RJ Davis announces decision to return to North Carolina for 2023-24
R.J. Davis is returning to North Carolina for the 2023-24 season, he announced via Twitter. The announcement came shortly after Tar Heels star Armando Bacot also announced his plans to run it back.
“Tar Heel for life,” Davis tweeted, along with the hashtag #seniorszn.
Davis put up impressive numbers this season for North Carolina, finishing second on the team with 16.1 points per game while leading the Tar Heels with 3.2 assists per contest and shooting a team-best 36.2% from three-point territory. It was an impressive follow-up to his strong 2021-22 season in which he averaged 13.5 points per game as UNC rattled off a run to the national championship. Davis and Caleb Love both earned honorable mention All-ACC honors after the year.
Davis has been a key piece for UNC after arriving on campus as a four-star recruit and the No. 46-ranked prospect in the nation from the 2020 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
It’s even more good news for North Carolina, which also got word of Bacot’s plans to come back earlier this week for his final season. He confirmed the news with Stadium’s Jeff Goodman.
“I’m using my last year of eligibility,” Bacot said in a statement to Stadium. “I felt it was the right decision for my future. The primary reason I am coming back is because I don’t want to leave North Carolina this way. But I also know I need to improve and feel like this is the best place to do that.”
By getting Davis and Bacot back, the Tar Heels will get two of their top three scorers back. Love hasn’t announced his decision as of publication, but he led the team with 16.7 points per game this past year.
North Carolina had a rough go this year, finishing 20-13 overall and 11-9 in ACC play to miss out on the NCAA Tournament despite coming in at No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25. The Tar Heels opted not to participate in the NIT even though they were one of the first four teams out of the March Madness field.
Despite getting two stars back, UNC is also seeing some turnover on the roster. Four players have entered the transfer portal, including Puff Johnson, who appeared in 27 games and averaged 4.1 points per contest in 15.9 minutes.