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#UNC coach Hubert Davis and players RJ Davis and Seth Trimble at #ACCTipoff press conference
Oct 10, 2024
#UNC coach Hubert Davis and players RJ Davis and Seth Trimble at #ACCTipoff press conference
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0:00
get it started folks if you would please
0:02
identify yourselves and the agency that
0:04
you are with and we will get your first
0:06
question rolling uh we've got it right
0:09
here Third Road coach right in the
0:11
middle you're right Jeremy gron ESPN
0:14
Charlotte right here coach uh our M
0:16
bacon left the ACC in rebounds last
0:18
season of course that's a big loss for
0:19
your team but how do you plan on
0:20
replacing his production and do you
0:22
still plan on having a traditional vibe
0:24
there and maybe trying to implement more
0:26
spacing in the front Court well one of
0:27
the things that I've I've said a number
0:29
of times times as Arondo was one of one
0:32
he's not somebody that you can
0:34
replace um you talked about his
0:37
rebounding which was at a historic Elite
0:39
level actually Harrison Abram left the
0:42
ACC and ACC games in rebounding and they
0:45
were one and two and so you know one of
0:48
the things that you know for us to be
0:50
successful we've always identified it we
0:53
we've got to be a great defensive team
0:55
uh the second thing is we got to be a
0:57
great rebounding team and losing AR and
1:01
and Harrison um others have to step up
1:04
it's a huge part for us I've always said
1:06
it's the number one determining factor
1:08
and in the outcome of a game is
1:10
rebounding on both ends attacking the
1:12
offensive glass as well and so um but
1:15
I'm really excited about this group The
1:17
versatility the depth the athleticism
1:20
that allow us and put us in a position
1:22
um to continue uh to be good in terms of
1:25
rebounding the basketball coach we'll
1:27
stay right there just to our right in
1:29
third row hey coach TJ Wilkerson from
1:32
the sports nerd podcast one of the
1:35
themes you had going into this um season
1:38
that I've read off the news and observer
1:40
here R listen to RJ watch RJ do you talk
1:44
about RJ Davis's transition to the
1:47
leadership role from last year into this
1:50
year well I mean that it it's not a
1:52
transition from last year to this year
1:55
you know RJ has been that type of leader
1:57
in the five years that he's been here
1:59
you know one of the things that we talk
2:01
at Great length with each one of our
2:02
players is that for them to be elite in
2:05
three areas on the court off the court
2:07
in the classro and I can't think of
2:09
anybody better than RJ he's checked all
2:12
three of those boxes for five straight
2:14
years but you know it's you know him
2:16
being in his fifth year um it it would
2:20
be very easy um him uh he's had a
2:24
historic career um ACC Player of the
2:26
Year first team allamerican for him to
2:29
stay in that spot and be disconnected
2:32
with the others and his ability to reach
2:35
out and connect the three freshman the
2:39
three um transfers the four walk on and
2:44
being able to bind us together as a team
2:47
is been something that's been really
2:48
special to all of us coach we'll stay on
2:51
the right side second row Terence
2:54
Hatchet the juice Network coach we heard
2:57
Jim Phillips say that the perception of
2:58
the leag has been under
3:00
despite that the last several years
3:02
we've seen ACC teams advance to the
3:04
final four and even championship game
3:07
how does ACCC play prepared teams for
3:11
March well I mean I'm obviously I'm
3:13
extremely biased I think the ACC is the
3:16
best conference in college men's
3:18
basketball um you know I know the
3:20
history of the ACC growing up in North
3:23
Carolina and right outside of Washington
3:25
DC you know my uncle played in the
3:27
mid-70s here at North Carolina so
3:30
understand the history and the
3:32
significance of being a part of this
3:33
conference and it does you know for us
3:37
you know to be successful one of the
3:38
things that we talk about is you know
3:40
our non-conference schedule and being
3:43
challenged in that area to prepare us
3:45
for our conference and um It prepares us
3:48
when we get to the NCAA tournament and
3:51
different styles unbelievable coaches
3:53
and programs history um and uh it puts
3:57
us all of us in a position to be
3:59
successful the
4:00
postseason coach to your left second row
4:04
hi coach n had Phil brown candle Blitz
4:07
um just wanted to ask you of a very
4:08
different group this year what's pleased
4:10
you so far about this group and what are
4:11
some areas that they need to work on
4:13
heading into the season yeah uh I've
4:15
been really pleased with this group in
4:17
terms of their commitment to wanting to
4:19
be a team um you know it's not just on
4:22
the court but off the core even goes to
4:25
the meal room where you know they will
4:27
move individual tables together so
4:29
everybody sitting at one table and I
4:31
know that sounds small and insignificant
4:33
but it's it's of tremendous significance
4:36
that uh for us to become a team and
4:39
having a desire and a passion and a
4:41
thirst to be one and to be the best that
4:43
we can be I'm also something that sticks
4:46
out is just the way that uh each one of
4:49
the players has valued the the gifts and
