Hubert Davis on what’s ahead in UNC basketball’s first road game
The North Carolina Tar Heels are rolling, looking like the No. 1 ranked team after the first two weeks of the year.
After beating James Madison 80-64, UNC is now 4-0 and will have their first road test of the season against the Portland Pilots. Despite the unblemished record, the play has yet to live up to expectations, with North Carolina struggling in the first half of three out of four games played.
The second half has shown a different story for UNC, dominating and showcasing the lopsided talent in teams faced. The Pilots are no different from opponents faced so far, a weaker opponent, but any letup can give the Pilots a chance to fly off with the win.
As North Carolina prepares for their first game away from the Dean Smith Center, Hubert Davis met with the media to give insight into how the team has done so far. He talked about his team’s performance, Portland Pilots, and what is to come, among other things.
Let us read what Davis had to say as UNC prepares for its first road game.
Do you feel like this team is more equipped to fight off that tired factor...
I do. Cause we have tremendous depth and it’s really gonna be important. You know, it’s just not sustainable to play the starting five huge minutes. We need Don, we need DeMarco, we need Tyler, we need Seth, we need Justin. We need those guys and it’s only been early in the season, but every time that those guys have been on the floor, they’ve delivered in some form or fashion on either or both ends of the floor.
What similarities do you see between Puff and Cameron...
I’ve never been a comparison person and I tried not to do that with other teams or other players. I haven’t really looked at Puff and measured him on and off the court against his brother Cam. But they’re two different players. They’re two different people. They’re both unbelievable to coach, to be around, to be a part of this program. I know that Cam and Puff at times have dealt with injuries, but other than that, I don’t think there’s any similarities at all. I think on the basketball court they have different skill sets and what they bring to the table. It’s so beneficial to our team.
On Puff Johnson return...
I’m just really happy for Puff. It was great to have him on the floor against James Madison. You could see the crowd, they were really excited when he stepped on the floor and in the second half he made two or three unbelievable plays. Hit that three, then he took the charge. In that 12 minutes that he was out there on the floor, just showed how important he is. To the success of this team. I look forward for him playing even more minutes this week.
On Caleb Love shooting struggles...
I think Caleb has done such a better job this year compared to last year in terms of taking better in quality shots and then also focusing on other things. You talk about Caleb and that doesn’t bother me at all. He’s one of the best shooters in the country. He has the same type of mentality as myself with if I miss 10, the next 10 are going in. What I love about Caleb is he’s not a shooter, he’s a basketball player. The defense that he played against James Madison was unbelievable. His distributing and play making against James Madison was unbelievable. His team leadership in the huddle, in the locker room has been unbelievable.
That’s why Caleb is one of the best basketball players in the country and why he’s gonna be in the NBA. Because he’s a basketball player and even though he is struggling for maybe percentage wise from three point range for the first four games, he’s gonna have a terrific year in so many different areas as well as shooting the ball from three point range.
On Caleb Love improvement of getting the shot off when he takes contact in the lane..
One of the things that we talked to Caleb about is attacking the basket. He has that ability and when he gets fouled he goes to the free throw line. I know his percentage from the free throw line a little bit down, but he’s historically one of the best free throw shooters in Carolina history. So we love when he gets to the basket, we love his ability to finish. We love his ability to pass and we love his ability to get fouled and get to the free throw line. It’s good news for us when Caleb is attacking a basket. That’s something that we’ve talked about and he’s doing a terrific job of that this season.
Do you feel like that pressure is fair you all have received this season based on last years success...
I don’t feel any pressure and I don’t think the guys feel any pressure at all. One of the things that I’ve talked to them about is understanding what is noise and what is real and explaining to them that the noise from last year was coming from the direction of criticism. Then this year so far, it’s come from the direction of praise and that both are noise and both are not beneficial to you in terms of being the best individually and the best as a team. To focus on what is real and and that’s our preparation, our practice, and our play. So we’ve had many discussions about that. I’m thankful that our guys are learning how to focus and to focus on what is beneficial and what is real. I think it’s a great learning experience for all of them because they’re gonna be unbelievably successful for the rest of their life.
Plans for Thanksgiving while out in Portland?
We are gonna have Thanksgiving meal tomorrow after the game, and we’ve invited all of their parents that are traveling out here. Thanksgiving’s always been a really awesome holiday for us because it brings you into a place of thankfulness. I think that’s something that we don’t do enough is to step back and think about how many ways we’ve been protected and provided and how thankful we are for the families that we have and the resources that we’re able to enjoy.
