Hubert Davis says message to his team never changed, tactics did

North Carolina picked up an important win this weekend in order to break a three-game skid. Afterward, though, Hubert Davis said nothing about what he said to his team changed.

Davis said his message stayed constant following the Tar Heel’s 91-71 win over Clemson in Chapel Hill. He said they continued to preach team unity except, this time, it led to a victory.

“I think that’s consistent. I don’t see that message being different just because you come at it from a little different direction,” said Davis. “But the message has always been consistent. Our closeness, our togetherness, our team, and focusing on this year’s team to see how good we can become.”

Whatever Davis said or did? It very obviously worked. After dropping three straight, they hosted the Tigers, who are Top-5 in the ACC, and they handled their business. A big part of it was the 19-12 run that they went on heading into halftime which gave them the momentum to come on top because of a 49-38 second half.

UNC’s stars shined as Caleb Love (23 points), Armando Bacot (19), and RJ Davis (17) put the team on their backs. However, they also got the job done as a unit as they outshot and outrebounded the Tigers while also finishing with more assists, fewer turnovers, and fewer fouls.

North Carolina couldn’t afford to take a fourth consecutive loss. While it was on them to find a way, Davis maintained that there wasn’t some new secret to their success. They kept their message consistent, it got them across the finish line on Saturday, and, now, they’re going to continue to lean on it over their final six contests.

Davis reacts to increased player-led leadership amid struggles

It’s been a roller coaster season for North Carolina, but Hubert Davis has kept his veteran Tar Heels squad from losing sight of their goal.

After a couple of tough losses, UNC got back on track on Saturday, defeating Clemson in a statement victory. Afterwards, Davis explained how some player-only meetings and unique practice tactics helped the Tar Heels find their footing once again.

“That doesn’t surprise me at all,” Davis responded, regarding his players’ response to recent troubles. “I mean, we’re a team. This is a program. We’re in this together. All year I’ve talked to them about a hunger and thirst, all year I’ve talked to them about discipline and details, all year I’ve talked to them about having a love for the game. For your teammates and for themselves.”

“Yesterday, I made some of the guys put on a 15-pound vest. Throughout all of practice, they were trying to figure out why I was singling out certain players,” said Davis. “I said one of the things I do is I require players to stop by the office. In the summer, three times. During the year, because of school and stuff, at least once. So they thought that these guys forgot to stop by the office.”

“(But) I told them, this is what we’re playing with,” Davis said. “You’ve got to put that stuff down. All the noise. From the phone, the family, the friends, the fans. Just put the weight down. I would like you to play a game without this weighted vest. Just allow you to be able to play freely. Have fun. The guys met another of times since we’ve played Wake Forest. It showed in the way that they played together today.”

Evidently, the weighted vest tactic worked wonders for Davis, which begged the question from reporters, was it a Hubert Davis original, or something he borrowed from one of the legendary coaches he played with?

“Coach (Pat) Riley did a lot of stuff…That’s also a Coach (Dean) Smith too. I don’t know. I’m a visual learner,” added Davis. “I was just thinking about something to kind of give them a picture of what they were playing with.”

“Whether it’s the beginning of the year, the expectations? The comments from the phone, the family and the friends? You can’t play with that weight. You can. But you can’t jump as high, run as fast. You can’t be as efficient. I just wanted them to play free. They played free tonight. I’m just so proud of them.”