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CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina Coach Hubert Davis met with the media Wednesday afternoon in advance of the Tar Heels’ exhibition game Friday night to field questions about his team, some of his philosophies, two new walk-ons, the secret scrimmage versus Florida, and much more.
Above is the full video of Davis’ presser and below is a complete transcript of everything he had to say:
Note: The Tar Heels face Elizabeth City State at the Smith Center on Friday night, and formally open their season next Tuesday at home versus Loyola (MD).
Davis’ statement on the addition of walk-ons Rob Landry and Jackson Watkins to the roster.
DAVIS: "I'm really excited about the addition of Jackson(Watkins) and Rob(Landry), they had played previously two years ago for coach Brad Frederick on the JV team. They are great players and great kids, and their ability to help us in practice and for us to prepare has been absolutely outstanding the last couple of weeks. I can't tell you how excited I am for them to be on the team, and they're great to be around every day."
Q: You’re less than a week away from your opener, what are some things you like that you’ve seen from your team over the last month or so as you guys have geared toward the start of the season?
DAVIS: "I really like their attention to detail, and I like their hunger. One of the things that I've said to a number of people is that they're playing with a sense of desperation. One of the things that that they're desperate about is that they want to be relevant. It's really nice to have a staff that is guys that have played here, that have been here, that have had experiences here. We've told stories myself, Coach (Sean) May, Coach (Brad) Fredrick, Coach (Jeff) Lebo (and) Coach Sullivan about the experiences that we've had here at Carolina.
“And in a good way, I think they are tired of hearing our stories, testimonies, and memories. They want to create their own stories, memories, and testimonies of playing and winning and making big shots in big games and winning championships. I really believe that's the driving force in them over the last couple of months since we started practice, and it's fun to watch, and it's fun to coach. "
Q: How comfortable are you with the guys adapting, not just the new players that came in and meshing in, but also the returning guys adapting to some of the changes you have made?
DAVIS: "One of the things that I've told them is the foundation of Carolina basketball is going to be the same. There are going to be some tweaks and pivots changes. They've done really well with that, and I've been very happy with the returning players adjusting to the tweaks, the pivots, the changes, as well as the newcomers and the freshman and the transfers. Everybody's on the same page, and so from that standpoint, I feel very comfortable with them being able to adapt to my personality and my style of coaching."
Q: Roy Williams was known for using a man-to-man defense primarily, Dean, of course, used a little bit of multiple defenses, what is your defensive approach?
DAVIS: "Mainly it's man. I'm a man-to-man defensive coach, and I believe in it. I also believe in changing defenses, one of the things that I always say is I don't want the offense to get a steady diet of what they're looking at. In order to do that defensively, you are going to have to make changes, so I like to change. I like to play zone, I like to trap, I like to three-quarter court soft trap press. I like to try many different things in different looks so that from an offensive standpoint, whoever we play they don't feel comfortable."
Q: Going back to adjusting, you have a transfer in Brady Manek, he’s from Oklahoma, his family played college ball in Oklahoma, how do you think Brady has adjusted to being hallway across the country, and have you seen him be homesick at all?
DAVIS: "He hasn't because every week apart of his family is here in Chapel Hill. He's brought Oklahoma here to Chapel Hill. I've said this to a number of people. I am upset that I'm only going to be able to coach Brady Manek for one year. He's been absolutely fantastic, not just on the court, but just his personality, his demeanor, his experience. I don't know where this team would be without Brady on this team. I love coaching him. I love being around him, and I love his family. He's been a huge piece of this team and is going to be an unbelievable player for us this year."
Q: He’s certainly a stretch big, can play the four and the five, what do you see Brady’s role as being this season since diverse in what he can do?
DAVIS: "I love his versatility; you want to talk about on the offensive end. He has the ability to shoot the basketball, and I really believe this. I think he's the best shooting big in the country. It's not even close. His ability to shoot the basketball off ball screens, down screens, any type of screens, flare screens is very valuable to us. One of the things that I've said in the past, I like versatile bigs.
“I want bigs that have the ability to score in the post but also can make plays on the perimeter. He's very crafty. He can score down the block with either hand. One of the things that I've learned about him is he's an unbelievable passer. His versatility on the offensive end is a huge piece of us being the best offensive team that we can be, but he's also a great defensive player.
“I feel very comfortable with him switching all ball screens and having him guard guards out there on the perimeter. He is an unbelievable fantastic basketball player."
Q: What's Puff’s status in terms of rehab and generally how healthy are you guys going into the opener?
