screens, look for him, and get him open.”
