By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — It took North Carolina 11 games last season to figure out that defense and rebounding were the catalysts for success. Coach Hubert Davis hopes that that message will come much quicker after the choppy first nearly 11 minutes of the No. 9 Tar Heels’ exhibition victory Sunday over Johnson C. Smith.
It was a fun 127–63 blowout, but only after the team fully engaged on those two crucial elements.
Granted, it was against an overmatched Division II program, but that combination produced 34 fast-break points, 26 points off turnovers, 20 layups, 10 dunks, nine steals and six blocks.
Davis usually doesn’t worry about statistics, but he seized those above numbers to make a preseason point to his team to back up what he saw well ahead of Monday’s 9 p.m. opener in the Smith Center against Elon (ACC Network).
“It was great to be able to make that point to them that a change was made with nine minutes and 12 seconds to go in the first half,” said Davis, whose team only led 21–20 with 9:37 remaining. “Because we got after it defensively, started rebounding the basketball, and then that allowed us to get out in transition. To be able to talk about it and then show them actual examples of that working out in our favor, for our benefit? I think it’s really huge for this team.”
Davis said the 81–69 victory in Charlotte on Dec. 20 over Oklahoma in the Jumpman Invitational is where it all came together last season.
“I don’t think last year’s team fully bought in to the importance of defending and rebounding until the Oklahoma game,” Davis said. “I felt like that’s where they got it, and that’s where we took off.
“My hope is that it doesn’t take until the [11th] game of the season that we can fully commit to those two things and how important it is for the success of this team,” Davis said. “But it’s something that I talk about every day, and I’m going to talk about it every day for the remainder of the season.”
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Davis declared a few weeks ago that he wants UNC to be the fastest team in the country. If he talks about rebounding and defense as much to his players as he mentions it to the media — and you know he does — it is repeatedly pounded into their heads.
“That’s where we can start getting out in transition,” Davis said. “Our pitch-aheads have been really good. I feel like five guys are sprinting to offense, and we’re trying to get what we want — a layup or a dunk or a deep-post catch or get fouled, get to the free throw line, or a quick, open 3 by our best 3-point shooters.”
Davis says some of his players naturally embrace defense and rebounding, and he has to coach others who may not have previously had that mindset.
“I think it’s a combination of both,” Davis said. “We’re going to have to rebound the basketball. We’re going to have to defend. We’re going to have to take care of the basketball. And those are three boxes that have to be checked every day.”
Undoubtedly, any player who doesn’t embrace all of that will be watching from the bench.
| No. | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Freshman | Maximo Adams (MAX-ih-mo) | F | 6–7 | 220 |
| 30 | Freshman | Malloy Smith | G | 6–5 | 180 |
| 21 | Freshman | Sayon Keita (SIGH-on KAY-tuh) | C | 7–0 | 205 |
| 5 | Freshman | Kevin Thomas | W | 6–6 | 205 |
| 35 | Sophomore | Cade Bennerman — U | C | 7–0 | 205 |
| 17 | Sophomore | Neo Avdalas — W (NEE-oh ahv-DOLL-lus) | G | 6–9 | 220 |
| 2 | Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 185 |
| 3 | Sophomore | Matt Able — X | G | 6–5 | 200 |
| 22 | Junior | Alexandros Samodurov (Alex-ANN-drose SAH-muh-DUHR-off) | C | 6–11 | 225 |
| 1 | Senior | Terrence Brown — Y | G | 6–3 | 180 |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young (JAY-din) | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson (JARE-in) | F | 6–10 | 220 |
| 14 | Graduate | Angelo Brizzi — Z (BRIZZ-ee) | G | 6–3 | 200 |
| 54 | Graduate | Cameron Fens — V (Fenz) | C | 7–0 | 255 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 99 | Junior | John Holbrook — SA | F | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | G | 6–1 | 200 |
V — South Dakota transfer; U — Northwestern transfer; W — Virginia Tech transfer; X — N.C. State transfer; Y — Utah transfer; Z — Buffalo transfer; SA — Holbrook is a designated student-athlete, so he doesn’t count against UNC’s 15-player limit.
Coach Michael Malone’s coaching staff — Associate head coach Chuck Martin; assistant coaches Bryan Tibaldi (tih-BALL-dee), Sean May, Jorge Sanz (HOR-hey sahnth), Pat Sullivan and Brandon Robinson; Director of player development Deon Thompson.
Players who entered transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Bogavac | Senior | W | 6–6 | 215 | Oklahoma State |
| James Brown | Senior | C | 6–10 | 240 | Howard |
| Derek Dixon | Sophomore | G | 6–5 | 200 | Arizona |
| Kyan Evans | Senior | G | 6–2 | 175 | Minnesota |
| Zayden High | Junior | C | 6–10 | 230 | South Florida |
| Jonathan Powell | Junior | G | 6–6 | 190 | Pittsburgh |
| Ivan Matlekovic | Junior | C | 7–0 | 255 | Pacific |
UNC schedule
| Date | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |
| 9 | 7 p.m. Friday | vs. USC in Greensboro |
| 18 | 5 p.m. Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis |
| 27 | Tuesday | vs. Charlotte |
| November | Regular season | |
| 2 | Monday | vs. Western Carolina |
| 6 | Friday | vs. Wofford |
| 10 | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming |
| 13 | Friday | vs. Georgia |
| 20 | Friday | vs. Marshall |
| 23 | Monday | vs. Monmouth |
| 27 | Friday, 7 p.m. | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte |
| December | ||
| 1 | Tuesday | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas |
| 6 | Sunday | vs. Butler |
| 12 | Saturday afternoon | at Georgetown |
| 15 | 7 p.m. Tuesday | Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro |
| 19 | 2:30 Saturday, CBS | CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York |
| 21 | Monday | vs. The Citadel |
| 30 | Wednesday | vs. California |
| January | ||
| 2 | Saturday | at Boston College |
| 5 | 7 p.m. Tuesday | at Louisville |
| 9 | Saturday | vs. N.C. State |
| 13 | Wednesday | at Florida State |
| 16 | Saturday | vs. Stanford |
| 19 | Tuesday | vs. No. 17 Virginia |
| 23 | Saturday | at Syracuse |
| 26 | Tuesday | vs. SMU |
| 30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. |
| February | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Notre Dame |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. Georgia Tech |
| 8 | Monday, 7 p.m, ESPN | vs. Louisville |
| 13 | Saturday | at No. 4 Duke |
| 20 | Saturday | at Wake Forest |
| 22 | Monday, 7 p.m, ESPN | vs. No. 24 Miami |
| 27 | Saturday | at Virginia Tech |
| March | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Pittsburgh |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. No. 4 Duke |
| 9–13 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament in Greensboro |
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
