Another Davis could be joining the UNC men’s basketball program.
Elijah Davis, the eldest son of Carolina head coach Hubert Davis, announced on Instagram Wednesday his plans to transfer to UNC after three years of Division III basketball at Lynchburg University. In the post, as well as his Instagram story, Davis shared photos from his childhood of him and his father.
The UNC program is not making an official comment yet on Davis’ transfer to the school, as told to Chapelboro, and it is not yet clarified whether he will have a scholarship spot on the team. But Davis can be seen wearing workout gear with other members of the team in a video shared on Friday — as the Tar Heels wished their peers on the Carolina baseball team good luck in the College World Series.
Good luck today in Omaha! @DiamondHeels 🏆 pic.twitter.com/EhD2IUBbJG
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) June 14, 2024
Elijah Davis was raised in the Chapel Hill area just across the Durham County line, attending both the Trinity School of Durham and Jordan High School. He’s spent some of his summers during college around UNC’s campus, where he was a staple with the Davis family while growing up and when his father served as an assistant coach for the men’s basketball program from 2012 to 2021.
At Lynchburg, Davis — listed as a 6-foot-4 and 197 pound wing player — saw limited floor time in his freshman year before earning a consistent contributor role in the final games of the 2021-22 season. That translated to an average of nearly 19 minutes a game and 7 points per game as a sophomore. But his third season with the Hornets saw his appearances dip back to 15 games and all his shooting statistics fall to career lows. His career average at the D-III school is 4.7 points per game, 1.3 rebounds per game, and a 37 percent shooting clip of three-pointers.
A return to Chapel Hill — this time for college — would represent a special opportunity for the Davis family. In interviews with Chapelboro after Elijah’s freshman season, the father-son pair detailed how they would motivate and support each other during challenging times on the court, with Hubert driving to Virginia on Carolina’s off-days to visit Elijah in Lynchburg and watch a handful of his games in person.
Davis becomes just the latest addition to the Tar Heel program this offseason, with Carolina adding Belmont transfer Cade Tyson and Vanderbilt transfer Ven-Allen Lubin in recent months — both of whom are expected to compete for starting roles. Assuming Davis joins the team as a walk-on player, the Tar Heels would have 11 scholarship players committed for the 2024-25 season, including returning ACC Player of the Year and All-American guard R.J. Davis — who has no relation to Hubert and Elijah Davis.
Featured photo via University of Lynchburg Athletics.
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What kind of crap is this? We need good players and he brings his son in. How damn selfish can you be. Stop thinking of yourself and family and for once think of the organization. I got an idea, go get Coleman Hawkins. You’re absolutely a terrible coach.
Coache’s kids go to school for free. He is not using a scholarship for his son. It’s a perk. Chill out.
Yeah exactly what we don’t need. Typical.
Ridiculous! Go get some players in the portal that will help. Geez
He sucks!