By R.L. Bynum
One day after AP awarded Carolina’s RJ Davis with one first-team All-American honor, he got two more from the United States Basketball Writers Association and the National Association of Basketball Coaches, announcing their teams on Wednesday.
His teammate Armando Bacot — who made AP honorable mention — earned USBWA third-team honors.
With Wednesday’s honors, Davis earned spots on the four first teams that the NCAA uses to determine consensus All-Americans.
Davis joins Lennie Rosenbluth in 1957, Phil Ford in 1978, Michael Jordan in 1983 and 1984, Kenny Smith in 1987, Jerry Stackhouse in 1995, Antawn Jamison in 1998, Joseph Forte in 2001, and Tyler Hansbrough in 2008 and 2009 as the only Tar Heels to make first-team All-America on each of the teams the NCAA recognizes to determine consensus first-team All-America. Since 1997, that’s been The Associated Press, USBWA, NABC and The Sporting News.
Carolina is tied for fifth in NCAA history with 19 different players who have earned consensus first-team All-Americas. Those 19 Tar Heels have earned the distinction 28 times, the second-most all-time behind Kansas’ 32.
Just like with AP, Davis is joined on the NABC team by Purdue’s 7–4 center Zach Edey, Tennessee’s 6–6 guard Dalton Knecht, Houston’s 6–1 guard Jamal Shead and UConn’s 6–5 guard Tristen Newton. Marquette’s 6–3 guard Tyler Kolek made the USWBA team instead of Newton.
Duke’s Kyle Filipowski made the USBWA’s second team and Arizona’s Caleb Love made third team, just like with AP. Filipowski and Love made the NABC second team.
Davis already had earned the right to have his jersey honored in the Smith Center rafters by being named ACC Player of the Year (first-team All-American is another criteria). One way to get his jersey retired is to earn National Player of the Year. But, judging from the All-American team voting, that award will likely go to Edey.
The White Plains, N.Y., senior is the ACC’s leading scorer and ACC Player of the Year after averaging a league-best 21.4 points per game, and has led the No. 5 Tar Heels (27–7) to a No. 1 seed in the West Regional. UNC faces Wagner in the first round at 2:45 Thursday at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center (CBS).
Davis is the first UNC player to earn AP first-team All-America honors since Justin Jackson in 2016–17. Phil Ford, Michael Jordan and Tyler Hansbrough each made the AP first team twice, giving UNC first-team picks 18 times.
Davis is sixth in UNC scoring with 2,030 points, the second-most by a guard behind Phil Ford’s 2,290. He’s the only Tar Heel with 2,000 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists, 250 3-pointers, and 100 steals. Davis is UNC’s all-time leader in free-throw percentage (85.7%), second in 3-pointers (267), and 16th in assists (423).
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
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