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.
Roster assuming all players with eligibility other than Caleb Wilson, Henri Veesaar and the seven players who entered the transfer portal return, which would put UNC three under the 15-player limit. The class for next season is listed.
| No./ Stars | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 star | Freshman | Maximo Adams | SF | 6–7 | 205 |
| 3 star | Freshman | Malloy Smith | CG | 6–5 | 190 |
| Freshman | Sayon Keita | C | 7–0 | 215 | |
| RS freshman | Cade Bennerman — W | C | 7–0 | 205 | |
| Sophomore | Neoklis Avdalas — X | G | 6–9 | 215 | |
| Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 180 | |
| Sophomore | Matt Able — Y | G | 6–6 | 205 | |
| Senior | Terrence Brown — Z | G | 6–3 | 174 | |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson | 4 | 6–10 | 215 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 25 | Junior | John Holbrook | 4 | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | 2 | 6–1 | 195 |
W — Northwestern transfer. X — Virginia Tech transfer; Y — N.C. State transfer; Z — Utah transfer
In 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 |
Key offseason dates
May 8–10 — G League Combine in Chicago
May 10 — NBA Draft Lottery
May 10–17 — NBA Draft Combine in Chicago
May 27 (11:59 p.m.) — NCAA early-entry withdrawal deadline
June 23–24 — NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn
Nonconference schedule so far
(Other than the ACC/SEC Challenge, games without links revealed from reporting by Alex Rosinski)
(10 of 14 games)
Nov. 2 — vs. Western Carolina
Nov. 6 — vs. Wofford
Nov. 10 — vs. Wyoming
Nov. 13 — vs. Georgia
Nov. 20 — vs. Marshall
Dec. 1 or 2 — vs. SEC team in ACC/SEC Challenge
Dec. 12 — at Georgetown
Dec. 19 — vs. Kentucky in CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden
Dec. 21 — vs. The Citadel
November or December — vs. Butler
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
