ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE BASKETBALL TIPOFF MEDIA DAY

October 12, 2021

Hubert Davis

Armando Bacot

Caleb Love

North Carolina Tar Heels

Press Conference

Q. Coach, just what it means to you to oversee this program now moving forward as its head coach and maybe the lasting legacy of Roy Williams? And for you gentlemen, just what it means to have Hubert as the leader of this team now.

HUBERT DAVIS: Well, for myself, I had always grown up a Carolina fan. My uncle was an All-American at Carolina in the mid-70s, Walter Davis, and so at a very young age that's all I wanted to do is that I wanted to be a part of this program. I wanted to run out of that tunnel. I wanted to put on that uniform. I wanted to play on the Smith Center floor.

To think that I was given the opportunity to play at Carolina, to get an education and graduate at Carolina, and then after playing 12 years in the NBA be able to come back and be an assistant coach at Carolina for nine years and now for the last six and a half months to be the head coach of Carolina puts you in a place of humbleness and thankfulness, and it's just a really cool deal.

CALEB LOVE: It's been great, great transition from Roy to Coach Davis, and I just feel like it's a blessing that he got the job because I feel like we already had a connection when he was an assistant.

And like I said, it's just been a great transition, and I'm glad he's our leader.

ARMANDO BACOT: Yeah, I agree with Caleb. Once Coach Williams gave up the job, Coach Davis was the coach that us as a team, we all wanted. It was just great to know that Coach Williams felt the same way as us, so we're all glad that we got Coach Davis.

Q. Coach, a lot has been made about kind of what people's offensive expectations would be for you guys this upcoming season. I want to ask about the defensive side and what changes you might make, what things you're going to take from Roy and things you've learned elsewhere.

HUBERT DAVIS: Well, from a defensive standpoint there's two areas that we relentlessly talk about every day at practice. The first thing is just doing a better job on the ball, just over the past especially the last couple years, we just haven't been able to guard the basketball. So we've made an emphasis on everybody, taking the challenge to be able to guard your guy. One of the things that we always talk about is off-night mentality, and that whoever you're playing to make sure that he has an off-night.

One of the things this year defensively that I love, the versatility amongst everybody on our roster. Caleb can guard bigs down low in the post and Armando can guard any perimeter player out on the perimeter. We can do that with Dawson Garcia and Justin McCoy, Brady Manek. That versatility on the defensive end is going to be really huge for us.

The other area that we're focusing on is defending the three. Just over the years, teams have just been able to lace it from three, and so we've got to do a good job not only taking away the three, but also being in a better position to be able to contest the three.

And I think these guys have sone an unbelievable job in the first two weeks of practice being able to make those two adjustments.

CALEB LOVE: Yeah, Coach Davis has been on us constantly, every practice about our defense. Everybody, honestly, the whole coaching staff, no middle drives, just constantly close out hard. I mean, he preaches it every day at practice.

He's instilling it into us now so that when we get into a game it's second nature.

ARMANDO BACOT: Yeah, kind of like what Caleb said, but also us having a mentality Coach Davis has been trying to get us to. Yesterday he sent us a quote and it was just talking about how every day you can have effort and bring defense, even on days where your shot might not be falling, anything like that.

If we just come out and compete on the defensive end every day, everything else will come in line.

Q. Coach Davis, you'll be the North Carolina Tar Heels head coach at the Dean Smith Center on Roy Williams' court. What legacy would you like to leave?

HUBERT DAVIS: Well, one of the things that I've said to not only Coach Williams but any former UNC lettermen, is that it's important for me that whether they come to a practice, come to a game, read a news article, watch it on TV, I want them to just identify with their experience at Carolina.

That's just huge for me, whether you played for Coach Smith, Coach Guthridge, Coach Doherty, Coach Williams. One of the things that binds us together is our shared experiences, even though we had been coached by different coaches. On our coaching staff, everybody, all the coaches on the coaching staff have gone to Carolina and played at Carolina, and all of our wives went to Carolina, as well.

Each one of our coaches touches the legacy of Coach Smith, Coach Guthridge, Coach Doherty, and Coach Williams. It's great that we can give our current guys the full body menu in terms of experience of what this place is all about, and it's very important to me.

Q. A lot of transfers that people are excited are. How are they gelling with the team, and what do they contribute on the court?

CALEB LOVE: I just feel like everybody has been gelling, not only the transfers but just to talk about them, Brady Manek, Dawson Garcia, and Justin McCoy. I just feel like they came in and they worked their tails off and they fit in right away.

With Coach Davis, the way he runs his offense, it's just going to be great for them to strive on the offensive end and defensive end. I just feel like, like I said, they're going to fit in well.

ARMANDO BACOT: Yeah, I feel like just getting the transfers, they've all been great. They all bring a little bit of a different thing to the table. Like Dawson is something we haven't really had at UNC since maybe Luke being able to score off the dribble. If that's shooting or scoring in the post. Brady, too, the way he can shoot the ball is just crazy. And then Justin McCoy with just his defensive mentality, they all bring different things to the table that will all come together.

