Up next in 10
#UNC coach Hubert Davis talks about adding GM, how it will work & his relationship with Jim Tanner
Feb 28, 2025
Davis also talks about many other topics ahead of Saturday's home game against Miami
View Video Transcript
0:01
ask you about Jay wit uh everyone we can
0:04
all see his threes we can see some of
0:06
the other stuff but the effect that he's
0:08
had on other guys we've asked you a
0:10
little bit about him persevering what
0:12
he's been through but when he's on the
0:13
court there's a Vitality he brings to
0:15
the court do you think that's kind of
0:16
trickled down on some of the other guys
0:18
here in the last couple weeks um I think
0:20
I think it does um you know he
0:25
um his personality just draws teammates
0:29
to him him um he's just has
0:32
that unbelievable smile and um his
0:36
approach to the game and how much he
0:38
loves being a part of a team
0:40
and and specifically this year being
0:43
able to contribute so much on a
0:45
consistent basis and so um obviously
0:49
he's helped us on the court but he also
0:52
equally and maybe even more helps us in
0:54
the locker room as well he hit a three
0:57
as first three I think in Florida State
0:59
didn't talk anybody but he BW a little
1:01
kiss is that a product of the
1:02
conversation we've had with
1:05
him
1:07
um yeah that I
1:11
was yeah you know the guys
1:15
um do stuff after their shots you know
1:19
and and one of the things that I have
1:22
told them is that you know when I
1:25
played I used to hold up my hands after
1:28
a three sometimes s and I I'm an
1:31
emotional person which makes me an
1:34
emotional coach and I was an emotional
1:37
player and when you're out there playing
1:39
with emotion that's exactly what I
1:43
want the thing that I don't want is a
1:46
celebration that brings attention to
1:48
yourself for something that you were
1:50
supposed to do out there on the floor
1:53
and um that wasn't the case for J wash
1:57
but I do have those conversations with
1:59
the guys in term terms of the things
2:01
that they do after they make a
2:03
shot
2:06
that to respond in a way that you've
2:09
been there before and that's what you
2:11
your job and responsibility you and
2:13
that's what you were asked to do so the
2:15
kiss was progress
2:19
yes I don't know who he I didn't see
2:21
that I don't know who he was blowing a
2:23
kiss
2:24
to okay all right well great well if it
2:26
goes in go for it okay it was Kiss
2:29
Worthy okay good good good uh so to
2:32
follow up on that he hea there was a
2:34
tweet he did of thank his coaches and
2:36
teammates for INS silly confidence
2:38
realizing the impact he can make on the
2:39
team Armondo raised the question whether
2:42
who has control of his account uh when
2:44
he saw the Tweet
2:47
but but but I was curious that you know
2:49
he hadn't been playing a lot of minutes
2:51
before this recent stretch it had been
2:53
less than probably he wanted sort of how
2:55
did you handle the idea of like
2:57
instilling confidence or saying you can
2:59
make this impact here's your opportunity
3:01
and he's responded to like working with
3:02
a guy behind the scenes before that
3:04
moment to keep him
3:06
ready well just for everybody you
3:10
know and I think one of the things that
3:12
has been really good about this team
3:17
specifically over the last two and a
3:18
half weeks is that you've had a number
3:21
of different people step
3:24
up in different games
3:28
and you know against FL State you know
3:31
Jay wash played really well but Kade
3:33
played really well Vin played really
3:35
well um Jay wit
3:37
has um over the last four games has been
3:41
consistent in terms of shooting and
3:42
finishing around the basket and
3:43
rebounding and Drake's playing really
3:46
well and so one of the things that I
3:48
always tell the guys is is that you
3:52
know I think I told you guys this before
3:54
in regards to like your number is always
3:57
going to be called a number of times and
3:59
so you know I can't tell you when where
4:01
how and how much or the manner in which
4:04
it's going to be called but your job and
4:06
responsibility is when your num is
4:07
called is to be ready to play and so for
4:09
Jay wash for all the guys Kade and Jay
4:13
wit I think it
4:16
shows the level of
4:18
preparation
4:20
and the commitment to this team that
4:24
when their number is called they can
4:25
step up and they can make impactful
4:27
plays for us to be able to be successful
4:29
to follow just on that how how
4:31
challenging is it to instill confidence
4:33
in a player when they maybe aren't
4:34
playing as much or you know what I mean
4:36
that you could say well your opportunity
4:38
is going to come but until it happens
4:40
they don't know that in their mind maybe