DAVIS: “We’re really healthy. You mentioned about Puff, and Puff has had a couple of injuries the last month and a half. Right now he’s dealing with a hip strain, and one of those injuries, much like the hamstring, you can’t rush back, you can’t fight through. You need rest, you need time, you need rehab, and that’s where Puff is right now.
“One of the things that I did say to Puff last week is I was so proud of him, because it’s very hard to, when things aren’t going your way in terms of injuries, to not be positive, and not celebrate the success of others. The person that does it the best is Puff. He’s been great at practice, his energy, his enthusiasm, has really helped the team during practice.
“I’ve been really proud of him, and I’m looking forward to when he’s 100 percent, and he’s allowed to start practicing full, and get out there on the floor.”
Q: Would you anticipate him being available for the opener?
DAVIS: “I don’t know. I would like that, but I don’t know. The thing that’s on my mind is I want him to be 100 percent healthy. That’s the only thing on my mind in regards to Puff.”
Q: How have you used that experience of Brady, Justin, and Dawson to help you put the foundation of what you want to do together for preseason?
DAVIS: “The good part about Brady, Dawson, and Justin is they’ve played big time college basketball before. They understand the preparation that goes into it, they understand how hard you have to practice, and they understand how hard you have to play just to put yourself in a position to possibly be successful.
“They have all been successful at their previous schools, and coming here has been a really easy transition for me to coach. I had known Dawson since high school, so there was a relationship there. Justin, he went to Panther Creek right here in this area, and actually played against my oldest son, so I had known Justin for years as well, so there have been previous relationships. One of the things I have talked about is the transfer portal.
“If I can every year, if we need transfers, if I can get a Brady Manek, and a Dawson Garcia, and a Justin McKoy, you can sign me up every year. They have been unbelievable for me, and I am so glad that they’re a Tar Heel, and I’m so glad that they’re on our team.”
Q: From the secret scrimmage, could you identify some areas where you want to see improvement coming into this game Friday night?
DAVIS: “One of the areas that we want to continue to get better at is taking care of the basketball. That’s something that we struggled with last year, I think we were last in terms of we committed more turnovers than anybody in the ACC. One of the things that has been a huge emphasis for us all year is making easy plays and taking care of the basketball.
“I actually thought we did a really good job of that against Florida in the secret scrimmage. That’s something that’s always been a theme for us, to continue to get better at, is taking care of the basketball, and making sure that we’re getting shots. I was very encouraged with our effort on the offensive glass, that’s something that will never change. We’ve always been great at getting second chance opportunities, and that’s something that we were able to get in that scrimmage against Florida.
“I really liked our pace, the way that we pushed the ball, either on a made or missed basket. In that scrimmage, one of the things that was really good for me as a coach to see, is how tough and resilient this team is. Florida was very athletic, they’re very aggressive, especially on the defensive end. For the first couple of minutes, they kind of punched us, and I really felt great about how we responded to that, and I was very encouraged at the end of that scrimmage.”
Q: Could you give us some insight about your philosophy on deciding the starting lineup?
DAVIS: “At this point it could be a fluid situation depending on practice, depending on matchups. In terms of the starting lineup, yes I am thinking about it, it’s not set right now, I feel like I’m close, but the thing that I’m focusing on more is the rotation, not necessarily the starting lineup. We’ve got a lot of talented guys, there’s a lot of guys that want to play, and the competition at practice has been right where I wanted it to be.”
Q: It’s been almost seven months since you were hired as head coach, looking back on your time in the position, what’s something that has surprised you about the role – either something easier or harder than you expected?
DAVIS: “Nothing has surprised me. A question I get all the time is, ‘What has been the challenges of being a head coach?’ And I tell them nothing has surprised me and there hasn’t been any challenges. One of the things that I always tell them is I’ve always loved basketball, and getting an opportunity to be around the game and coach it, that’s a dream come true. And then to be able to do it at a place I’ve loved my entire life, has just been terrific.
“So, having a chance to have a front row seat and be able to help these kids out to reach all their personal and their team goals, is a privilege and an honor. It’s something that I look forward to every day.
“I’ll be honest with you, it was two days ago I think, (Director of Operations) Eric Hoots on our staff came directly to me right after practice, and he said, ‘You’re having fun, aren’t you?’ and I said, ‘Eric, I am.’ I said, ‘I’m having a ball.’ I said, ‘I just love being around these kids on and off the court. It’s a joy to be able to coach them and hug them and to teach them and try to get the best out of them.’
“And that’s what I am. I’m having the time of my life.”
Q: I know you touched on your relationship with Dawson Garcia some, but I was just wondering apart from his basketball skills, what you’ve seen from him just from a personal side and as a leader and teammate on the court?