4:51
talents that others have brought to the
4:53
table we always say that you have to
4:55
acknowledge it you you um um you have to
4:58
celebrate it um and our guys do that
5:02
every day uh whether it's practice or
5:04
off the court and so um that's just
5:07
going to be huge for us and I I think
5:09
one of the things that we're working on
5:11
is in terms of our uh the level it it
5:17
it's it's a quieter team than last
5:20
year's team and just the importance of
5:23
not having the same voice as previous
5:26
teams but for this team developing their
5:29
own voice and that'll come in time but I
5:32
really like the direction that we're
5:34
going and I'm excited for this season
5:37
coach to your right your last question
5:38
will come from the fourth row right in
5:40
the middle hey Hubert Adam Smith in
5:43
South Carolina I just want to ask you we
5:45
talked about a little a little bit the
5:46
other day in Chapel Hill but with nil
5:49
and just maybe this past year how have
5:52
you seen it change just in the last year
5:55
it seems like just you know it's gotten
5:57
more
5:58
transactional um you know and and just
6:00
what what effects do you see there and
6:02
how you maybe had to try to adapt to how
6:05
it has changed recently well I think you
6:07
know and you're right there there has
6:10
been changes and and and things have um
6:13
in terms of nil and the transfer portal
6:17
I've talked about in the four years that
6:18
I've been head coach it's been the
6:20
explosion of the transfer portal nil uh
6:23
the involvement of Agents on the
6:25
backside of a pandemic so there's been
6:27
and and you've added three more teams to
6:29
ACC so there's been some change uh in
6:32
the last four years I would probably say
6:34
the biggest difference in in regards to
6:37
nil right now is involvement of agents
6:40
that was something that wasn't really
6:42
present at the beginning and now it is
6:44
and so there's conversations not only
6:46
with the recruit with the family but
6:48
also with the agent and when that
6:51
happens it does become a little bit more
6:53
transactional but um recruiting is
6:56
recruiting whether it's coming from the
6:57
high school or the transfer portal and
7:00
getting guys like Seth and and RJ that
7:03
have a commitment to this University and
7:05
this program and an understanding that
7:07
it's not just on the court but it's in
7:09
other areas in the community and also in
7:11
the
7:11
classroom coach thank you you can switch
7:14
with RJ and RJ will spend a few minutes
7:17
with you folks same routine if you would
7:19
please identify yourself and the agency
7:21
that you are with and we will get
7:23
started RJ your first question right in
7:26
the front row to your
7:28
right Dan Tor a wakeup call dt.com RJ
7:32
for you just what's been the most
7:35
impactful moment at North Carolina so
7:37
far the thing that maybe sticks out to
7:39
you the most on or off report yeah
7:42
that's a great question I would say the
7:44
most impactful moment for me would be uh
7:47
mme just in terms of how we came
7:50
together as a group as a unit um not
7:52
knowing our chances of making the NCAA
7:54
tournament going to the Syracuse in the
7:56
DU game um and The Way We Believe one
7:59
another uh especially going to that du
8:01
game coach K's last game of how we came
8:04
together and that whole week we sat down
8:06
in the locker room saying like this is
8:08
our we this is our uh our time to kind
8:11
of just shock the world cuz obviously
8:13
they had a phenomenal game against us um
8:16
at home and um we didn't play our best
8:18
so um just in terms of just that moment
8:21
we shared after the game going to
8:24
Franklin and um that's one of the best
8:26
experiences that I have experienced um
8:28
cuz you see the love from the school and
8:30
uh from that moment on I think we just
8:32
bleed and took off from there RJ to your
8:35
right third row hi RJ TJ Wilkerson from
8:38
the sports nerd podcast being a fifth
8:41
year veteran we've seen a bunch we've
8:43
seen three freshman come in James Brown
8:45
has big few shoes to fill in with
8:47
Armando Bott who you played with for
8:50
many years what's his transition been
8:52
like and how have you stepped up um to
8:56
Mentor
8:57
him I mean James Brown has been
8:59
um tremendous just in practice um he's
9:02
been asking questions he been learning
9:04
on the fly but one thing that I love
9:06
about him is his his eager and his
9:09
Competitive Edge um he's always willing
9:11
to learn but he's always willing to
9:13
compete even if he makes mistakes he's
9:15
going to do it um by going hard and uh
9:18
James has been great he's great
9:20
defensively he's able to go guards on
9:22
the perimeter and bigs down low so um
9:25
he's going to he's going to improve and
9:27
progress throughout his years of of
9:29
playing here but it's kind of just
9:30
taking him under my wing a little bit um
9:33
you know telling them how to set the
9:34
screens and whenever I snake uh it's
9:37
kind of just be there in the rooll um
9:38
but he's learning on the fly but at the
9:40
same time um I think you guys are going
9:42
to expect a lot of great things from
9:43
James Brown not just from this year but
9:45
for more years to come RJ same road just
9:48
to our left Jeremy Gerson espb and
9:51
Charlotte we talked about the loss of
9:52
arando and Harrison but a constant is