4:42
you know worrying about it yeah I I
4:44
think that comes with the relationship
4:46
that I have with the
4:48
players it's not just basketball I spend
4:51
a ton of time with them off the court
4:56
and when I tell them that I think they
4:59
believe
5:00
me because one I'm straightforward and
5:04
direct with them I care about them as a
5:06
person and I think they understand that
5:10
and there's evidence to prove that your
5:13
number is going to be called I mean to
5:17
stay there's evidence to that and I
5:21
think they from that
5:24
sense they trust
5:26
me hbert there seems to be a different
5:29
aggression level from Kade in recent
5:31
games particularly at Forest State I
5:33
mean he has one of the play games with
5:34
that rebound and foot back were there
5:37
any conversations or things you saw from
5:39
him in practice as far as the aggression
5:41
that you kind of were poking at him and
5:44
trying to get him there yeah no um you
5:47
know in practice I mean obviously we
5:50
have you know two different teams
5:52
competing against each other and I would
5:54
put him um on the blue team and he would
5:57
play with a ton of confidence
6:00
on both ends of the floor on the blue
6:02
team and
6:03
then when I put him on the white team he
6:06
wasn't playing with that same type of
6:08
aggressiveness and I asked him I said
6:10
what's the difference between the blue
6:11
and the white team he said well I feel
6:12
like the blue team really needs me to be
6:15
aggressive and I said the white team
6:17
does too and I said who told you that
6:20
who told you to hold back and not be as
6:22
aggressive and he says nobody told me
6:25
that I said I didn't tell you that I
6:27
said well then I want you to be
6:28
aggressive and and I want you to be you
6:31
I said everybody else's game will fit
6:33
around you but we need you to be the
6:35
best that you can be and I really think
6:39
you know he's been practicing really
6:41
well over the last three weeks three to
6:44
four weeks and now it's starting to
6:46
translate out there in the game and I'm
6:48
just really happy for him it's not about
6:50
making shots I agree with you I think
6:52
he's playing with an aggressiveness and
6:54
a confidence out there that
6:57
um that hasn't consistently been shown
7:00
prior to that but he's doing it now and
7:03
it's really nice to see how sorry go
7:06
ahead Michael and that Hubert how do you
7:09
approach a game like tomorrow when Miami
7:12
is coming in having a really difficult
7:14
season and losing their coach Midway
7:16
through how do you not let the guys
7:19
maybe overlook this game well Miami is
7:22
um has our full attention because
7:24
they're deserving of it um the talent
7:27
that they have out there on the floor
7:31
um they're a good basketball team and
7:33
may you know I don't look at the record
7:36
they're extremely well coached um a lot
7:40
of talent out there on the floor and
7:42
this is the ACC everybody's good the
7:45
approach to Miami is the same that it
7:47
would be the approach if we were playing
7:48
the Los Angeles Lakers like our
7:50
attention to detail our importance of um
7:55
the discipline and details that go into
7:58
putting yourself in a position to be
8:00
successful um is the same in any game
8:05
and we're excited about the challenge of
8:07
playing Miami
8:09
and understand that it's going to be a
8:11
really good game and um very
8:14
competitive youber you guys had the
8:17
announcement of of Jim Tanner coming on
8:19
board early this week and I have heard
8:21
you that you want to focus on this team
8:23
and and the remaining games but we've
8:25
been getting a ton of questions from our
8:27
audience uh about some of this stuff
8:29
just wanted to ask you just what do you
8:32
envision the structure being like uh
8:36
with with I guess that side the front
8:39
office side opening up how does the
8:41
workflow go um and you know there's more
8:43
voices in the room now how is that I'm
8:45
sure it's a collaborative process like C
8:47
can you just give us some insight into
8:49
just how the thing's going to be set up
8:51
and how you all are going to work
8:53
together yeah well first of all I'm you
8:55
know as I said before it was a position
8:58
that
9:00
um I think not I think the program
9:02
wanted and and and I felt like it was
9:05
needed I do and I'm so happy that
9:08
Jim um is a part of our program and a
9:11
part of our our team um I've known him
9:15
for a long time he's a uh a great
9:18
individual and I just enjoy have my
9:21
relationship with him and now U my
9:24
relationship with him in in this
9:26
capacity um I've said before and I I
9:29
think I said in the statement when it
9:31
was publicly announced on Tuesday that
