Up next in 10
A sad RJ Davis talks in the dressing room after his #UNC career ended Friday.
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
career coming to an end here today.
0:08
Um I mean
0:15
just the way we battled to the end. Um
0:18
it wasn't a great first half that we
0:20
started off with but to pull it all the
0:23
way through all the way to the second
0:24
half and you know be right there
0:27
uh just speaks on just
0:32
the whole time of this this whole
0:34
season. Um it's been like a roller
0:36
coaster year, but we persevered, we were
0:39
resilient, and um we didn't go down
0:42
without a fight. And I mean, that's just
0:45
my first initial thoughts. What was your
0:47
message to you guys in the locker room
0:48
after?
0:52
Kind of what I just said, just
0:54
obviously the year we how the year
0:57
started and
1:00
um wasn't the great start
1:03
but you know it was difficult it was a
1:05
diff difficult journey difficult path
1:06
that we as a team that we face adversity
1:09
and um we overcame it and we was able to
1:13
each and every day when we get knocked
1:15
down we get right back up
1:18
and that's all he could ask from a team
1:20
and I think that's what you know he just
1:23
emphasized on after the game RJ for when
1:25
you had the and one there to cut it to
1:28
Did you get the sense that the building
1:29
was on your side? Momentum was on your
1:31
side. I mean, was was there a point
1:32
there where you thought, "This is it.
1:34
We're going. We're going to get it."
1:36
Yeah, I feel like momentum was on our
1:38
side. It was a two-point game and uh we
1:40
just needed one more stop and I feel
1:41
like, you know, the crowd got into it
1:43
just from, you know, being down 18 and a
1:45
half and then pulling all the way
1:46
through to a two-point game with a
1:48
minute left in the game. So, um the
1:50
crowd was into it. It was good energy.
1:52
Um so, you know, I felt like it and I
1:53
looked up at the clock. I'm like, "All
1:54
right, this is our time to win." It
1:56
looked like their activity on defense
1:58
was giving you guys trouble in the first
2:00
half and on the other side it looked
2:01
like you guys were getting caught in
2:02
some switches. What What was it that
2:05
that took place that led to the big
2:07
deficit? Um just kind of like early
2:09
turnovers and then um you know their
2:12
ability to switch one through five.
2:15
Um it wasn't nothing that we never faced
2:18
um from the past a month and a half ago,
2:20
but I think we were a little bit too
2:22
stagnant, but at the same time, like it
2:23
was really just the defensive end that
2:24
was uh causing us problems. We couldn't
2:26
really get um any defensive rebounds. Um
2:29
we didn't take pride in the first half
2:30
in our our matchup. So that allowed them
2:33
to go on the run. I think the second
2:34
half we did a good job of picking up
2:36
um you know on the defensive boards and
2:39
um getting stops. I just felt like it
2:41
was a a back and forth game where um I
2:44
think they were scoring more points than
2:45
we were and we weren't getting stopped.
2:46
You hit your first three. I think it was
2:47
in transition and I don't think you hit
2:50
him hit one the rest of the night. Was
2:51
your shot kind of flat tonight? Did it
2:52
feel a little bit flat? Yeah, I think
2:54
just um my release point. A lot of them
2:58
ended up came up coming up short. Um so
3:01
yeah. Did the second half against Duke
3:04
and Charlotte give you guys confidence
3:06
at halftime that you could come back and
3:08
make a game of it? Yeah, I mean we said
3:10
that in the halftime coming into
3:11
halftime like we've been these positions
3:12
before. We beat down um a lot more
3:15
points than we were today. So um our
3:19
expectation going into the second half
3:21
was to respond the way we did and I
3:23
think we did a good job doing that. We
3:24
just came up short. RJ, you know, I know
3:26
it's still fresh, but when you think
3:28
back about your time here at Carolina,
3:30
you know, what are you going to remember
3:31
most?
3:33
We had a couple
3:36
really everything. Like my time here
3:39
was the best time of my life. the the
3:41
five years I spent here. I mean, I
3:44
wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Just
3:46
from the coaching staff
3:48
to, you know, the athletic trainer to
3:51
the strength coach, you know, Doug and
3:53
Jonas, um, the managers, you know, the
3:57
different teammates I played with, uh,
4:00
Shane, our equipment manager,
4:03
um, just everyone in that building. I
4:05
just learned
4:06
like hoops.
