Hubert Davis stresses importance of North Carolina stars stepping up in clutch situations

This year’s North Carolina Tar Heels team has a chance to do something special this season. Head coach Hubert Davis knows that. He also knows that having the Tar Heels’ stars step up in clutch situations is going to be vital to reaching the team’s potential.

After North Carolina’s win over Boston College on Saturday, Davis emphasized the need for those star players to step up.

“At the end of the day, you need your dudes to step up,” Hubert Davis said. “I mean, you just need your big-time players to make big-time plays. It’s just as simple as that.”

North Carolina managed to beat Boston College by 10 points. That was largely on the back of double digit scoring performances by the team’s star players, including Cormac Ryan, Armando Bacot, and RJ Davis, who scored 40 of the team’s 76 points.

“So, for us to win whoever we play, you know, we need Cormac and Armando, and we need RJ we need Harrison. We need those guys to play well,” Davis said. “And in the second half, they stepped up and made plays on both ends of the floor. That helped us win another road game.”

On Monday, the Tar Heels once again took to the court, beating Wake Forest 85-64. Once again, those key players that Hubert Davis highlighted were vital to win. In particular, RJ Davis had a phenomenal game, scoring 36 points by himself in the win.

Next up for North Carolina is a trip to Florida State on Saturday.

Hubert Davis discusses ‘joy’ he feels as North Carolina coach

As a player, Hubert Davis was a star for North Carolina. Now, he coaches the Tar Heels, a position that he feels great joy to have now.

“It is a joy for me. My job is to coach, to serve, to help, to assist. That’s my job every day. Just to, individually and as a team, make them the best that they possibly can be. To me, being able to have a front-row seat to see that growth — not just on the court but off the court and in the classroom — is something that I find great joy in and very enjoyable to be around,” Davis said.

“I like when the guys are having fun and they’re having smiles on their faces. Because they’re enjoying something that they love. They’re doing it at a place they love and they’re doing it with teammates they love. You check those three boxes and you’re going to have joy. And that’s what our team has.”