9:35
um yeah he's going to help out in a
9:37
number of different ways and
9:39
specifically player contracts
9:42
nil uh transfer portal but in regards to
9:47
how you know the details of how it's
9:50
going to
9:51
work that's information that I don't
9:53
know right now because he was just
9:55
officially hired on Tuesday and so um
10:00
I guess how you envision it I think it's
10:03
going to work great I really do um I
10:07
have no question about this being
10:11
exactly what this program needs and I'm
10:15
really really excited
10:18
about however it turns out I'm excited
10:21
about where it's going I'm really
10:23
excited about it when did you kind of I
10:27
I was obviously new and evolving when
10:29
did you kind of realize that this could
10:32
be something that needed that that there
10:35
was more than that there's more work to
10:37
be done in a way well I don't I I don't
10:41
have a specific date when I woke up and
10:43
go wow this is something that is needed
10:45
I mean I you know um
10:48
obviously College athletics has changed
10:51
especially the last four years and
10:53
coinciding with me being head coach here
10:57
and I think you should always always be
10:59
in a position of listening and learning
11:01
and you know there's times where you're
11:03
going to have to tweak pivot alter and
11:04
change things and be able to adapt and
11:06
that's something
11:08
that I've always been willing to
11:11
do as a person as a player and now as a
11:14
coach and as I said before I'm really
11:17
excited about uh moving forward and and
11:20
what this is going to look like when it
11:22
comes to I guess gym specifically and
11:24
you know kind of evaluating you know
11:25
best candidates and things like that
11:27
obviously as you guys were going along
11:29
and doing your season and things like
11:31
that like I guess what was the process
11:33
of obviously you know going about this
11:35
season everything and then also trying
11:36
to discern and decip of you know a
11:38
position that you guys were were trying
11:39
to build and just your level of
11:41
involvement I guess and bringing him on
11:44
well the level involvement for myself
11:47
was
11:50
100%
11:52
And that's a part of my job is to be
11:55
able it's
11:59
it's not just coaching basketball
12:01
there's a number of things there's press
12:04
conferences
12:09
there's there's a number of things that
12:12
that you
12:13
have you have to do and so that was
12:16
another thing that um was wanted and and
12:19
another thing that was needed and that's
12:23
a part of the job and I accept it and I
12:25
love it you had a long NBA career how
12:28
would you compare how this will likely
12:30
be set up to the structure on NBA
12:33
teams you know that's a great question
12:36
yes I did play 12 years in the NBA but
12:38
it wasn't 12 years in management and so
12:42
um I was the player I got traded three
12:46
times I got waved I got
12:49
cut and so
12:53
um again I I I think you guys are asking
12:57
great questions in in regards to
13:00
details I just don't have that
13:02
information now because it's so new I
13:04
mean it's just so new and so I think it
13:07
would be negligent on my part to dive
13:09
into the details
13:11
when it's only really started since
13:17
Tuesday I think that's a question that I
13:19
can answer a little bit more into detail
13:22
later you mentioned you've obviously
13:24
known Jim for a long time just from a
13:26
personal side of things how much was
13:27
that relationship a factor in him being
13:29
the guy that you were comfortable with
13:31
and can you tell us a little bit more
13:32
about your relationship no you know
13:34
being able um to be with somebody that
13:38
you enjoy and like that's that's a
13:40
that's a huge thing I I I want to work
13:42
with good people I want to be around
13:44
people that I enjoy working with that
13:47
when they walk into the room you know
13:49
you break out in a smile and that and
13:52
also have not
13:54
only similar personality traits but also
13:58
similar
14:00
um in terms
14:02
of loving this place and a commitment to
14:05
not only to this program but this
14:07
University and this community and so for
14:09
him to have that
14:11
background
14:12
of you know our love for North Carolina
14:15
that was a huge piece in US deciding um
14:18
to do this together have time for a
14:20
couple more just follow did you did you
14:22
me in school or like how long have you
14:23
known I've known them since coming back
14:26
I mean obviously um since coming back
14:30
um being an assistant coach for coach
14:32
Williams and him being a you know
14:35
representative of a number of our former
14:37
UNCC players hbert getting back to your
14:39
pro career were you ever on a team that
