Representatives from the UNC men’s basketball team spoke to the media at the ACC Tip-Off in Charlotte on Wednesday. Head coach Hubert Davis was joined by guard R.J. Davis and center Armando Bacot to discuss and preview the upcoming seasons. Here are highlights from the event:
Hubert Davis
On his relationship with Armando Bacot: I’ve known Armando since he was 15 years old. I was recruiting right outside of Milwaukee, and I was supposed to be headed to New York to recruit. And the person that we were recruiting ended up not playing. So I had called Coach [Roy] Williams and I said, “Look, it doesn’t make sense to go to New York.” I heard about a tournament in, Richmond, Virginia, and I was like, “Is there a possibility that I could just stop by there?” And Coach Williams said, “Yeah, sure.” And so I stopped back at home. I grew up right outside of the Washington, D.C. area, so I flew from Milwaukee to Washington, D.C., spent the night with my dad, and then woke up really early in the morning to get to this AAU event.
Got there at 9:00 in the morning and walked into the gym and it was a 6-10, 6-10 and 6-9 frontline. I said, “This is perfect. I got here for the 17-and-under AAU game.” And the guy told me, “No, this isn’t 17-and-under, this is 15-and-under.” So I’ve known Armando a long time, and it’s a blessing and an honor to think that not only have I been one of his coaches as a head coach and assistant coach, but been that for five years for somebody that is as accomplished as Armando and the character that he brings off the court. That is a coach’s dream. And so to have him back for the fifth year is really a blessing and an honor.
On the addition of Louisville transfer Jae’Lyn Withers: He brings something to the table that we haven’t had in a long time at that position: size and athleticism and versatility on both ends of the floor. I personally think he can be an elite defender, a guy that can guard one through five his length, his athleticism, rebounding, running the floor. I think on the offensive end, his ability to attack the basket, just be great at cutting and slashing and using that athleticism to be able to get to the free throw line and offensive rebound, is gonna be huge for us. That’s an area that’s he’s improving on every day. And we need him. He’s a big piece of this puzzle for this team this year.
Armando Bacot
On the team’s new faces: We’ve just got a lot of guys that like to compete, and I think that’s half of the battle right there. Just having people that want to go out there and fight. Because it really boosts up the level of everybody. I think adding Harrison [Ingram, from Stanford] and Cormac [Ryan, from Notre Dame] has just been huge for the team’s morale because they bring it every day. And in practice, talking junk and just competing and just bringing that attitude into practice, all it does is elevate us and hopefully, it will carry over into games too.
On how he feels entering his fifth and final season with the Tar Heels: I’m not that old, I guess, but I mean, it’s great just being able to still play at this university and take advantage of everything that this school has done for me. I’ve gotten so much out of being a University of North Carolina athlete. So I’m just glad to get one more year and I’m gonna make this year my best.
R.J. Davis
On stepping into a leadership role: I’ve always been a leader by an example, but I’m stepping out of my comfort zone by leading more vocally, stepping into that leadership role of just knowing the ins and outs. I’ve been here for four years, so just leading the guys and trying to show them how North Carolina runs, how we run things and what’s the standard for us. For me, just to experience the goods and the bads, I think I could lead this group as along with Armando. But I think what also makes us such a dynamic team is we also have Cormac who’s been in school for quite a while. Harrison Ingram. So everyone adds their own leadership standpoint and that’s what makes us such a good team so far.
On the team’s identity: I think our identity’s gonna be grit, and playing with that competitive edge. We have a lot of guys that want it. They play with a chip on their shoulder, and they all came to Carolina for a reason. I think they’re all excited to put that jersey on and run out of that tunnel. And for them to just compete for each other and as a university, I think that’s what’s gonna be our identity right there.
Featured image via Todd Melet
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