By R.L. Bynum
Senior speeches will be part of North Carolina’s final home game once again.
On the “Hubert Davis Live” radio show, Coach Davis said they are back because senior Seth Trimble wanted to deliver a postgame speech after his final home game at 7 p.m. Tuesday against Clemson.
Senior speeches have not been part of senior nights since Davis took over as head coach, with there only being a pregame ceremony honoring the seniors. There will still be a pregame ceremony at about 6:40 p.m. to honor Trimble, fellow senior Elijah Davis, the coach’s son, and three senior managers, in addition to speeches after the game.
Coach Davis explained that the change came directly from Trimble, the ACC Player of the Week, who approached him about speaking after the game.
“[The change] was led by Seth,” Davis said during Monday’s radio show. “Seth wanted to, and he asked if, at the end of the game, that he could say some words. And I said, ‘Yes, absolutely.’ ”
He added that his son also wanted to speak, prompting the coach to revive the postgame tradition.
Kansas had a tradition of senior night speeches under Roy Williams, and he took that tradition to UNC when he became the Tar Heels’ coach for the 2003–04 season.
For Hubert Davis, the night carries personal weight since his son will be honored, and he reflected on what coaching his son has meant to him.
“I’ve always wanted to coach him, and never had the opportunity to do that. And to say that I got to the last two years is beyond a blessing,” Coach Davis said.
Davis expressed a deep appreciation for the team’s embrace of his son, who has only played late in games that UNC was winning handily, getting his only points with a 3-pointer in the 99–51 victory over East Carolina on Dec. 22.
“The best thing about this is that, the way, the last two years, the players have adopted him,” Coach Davis said. “And they have loved him and accepted him so much that it doesn’t feel like at all he’s my son. And that’s the thing that has brought a huge smile to my face. He has friends for life, not because his dad is the coach. It’s because of the relationships that have built over the last couple of years here.”
But Elijah Davis will start against the Tigers in his first action since the 91–59 win over Notre Dame on Jan 21.
As the Tar Heels prepare for Clemson, Davis acknowledged that Tuesday will be filled with emotion as he honors players, welcomes back senior speeches, manages a crucial late-season game and navigates all that comes with it.
He jokingly asked host Jones Angell if they could skip talking about senior night because of the emotions that come over him when talking about it.
“I will celebrate the seniors before the game, be locked in at the game, and then celebrate the seniors after the game. I’ve got no problem with that,” Davis said.
At least for one season, the tradition is back.
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Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
