What UNC basketball’s Hubert Davis said about Tar Heels’ highs and lows
CHAPEL HILL — Entering his third season as the head coach of North Carolina basketball, Hubert Davis has seen the Tar Heels thrive and take a dive.
Following a run to the 2022 national championship game, UNC started last season as the top-ranked team in the nation before missing the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Plagued by poor outside shooting, stagnant ball movement and an inability to consistently win close games, the Tar Heels finished 20-13 with their season coming to close in a loss to Virginia at the ACC Tournament.
“We were disappointed. Going into last year, we had hopes and expectations and dreams of what we could become. At the end of the day, for a number of reasons, we just didn’t reach our full potential,” Davis said Thursday in a summer press conference at the Dean E. Smith Center.
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“From that standpoint, that was disappointing. But also – you talk about learning – my time here (as a player and assistant coach) at Carolina … there were rainy and windy days. There were some hard times and the feeling that I have about this place is not just about the sunny days, it’s also about the perseverance through the rainy and windy days.
“It’s a great opportunity to grow, it’s a great opportunity to learn. I feel like we’re all in a great position to get better from last year, to improve upon that, and have the type of season that we want and hope for.”
Following that season-ending loss at Greensboro Coliseum, the Tar Heels hit the reset button as five players entered the transfer portal and four others from the portal picked UNC.
Harrison Ingram (Stanford), Cormac Ryan (Notre Dame), Jae’Lyn Withers (Louisville) and Paxson Wojcik (Brown) arrived in Chapel Hill as transfers. West Virginia’s James Okonkwo has committed to the Tar Heels but has yet to sign and officially join the team.
Zayden High and Elliot Cadeau are UNC’s incoming freshmen. So far, Davis is pleased with what he’s seen from the retooled roster, led by veterans RJ Davis and Armando Bacot.
“Being here the latter part of July, it’s exactly where I wanted to be,” he said. “Personally, for me, I’m just in a great spot. For the team, we’re in a great spot. I like the makeup of this team and I’m happy where we are right now.”
Now that the Tar Heels have shared some time on the floor with each other in the summer, Davis feels this group is capable of improving on the shortcomings that hindered last season’s squad.
“There’s a number of things that we needed to address and get better from last year. I thought last year, we weren’t a very good outside shooting team. There’s 15 teams in the ACC and we were 15th in 3-point shooting percentage,” Davis said.
“I think the team that we have now, I think we’re a better shooting team. I didn’t think last year we were very good in terms of ball movement and sharing the basketball. Out of 15 teams in the ACC, we were 14th in team assists.
"I feel like we have multiple playmakers now that can not only make plays for themselves, but can also make plays for their teammates. I really like the mix and the combinations of this team. I know it’s really early, but there’s a lot of versatility. That’s something that I’m really excited about.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC basketball: Hubert Davis discusses Tar Heels' highs, lows
