CHAPEL HILL – Brace yourself, Tar Heel fans, a faster, speedier basketball team is about to take off.
Not that North Carolina didn’t play up-tempo last season. It did and has for most of the last 60 years. But head coach Hubert Davis wants his club to push it to another level, one that has no peers anywhere across the land.
“I’ve been straight forward and direct that I want to be the fastest team in the country from the free throw line to free throw line,” Davis said. “In order to do that, you’ve got to be in the best shape of your life and there needs to be a full commitment in regard to how we’re going to play that way.”
And when Davis means fast, he’s talking near-warped speed.
“I think you’ll see us getting the ball up the court in three seconds a lot this year,” junior guard Seth Trimble said.
Three seconds?
When the Heels are playing 5-on-5 in practice, the team with the ball must get it across mid-court within three seconds or it’s a turnover, and the other side takes possession.
“We’re used to it now,” Trimble said. “But when he first implemented that, I look back at it and laugh now because we would just go up the court sometimes without realizing it, and he’d just say, ‘Nope, other way,’ because it would be four seconds instead of three seconds.”
This rule applies to made or missed shots by opponents. A miss, rebound and get the ball up the court. A make, pull it from the net, inbound and get the ball up the court. Three seconds is three seconds, and it’s become a mantra the players live by.
When the Heels are working on ripping and running or grabbing misses and running, Davis constantly reminds the team they have a pace, it’s their pace and nothing else is acceptable.
“Get the ball out quick after a made or missed basket, and get up and down the floor,” reigning ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis said. “He’s always talking about getting the best shot available, whether it’s a layup or a wide-open three. We’ve been really intentional on doing that.”
Now, this isn’t exactly a dramatic departure from how Carolina played last season, when they went 29-8, won the ACC regular season, and were a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Tar Heels were the 38th fastest team nationally in terms of possession length averaging 16.2 seconds per full possession. They were 19th in scoring at 81.9 points per contest, and No. 55 in fast break point, getting 12.4 per game.
Those numbers should improve this season because of the head coach’s mandate, but also because his team has the composition to make it happen.
“This team is different. It’s probably the most athletic team I’ve ever played with at UNC,” said RJ Davis, who led the ACC in scoring last season at 21.2 points per game. “And, obviously Carolina’s known for its fast pace, but I think it’s going to be faster in terms of, we’ve always had a post presence in previous years, but this year it’s going to be a little bit more spread out.
“So, our strength this year is being able to play up tempo, use our athletic abilities to get up and down and finish at the rim.”
Carolina’s first test of its sped-up approach against another opponent is Tuesday in an exhibition game for charity at Memphis, which was the 22nd fastest team in possession length last season and is well stocked with athletic players.
Getting the ball up the court in three seconds is something to watch for in the game, which benefits St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis and airs on ESPNU at 7 PM EST.
And it’s something to keep a keen eye on as the regular season approaches. Could Carolina be the fastest team in the nation this season? If it regularly gets the ball past mid-court in three seconds, the answer will be a resounding yes.
