UNC men’s basketball head coach Hubert Davis joined Jones Angell for this season’s final episode of his weekly radio show Monday evening, and used the hour-long program to reflect on his team’s incredible 2021-22 season. But while the Tar Heels may not be suiting up again until October, Davis has still been hard at work on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal.
“It’s so funny, people are like, ‘OK, the season’s over, are you going to the beach to relax and chill?'” Davis said. “I’m like, ‘Are you serious?’ [Last] Friday morning I flew to Orlando and watched non-stop AAU games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and have got to do it in a couple more weeks. It never stops!”
Davis remarked how his interactions with other college coaches, who are also competing for the same players Davis is recruiting, changed after his team’s run to the title game.
“It almost felt like we won,” he said. “A couple people came up and said, ‘I’m so glad that you won the championship,’ and I was like, ‘We didn’t win! I know we didn’t win!’ Just having conversations with other head coaches… it seemed like… everybody was rooting for us.”
Those coaches joined the thousands of Carolina fans in Chapel Hill and around the country who supported the Tar Heels this season, especially during their unforgettable run in the NCAA Tournament.
“The support that I have had in my first year, from the fans, from the students, from the community, has been a 50 out of 10,” he said.
That enthusiasm hasn’t just been directed at the head coach, though.
“[The players] can’t stop smiling,” said Davis. “When they’re walking around town, everyone is stopping them and hugging them and congratulating them. It is much-earned and well-deserved for all of the players.”
As for why fans connected so strongly with this particular team, Davis had a few theories. One was the ability to see the team in-person again after a season lost due to the pandemic, while another pointed to the team’s personality, which flourished throughout March. Davis also acknowledged the “new-ness” of the team this season, with a new head coach and new faces throughout the staff and the roster. All of that combined to produce a team which took on its own nickname even before the tournament began, and one which has already staked its claim as one of the most beloved groups in recent memory.
“There is a connection with this group, with this university and this community that I haven’t seen and I haven’t felt in a long, long time,” Davis said.
As for the future of “The Iron Five,” graduate forward Brady Manek’s collegiate eligibility is entirely used up, meaning the Tar Heels will have to part with at least one starter from this season’s team. However, each of the remaining four starters have at least one or more seasons remaining. The team is set to conduct meetings with the players this week, which will go a long way toward determining whether or not they will end up “testing the waters” of the NBA Draft later this summer.
But Davis likely sent ripples through the UNC community when he commented on the players’ futures. Though he wouldn’t confirm anything, Davis did give the impression several players were seriously considering coming back to school.
“The experience that our guys had, the connection that this group has with this university and this community,” Davis said, “and how much they want to come back again and finish the deal, I don’t know if it will happen, but there are some serious conversations about it. They experienced something that they like. And they don’t want to leave.”
Players have until the end of the day on April 24 to declare for the NBA Draft. If they do not hire a professional agent, they can pull their names back out before the end of the day on June 1 and still retain collegiate eligibility.
While Armando Bacot has confirmed he will be back next season, Caleb Love, Leaky Black and R.J. Davis have all yet to announce their plans for this summer. According to Hubert Davis, the last week has been a whirlwind for the team, between returning from New Orleans, conducting team meetings and catching up with schoolwork from the past month of travel. Davis has been just as busy, remembering how he had to drive his son back to college in Virginia the day after getting back from the Final Four.
“This is a busy job,” he said. “It’s not nine months or 10 months, it’s 12 months every year. It’s not just about basketball. I’ve said before, if the only thing that I’m doing is coaching basketball, then I’m not doing my job.”
National voters clearly thought Davis did his job quite well this season, as the first-year head coach has been either nominated for or won several national coaching honors. When Angell congratulated Davis on the recognition, Davis did something he’s done time and time again during his brief stint in the big chair: he quoted Dean Smith.
“I appreciate the awards, but a big thing about Carolina basketball is always pointing to the passer,” he said. “I’m pointing to the players.”
Featured image via Todd Melet
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