9:54
coach Davis can you just talk about your
9:56
relationship with him and the identity
9:58
he wants you guys playing with yeah I
10:00
mean coach Davis I mean we established a
10:02
relationship since the day he recruited
10:04
me um I was just at step neck and we
10:06
always talk about this when uh it was a
10:08
team camp at Archbishop Malloy um and
10:12
from that point on we kind of
10:13
established a relationship that's um
10:16
bonding has been strong throughout my 5
10:18
years of being here um he's a coach that
10:20
I can rely on and he's put me in
10:23
positions and has put so much belief in
10:25
myself sometimes I didn't have that
10:28
within me um but he's instilled that in
10:30
me and that's something that you can't
10:32
really ask for a coach you can't you can
10:34
just only be grateful for um and uh we
10:37
built a relationship that you know goes
10:39
beyond basketball um and when you have a
10:42
coach like that when it's just not
10:43
strictly just about basketball when you
10:45
just want to know about your personal
10:46
life making sure you're doing well in
10:48
school um wants to know about any
10:51
siblings or family just stuff like that
10:53
those conversations they go a long way
10:55
and um for my five years and him being
11:00
my close before I mean just I mean I
11:03
can't really put it to words this is how
11:04
much he means to
11:05
me RJ thank you you can switch spots
11:08
with Seth we'll spend a few minutes with
11:09
Mr
11:14
tremble Seth your first question will
11:16
come to the right side third
11:19
row hey Seth TJ won from the sports nerd
11:23
podcast in coming back to Carolina one
11:25
of those big voices that you talked
11:27
about was from Leo can you talk about
11:30
the relationship with him and why it's
11:32
so special yeah coach Leo he's been I
11:35
mean my guy since the second I've Ste on
11:37
campus uh my freshman year uh coach Leo
11:40
he kind of made his mission every
11:41
practice to pick on me in some type of
11:43
way but he knew it would make him better
11:45
he knew I would learn from it and grow
11:47
from it so I'm have just appreciate him
11:49
for doing that and just over the years
11:51
as he's done that we've been able to
11:52
just grow
11:53
like I don't know I see him obvious I
11:55
don't see my coaches as friends but you
11:57
know I see him as somebody I can go talk
11:58
to I see see him as somebody that I can
12:01
just really have a relationship for
12:02
years to come Seth right side first row
12:06
Seth dance for Tor wake up called dt.com
12:09
the evolution of your role this season
12:11
just how you see yourself going into
12:13
2024 25 uh to be to step into a role of
12:17
being a much bigger leader than I was
12:19
last year uh just to play a more
12:22
complete Game this year to play my game
12:24
that's one thing that me and Coach Davis
12:26
discuss all the time is just to do me
12:29
play fre play free play whatever it is
12:31
and I mean I think the biggest thing I
12:33
do this year is lead uh RJ is our is is
12:36
our guys our leader is the one who we
12:38
look up to but you know he can't be the
12:40
only one he's the only one then this
12:42
year won't go us so I really got step
12:43
into that
12:44
Ro Seth as a followup to that last year
12:47
you were third in voting for the ACC six
12:50
man of the year uh this year do you have
12:52
something to prove absolutely absolutely
12:56
I mean I think I mean yeah I was third
12:58
but I doesn't really mean to much for me
13:00
uh I hear the doubt I hear the criticism
13:02
and I don't really listen to that but
13:04
you know I have a lot to prove for
13:05
myself uh the player I know I can be the
13:07
player that I know I can be for this
13:09
team so there's a lot of motivation
13:10
going into this year other questions for
13:13
Seth from the
13:14
room Seth back to TJ right side third
13:18
row Seth more than likely we could see
13:21
you in a starting role
13:23
so my question is what do you expect uh
13:26
how do you expect your role to change
13:28
from six-man to that starting
13:30
role not much changes I just start out
13:33
the game I mean that's the only way I
13:34
see it I mean that's that's really it I
13:37
just start the game with that's
13:39
offensive player I start the game just
13:41
doing me so that's that's
13:44
it anything else for Mr Trimble will
13:47
take the last one first row to your left
13:52
St what was your best memory of the last
13:56
few
13:57
seasons uh
13:59
honestly the whole season last year 2023
14:02
2024 season was like truly genuinely one
14:05
of the greatest times in my life uh it's
14:07
like the second everybody got here on
14:09
campus the bond and the Brotherhood and
14:12
just the friendship that we all have
14:13
within the team it was it was truly one
14:15
time like I wish you could all
14:17
experience something I experience uh but
14:19
beat Duke I think at D at home and that
14:23
D I mean honestly were the two biggest
14:24
things that stuck out to me most this
14:26
last year uh it's it wasn't something I
14:28
had done my freshman year and it was
14:31
just a huge motive for us you know we
14:33
wanted our get backs and you know we
14:34
made sure we got them so we had a very
14:36
good time that Seth thank you North
14:39
Carolina good luck this year thank you
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