14:42
had a coaching change in the middle of
14:43
the Season
14:45
yes yeah all the
14:49
time NBA
14:52
yes yes what what does that do to the
14:54
dynamic of a team when something like
14:56
that changes
14:59
those things those are part of the job
15:01
those things
15:02
happen um I'm not sure where you're
15:04
going with that but he got Reference
15:07
last night Utah Arizona at the Utah
15:08
Arizona game uh Tommy Lloyd mentioned it
15:11
because Utah's coach had gotten let go
15:12
and Utah had a I think a player and
15:14
their Ops person were the sons of the
15:16
coach so it's it's a part it's that top
15:20
okay okay yes that has happened to
15:23
me with the New York Knicks with the New
15:27
Jersey Nets
15:30
yeah it's happened with the Dallas
15:33
Mavericks yeah it's happened to me a
15:35
number of times and um but as I said
15:38
before my experience of that was as a
15:41
player and so as a player my job and
15:43
responsibility is to irregardless of who
15:46
the coach was was to play and to prepare
15:49
and to play and that was my Approach as
15:50
a player Andrew I want to go back to you
15:53
the Jim Tanner aspect here how hard was
15:55
it how challenging was it for you last
15:57
year the portal opens and you're still
15:59
playing in the tournament and you can't
16:02
I imagine you can only devote so much
16:03
time or allocate responsibility to
16:05
others to be prepared for the portal how
16:08
much will that change now how much will
16:10
it be easier for you that you may not
16:12
have to do the same amount of vetting
16:14
while also coaching your team as you had
16:16
to last year yeah again I you know I'm
16:19
really looking forward to what this is
16:21
going to look like
16:23
obviously having Jim a part of our staff
16:27
helps in regards to the timing and and
16:31
specifically how it helps those are
16:33
things that information that I I really
16:36
can't say right now because it's been so
16:39
new but I definitely
16:41
100% um excited about how it's going to
16:44
help I know it's going to help and just
16:47
excited about what this is going to look
16:48
like moving forward well part of that
16:50
real very quickly than Steve how
16:53
difficult was it you're playing in the
16:55
NCA tournament last year and there's
16:57
portal activity going on so how challeng
16:59
was that for
17:00
you um I don't think it was challenging
17:03
um you know again my focus is on the
17:07
team and is on basketball and but also
17:09
my job and responsibility is to think
17:12
and focus on other things at the same
17:14
time and that's just part of the job and
17:17
I accept that and I as I said before I
17:19
love it and so
17:23
um I don't look at it as challenging I
17:25
look at it as that's part of my job last
17:28
one Adam Hubert I think the portal opens
17:30
in 25 days um I think that's right uh
17:34
when does JY start March 24th yeah okay
17:36
I think it's 24 when does gym start I
17:38
mean is is there a start date for yes
17:40
now
17:45
okay thank you
17:47
all cont oh
17:50
yeah you got I was just gonna say h yeah
17:53
slow news week for you also uh comes out
17:56
that you've got a contract extension
17:57
ties you to the program through 29 30
17:59
congratulations um what does that show
18:01
mean for you to see that from the
18:03
University just to give you a little
18:05
more stability moving forward well I
18:07
mean kers
18:08
can confirm this or back me up um
18:12
the the extension or the New Deal was
18:16
was agreed upon in July
18:19
of
18:21
2024 and it was officially signed in
18:25
December of
18:26
2024 and so
18:29
um in regards to it
18:31
being um reported publicly on
18:38
Tuesday I don't know why it was reported
18:41
during that time but it was something
18:43
that was done in July last summer but I
18:48
mean for the University to support you
18:49
like that what does that sort of mean
18:50
for you just generally it just means
18:53
something what it means to me is to just
18:56
to be able to be a part of this
18:58
University in this
18:59
program um you know for me having gone
19:03
to school here and wanted to go to
19:04
school here and then to say that I got a
19:07
chance to come back and be coach
19:09
Williams assistant for nine years and
19:11
now I'm the head coach just to be and to
19:14
raise my family here I've said before
19:16
it's it's not just a job it's a mission
19:18
field I really feel like this is where
19:20
Jesus has put placed purposed and
19:22
planned me to be and it's just a real
19:24
honor and a blessing to be able to serve
19:26
in this capacity and and so to to be
19:28
able to do it as long as I can is um
19:33
something that puts a huge smile on my
19:35
face thank you coach thanks everybody