DAVIS: “His experience last year playing at Marquette has been really great for us. He’s a guy that can dominate a game on both ends of the floor. One of the things that I think people are going to be able to see, not I think (but) I know, is that he’s an outstanding and unbelievable defensive player. He’s a guy that I feel completely comfortable with playing any position defensively.
“And then on the offensive end, his ability to score close to the basketball and on the perimeter is something that is valuable to us. But also, his attention to detail and want-to. One of the things with Dawson is I never have to coach effort with him. He’s one of the first guys in the gym, he’s one of the last guys to leave it. He comes in at the middle of the night. He’s treating this season as a professional.
“He’s going to have a terrific year and he’s going to have a long, unbelievable NBA career, as well.”
Q: You talked about tweaks and pivots, things you wanted to change without getting away from the foundation of Carolina Basketball, when we see your team take the court, will it look different to bystanders, or will it look like UNC Basketball? Or how much do you have to know about it to perceive what’s changed?
DAVIS: “It’ll look like UNC Basketball. I’ve said before, the foundation has been set. It’s been here for a number of years, and it’s been something that it’s been tried and tested and proven successful, and as long as I’m here that’s not going to change. The tweaks and pivots that we’re trying (and) we’re adjusting to are things that are consistent with the foundation of what Carolina Basketball is all about.
“One of the things that I’ve always said is, I want former players – whether they’re at practice, watching a game, reading the newspaper, whatever it is – I want them to be able to identify with this place, and I want them to see this place and go, ‘that’s the Carolina that I experienced, that’s the Carolina that I went to.’
“So when they see us play, whether it’s Friday or Tuesday or next Friday, they’ll be able to identify with that.”
Q: Who are the leaders on this team, who has emerged vocally on the court?
DAVIS: “Everybody. I’ve encouraged everybody to be leaders. I’ve encouraged everybody to set the standard of how we want to prepare, how we want to practice, and how we want to prepare every day. I’ve encouraged everybody to have a voice. At some point, we’re going to announce captains, but one of the things that I’m gonna tell the team is just because we’ve announce specific captains, everybody on the team is a captain.
“So that’s the way that I have approached it. I encourage everybody on the team to be leaders in order for us to reach all of our team and individual goals.”
Q: Could you talk about Kerwin Walton’s potential for this season, his three-point percentage. And his defense?
DAVIS: “I’ve really pushed Kerwin in practice this year because I really feel like he can take – he has so much potential and he can take another step in his development in being a great player. One of the things he always talks about is Kobe (Bryant). That was his favorite player, and (he) always talks about the mindset that Kobe Bryant had, and that’s something that he wants to adopt to himself. And one of the things that I’ve been challenging him more on is that one of the things that Kobe Bryant was great at was he was not only terrific at on the offensive end, he was an outstanding defensive player as well.
“I really believe Kerwin can do that. He’s much more than a three-point shooter. He’s a fantastic passer, he can put the ball on the floor, he can make plays. But the area where I feel like he can improve the most is on the defensive end, and he’s able to do that. I think he can be a defensive stopper out there. And he’s really bought in this year to becoming better defensively, and I’ve been proud of his improvement on the defensive end, and I love his attention to detail, and how hard he’s working on that end.”
Q: How can the fans help the team this season?
DAVIS: “Being in the stands before seven o’clock. Cheering all the time, 22,000 every home game. Supporting all of our student-athletes. One of the things that I always say is, ‘Yes, they’re 6-10, 6-11, can jump out of the gym and run like a deer, but they’re just kids and they need support.’ So just for Late Night and coming out and seeing fans out there, I can’t tell you how many times that the players have come back and said that that was a big deal just having people in the stands and supporting them.
“They’re really excited about the exhibition game on Friday and playing our first two games at home and having that support and having people in the stands is something they look forward to, and it’s something that they need in order for them to be the best they can be.”
Q: What are you expecting out of Friday night’s exhibition game?
DAVIS: “I wanna play well, I wanna play well. I want us to continue to improve. I always feel like and I tell them that once we step on the floor, the number one thing that we want to do is we wanna get a little bit better. So, for us as a team, I want us to get better on both ends of the floor. It’s our development, in terms of becoming the team that we want to become in order to put ourselves in the chance to achieve all of our team goals, which are win the regular season ACC title, the ACC Tournament title, get to a Final Four, and win a national championship.
“And so one of the things that we always talk about is the process; just focus on the practice and the process, and the end result will take care of itself. Friday’s exhibition game is part of the practice, it’s a part of the process of getting us to where we need to be.”
