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CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina Coach Hubert Davis met with the media Thursday morning in advance of the Tar Heels’ game Saturday versus No. 4 UCLA in Las Vegas, as part of the CBS Sports Classic.
As of now, the game is still on as schedule, though the Bruins’ game versus Alabama State slated for Wednesday night was canceled because UCLA Coach Mick Cronin was placed in COVID protocol. At the time of this report, it is unknown what other factors contributed to the cancellation.
But UNC announced before Davis started fielding questions the game is still on as scheduled. The Tar Heels practiced late Thursday morning and the team is flying to Las Vegas later in the afternoon.
By request, Davis did not field any questions specifically about this, but a few questions did surface in a broader manner about COVID, what UNC is doing to protect itself as case numbers, particularly in sports leading to game cancellations, are spiking.
In addition, Davis was also asked questions about his team.
Above is video of Davis’ entire presser along with UNC’s statement regarding the UCLA game, and below are some notes and pulled quotes from what the Carolina coach had to say:
*Davis has spoken a lot in recent weeks about validation, especially following the win at Georgia Tech, which came several days after the Tar Heels beat then-No. 24 Michigan by 21 points. So, is UCLA another validation game for the team, and at the very least, an opportunity to see how much the team has progressed?
“UCLA is an unbelievable team, Coach Cronin is a fantastic coach, and they’re just a talented group,” Davis said. “But it’s also the next game. And so I’ve said this before, the thing that I look at and the thing that I always talk to the players is focusing on the preparation and the process and the practice, and the play will take care of itself.
“So that’s all we’re doing throughout the entire year, is focusing on making sure that we’re improving, we’re getting better. I’m not into tests or circling one game as something that’s more important than just the game that you’re supposed to be playing next. We’re worried about, not worried, we’re concerned about us becoming the best basketball team that we can become. And as of right now, UCLA is the next team that we’re playing.”
*Kerwin Walton started for most of last season averaging 8.2 points per game and hitting 42 percent of his three-point attempts. He was UNC’s only reliable perimeter shooter. Justin McKoy started three games at Virginia and averaged 11.3 minutes per contest for a team that won the ACC regular season championship.
But Walton is averaging only 4.0 points per game, has not scored in Carolina’s last four games and five of its last six, and he has not connected on a three-pointer since a loss to Purdue 26 days ago. He played six minutes Tuesday night versus Furman, 10 last Saturday against Elon and seven in a win at Georgia Tech on Dec. 5.
McKoy has not played in UNC’s games versus Tennessee and Georgia Tech, and he didn’t get in until the final minute versus Furman on Tuesday night.
So, Davis was asked Thursday morning what specifically both players need to do in order to have more of a role in the rotation.
“I’ll speak first about Kerwin; he’s a light-out shooter,” Davis said. “He’s a guy that can stretch the floor, but he’s not just a shooter, he’s a basketball player. I really feel like he’s improved a lot defensively, he can handle the ball when we’ve put him in situations where comes off ball screens.
“I’ve always believed I want our guys to be basketball players. I don’t want them to be shooters, one-dimensional players, they’re basketball players. So that in any situation, on either side of the floor, that you can compete, you can make plays, and you’re a benefit to the team.
“And I really believe that Kerwin and Justin, by the end of the year, there are going to be times when their roles out there on the floor are going to be fantastic for us. In order for us to be the best team possible, we need Kerwin, we need Justin to be big-time players, and they’re going to be. And they are.
“They’re going to have their bright moments out there on the floor. I’m so thankful that I’m their coach and that they’re on this team. Both of them are a huge piece of what we’re trying to accomplish as a team.”
*Staying on that, has Davis had to have specific conversations with them about their roles, in particular Kerwin, because his role is quite different than it was a year ago?
“I don’t have to have a meeting to specifically tell a player what their role is,” Davis said. “Their role is to be the best player possible, show up everyday and do their job. Not only show up every day and do their job, but do their job to the best of their ability, and that’s wat Kerwin and Justin have been doing from day one.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am with both of them. They’re going to have unbelievable seasons, and I’ve been very happy with them thus far, and I’m looking forward to their contributions for the rest of the season. I love coaching them.”
*One of the things Davis has pushed hard, in the media and privately, is the importance of the team being fully unified and an actual family. He doesn’t just say the words, because they are common throughout sports these days, but this is pushed hard within the program. It’s a part of the culture Davis is working to fully craft.
Particularly interesting is a request Davis has made to his players, something they are asked to do each week, and it has very little to do with basketball.
“It takes time,” Davis said about building chemistry and a wholeness of a program’s culture. “We have two freshmen in Dontrez (Styles) and D’Marco (Dunn), we have three transfers in Justin and Dawson (Garcia) and Brady (Manek), and they have a new coach. And we’ve only played 10 games.
“So, it takes time. It takes time to build relationships, it takes time to figure each other out out there on the floor. And I feel like every day we’re becoming more comfortable with each other out there on the floor. And we spend a lot of time together off the court.
“One of the things that I do is I require guys to stop by the office at least three times a week, and when you stop by the office you have to say hello to all the coaches and you can’t talk about basketball. So we spend time together.
“I tell them I can’t coach them unless I know them and they can’t play for me unless they know me.”