4:11
I mean, I could go down the line just
4:13
everyone in some way have impacted my
4:15
life for the five years I've been here.
4:17
And I couldn't be more appreciative of
4:20
of the time I spent here. It's it's been
4:22
one hell of a ride, one hell of a
4:23
career. And uh I mean, just looking back
4:26
on there's a lot of great memories that
4:27
I've um that I have cherished and that
4:31
I'm very thankful for. just, you know,
4:34
the relationships I've built, the
4:36
friendships I've built, the running
4:38
through that tunnel, going to practice,
4:40
going to the football games, the
4:41
tailgating, the bus rides here to
4:43
different games, you know, the hotels,
4:45
like just like locker conversations,
4:47
just everything I'm just going to miss
4:48
cuz it
4:50
was family that I built, brotherhood
4:52
that I built here. Um, I'll remember
4:54
that forever. Ask you to look into the
4:56
future. How how do you think it's going
4:58
to feel? your mind when you take that
5:00
jersey off for the last time. It's going
5:02
to hurt
5:05
just know this jersey won't be I won't
5:07
be putting this jersey on um anymore.
5:09
So,
5:11
it's definitely going to be like a
5:13
new chapter in my life. Uh adjustment
5:16
get into like you know summers I won't
5:19
be here so um there's no more school for
5:22
me. So, it's just a lot of it's an
5:24
adjustment period for me and you know
5:25
just obviously spending like you know
5:27
half a decade here in my five years and
5:29
um me just growing as a freshman into a
5:31
young man like uh it's going to be
5:33
different and um that's just some
5:36
something I'm going to get used to. A
5:38
few of us asked you a couple weeks ago,
5:40
it was the last presser you had at home
5:41
before Duke, but just about your career
5:43
and the numbers and Armando who spoke a
5:45
lot about the numbers. You haven't
5:47
really done that, but now since it's
5:48
over, can you process kind of where you
5:51
stand and where where your name is
5:53
historically here and not just here, but
5:55
the ACC?
5:57
[Music]
5:59
I mean, I never really talked about it
6:00
because I like to stay um in the present
6:03
moment and um I'm a humble kid. So, I
6:08
mean, I'm just thankful to go out there
6:10
and play basketball. So, and just
6:12
obviously just the achievements and
6:14
rewards that come with it. So, but uh I
6:17
mean just looking back on my career and
6:18
the the records I broke and
6:21
just you know just everything I
6:24
accomplished that I didn't even think I
6:25
was going to accomplish. Um through a
6:27
lot of adversity. It's crazy to me. Um
6:29
my name's going to be up there with a
6:31
lot of great players that put on this
6:32
jersey, but then also that played in the
6:34
ACC. So, um that's something that I'll
6:37
just remember and uh look back on, you
6:40
know, when I get older and just be
6:43
grateful and just be thankful for, you
6:45
know, the ups and downs I went through,
6:47
the adversity I went through. Um just
6:50
becoming the person and the player that
6:51
I am today.
6:52
RJ, back to in your opinion, what do you
6:56
think needs to be improved on or
6:59
corrected or changed to get this program
7:02
back to like a final four level? You've
7:04
played in a final four, you played in a
7:06
national championship game. Like what do
7:07
you think needs to to maybe change over
7:10
this off season? I mean, it's
7:13
just changes needed everywhere around
7:16
the world. It's a lot it's harder now
7:19
because you got a lot of, you know,
7:21
transfer portal and NIO things going on
7:23
in this new era. Um, but I think to get,
7:26
you know, back to that space, it's just
7:28
first and foremost, you got to recognize
7:30
that's hard. Like, it's not easy to get
7:32
there. Um, and a group has to buy in.
7:36
And, uh, this group bought in, we just
7:39
came up short. And I think the change is
7:41
going to have to just move in the right
7:43
direction. is going to be needed like it
7:45
starts in the summer. I think that's the
7:47
the first and foremost and just
7:48
obviously just building team chemistry
7:50
and connectivity um goes a long way. Um
7:53
and
7:55
uh one thing that I think this group um
8:00
and for further teams that could take
8:02
from is is dealing with adversity and
8:03
how to overcome it. Um when you get hit,
8:07
you know how you're going to respond.
8:10
And I think that's what one thing that
8:12
could be considered a change is dealing
8:14
with adversity. Um persevering through
8:16
it all.
#Sports
#College Sports
#Basketball