Q. The gift and the curse of Carolina basketball is that newness doesn't happen too often. How will you manage honoring Carolina conditions while ushering the newness of you being the coach?

HUBERT DAVIS: Well, one of the things that I talked about at the press conference is the foundation of who Carolina is, I believe in it. It's been tried. It's been tested. It's been proven successful. I believe in what Coach Smith taught. I believe in what Coach Guthridge taught. I believe in Coach Williams, how he ran the program.

It's something that -- and I've said before that I want to travel the same road. I'm just going to do it with my own personality and my own shoes.

Carolina is going to be Carolina because I believe in it and I trust it, but I'm also going to do it with my personality.

Q. Coach, the start of the name, image and likeness period is upon us. How has that impacted your program thus far, and what are your long-term goals in dealing with that aspect?

HUBERT DAVIS: Well, first of all, I'm very excited and thankful that student-athletes like Caleb and Armando can now from a financial standpoint benefit off their likeness. I've for the longest of time felt like they should have, and I'm very excited and very thankful that now they're able to do that.

One of the things that we have -- we've talked a lot about NIL, and the things that we have talked about is, yes, this is an exciting time and I'm happy for them, excited for them, but also to make sure what's most important.

One of the things that I said is in order -- the most important thing is to have team success, and the second thing is to have individual success. If our team is successful and you guys individually are successful, which Armando and Caleb will definitely be, then the NIL stuff will take care of itself.

Q. I wanted to go back to the transfers for just a second. Of course Brooks and Sharpe and Kessler all left last season with Bacot really being the only big left from that rotation coming into this year. So with Garcia and Manek coming into the fold, how do you expect their skill sets will complement Bacot, and what do you think that dynamic will be when some of them are on the floor at the same time?

HUBERT DAVIS: Well, I think it's going to complement Armando tremendously. Last year we had four unbelievable bigs, but for the most part we had four traditional bigs that posted up down low on the block.

One of the things from an offensive standpoint is I've always loved versatile bigs, so with Armando coming back and being able to add Justin McCoy and Brady Manek and Dawson Garcia, bigs that can handle the basketball, they can make plays on the perimeter, they can shoot from three.

From an offensive standpoint it's going to give us the spacing and balance and movement that we wanted on the offensive end.

Then you throw the development of Armando. One of the things that people don't understand, throughout the summer, every week he made a thousand threes. We've had great discussion about him and his dreams and goals of playing at the next level in the NBA, and one of the things that I told him is in order for that to happen, you're going to have to develop a perimeter game, being able to handle the basketball, make plays on the perimeter, and Armando's ability now to be able to handle the basketball, make plays on the perimeter and shoot the ball from the outside is going to work perfectly alongside those three transfers.

Q. Caleb, your bio says you play mini golf. What's the story there?

HUBERT DAVIS: He's not good at mini golf. He thinks he's good at bowling. I beat him. He thinks he's good at mini golf.

CALEB LOVE: No, I love doing that type of stuff, mini golf, bowling, like that recreational type stuff. I just love doing that type of stuff.

But, yeah, I am at mini golf. He has never beat me at mini golf. He did beat me at bowling, but we're 1 and 1.

Q. What do you think are the easiest and most difficult parts of moving to the spot on the bench that you'll be at for the first time?

HUBERT DAVIS: Well, you know, people say what is the difference between being an assistant coach and head coach. As an assistant coach you're always making suggestions, and as a head coach you're always making decisions. That's the biggest difference.

I'm always asked, what are going to be the challenges, and I laugh at that question because I'm doing something that I love. I've always loved basketball. I'm getting a chance and an opportunity every day to coach it, to teach it, to be around it, and I'm able to do it at a place that I've loved my entire life.

So to be able to do that, as I said before, puts me in a place of humbleness and thankfulness, and that's exactly where I want to be.

Q. Like you said, piggy-backing off of that, you're taking on the head coach position of one of the most storeyed programs in college basketball. Are there any boxes that you're looking to check off for your first season?

HUBERT DAVIS: No, not at -- I want to win a National Championship. That's a big box.

I've never compared myself. That's just something that I've never done. I've always believed in where you are, be the best that you can be. Focus on the preparation and the process and the results will take care of itself.

That's what I did as a player. That's what I did as an analyst. That's what I did as an assistant coach, and that's what I'll do as a head coach.

As I said before, it's an honor and a privilege to be in this position to help and support, encourage, coach, teach kids like Caleb and Armando and helping them reach all their dreams and goals.

You talk about the boxes that I want to check, every day at practice I mention these two things: I desperately want everyone, Caleb and Armando, to have the experience of being the last team standing on Monday night. I want to see them -- I want them to experience the tears and the hugs of being that team on the podium winning a National Championship.

The other thing that I desperately want them to feel is them reaching all of their dreams and goals, playing in the NBA. One of the things that I always tell them is I want you to go to the NBA, but I want you good enough where you're going to stay in the NBA. I want them to have longevity so that they can stop whenever they want to.

So in terms of boxes that I want to check, I want to check those two boxes daily.