No. 11 North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis met with the media to discuss the upcoming matchup at NC State, how the rest of his team has stepped up, and much more!
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Hey, Coach. Just checking in to see how Henri is doing and what the expectation is for his availability tomorrow night.
Yeah, I mean, he continues to feel better and get better, and I haven't seen him today. We've got practice this afternoon, and we'll just, again, reevaluate and see how he's doing, and then move forward from there.
The second question is a follow-up. How has Jarin done? I guess it was Ohio State when you started playing him a little bit more at some four and some five. How has Jarin done as far as getting better, dealing with the physicality on both ends?
And a couple, he had a couple of moves the other day that some teammates mentioned about where he backed the guy in on the post, which is something maybe he didn't do as much of before.
Yeah, I was really pleased with the aggressiveness of his moves around the basket against Pitt. He is 6'10", and you mentioned his versatility of being able to play on the wing and also around the basket at the three and the four, and it's been huge for us.
And I think you're right, since Ohio State or maybe even the SMU game, I think he's been in a better rhythm, more comfortable, more confident on the offensive end when to be aggressive.
And I just love when he's aggressive. In practice, in the games, he just takes good shots, he makes the right plays, and he's just a really good player. And so when he's aggressive, he definitely takes our team to a different level from an offensive standpoint.
He's always been great defensively. Thank you. Appreciate it.
Hey, Hubert. Derek said on Saturday that Coach Lebo told the guards that they're the worst rebounding unit in the conference to serve as some motivation going into the Saturday game. I'm wondering just how much you've emphasized the importance of perimeter rebounding to them since learning of Caleb's injury and then, of course, with Henri.
Well, I mean, I've, since this group has gotten together, I've mentioned two things the most, well, three, defense, rebounding, and taking care of the basketball. I just, I think rebounding is the number one determining factor of an outcome of a game.
And, if you can limit teams to one shot every possession and then on the offensive end, you can get multiple cracks to be able to score by attacking the offensive glass, I think those teams are usually successful.
And so, I always say it's a UNC rebounding game. It's not just for Henri or Caleb or Jarin. Everybody has to get involved.
Against Pitt, Derek had seven defensive rebounds, and that was great. But on the other side, the remaining perimeter players totaled six. And so everybody has to rebound. Everybody has that job and responsibility, and it's very important for us.
Good morning, Coach. When you look at NC State tomorrow night, obviously, you guys know Ven pretty well, but for the most part, they're a pretty new team from what you guys saw last year. In your evaluation of them, what has stood out about what makes them a good team?
Yeah, I mean, one, they're really good defensively, they do a really good job of getting steals and deflections, disrupting you on the defensive end, not allowing you to feel, from an offensive standpoint, to consistently stay in rhythm. And so I think they're really good at disrupting and getting steals and deflections.
From an offensive standpoint, I mean, they can really shoot the basketball. Just a number of guys that can get hot and stay hot from the perimeter, but, they also can get consistent points in the paint, whether it's post-ups.
Quadir has been awesome in regard to his playmaking skills, and I think those are just a couple of things that make them a good basketball team.
Just following up on, and again, what you can share on your answer to AJ's question at the beginning, you said Henri is feeling a little bit better. Obviously, it sounds like the primary concern Saturday was just the illness and dealing with a little bit of a lower-body extremity thing. So, just want to check in. When you say he's feeling better, like in regard to just feeling sick, the lower body, just any clarification.
Both, I mean, it's like both are getting better, like, he had the flu, that's just not for one day, and he is feeling a lot better from that. And then the lower body extremities, it's getting better every day.
And it was an improvement from Saturday to Sunday, yesterday's practice, and my hope is that it's an even bigger jump today. But he is getting better on both ends.
Yeah. And then a quick follow-up, if I may, I know that you talked about with the game Saturday, you guys ended up doing something a little bit different with the, like, meeting that morning as a team.
Just what, I guess, take me through, if Henri is not okay for the game tomorrow, do you guys anticipate doing something similar with the NC State game? Why did you feel like that was important, too, for Saturday's game?
Well, I did it for Saturday's game because, I mean, one, it was an early game, and we normally don't have shoot around, but I felt like there were so many scenarios in play in terms of lineups going into the game. And I wanted to give them a clear picture of this is what it's going to look like this way, and this is what it's going to look like that way. And I felt like we were going into the Pittsburgh game preparing for a number of different scenarios.
And I wanted to narrow that focus before we went into a pregame meal because I didn't want to give them that information right before the game. I just felt like it was important for us to meet. I felt like it was important for us to spend that time together, and I felt like it was beneficial for us.
Hey, Hubert. You mentioned Quadir Copeland a little bit, but have you seen a guy who can kind of play point guard the way that he does at 6'6 and 200 pounds, that kind of can bully other guys in the backcourt?
It reminds me a little bit of Theo Pinson. I mean, Theo was 6'6, 6'7 and he really was like a facilitator. I mean, Theo was a big guard that can do a number of things.
He could handle, he can pass. He can score around a basket. He could shoot.
And Quadir reminds me a lot of him with his ability just to make plays, not only for himself, but for his teammates, whether it's on the perimeter or passes around the basket. He's got a good understanding of when to pass and when to shoot, takes good shots, and obviously does a good job of taking care of the basketball. And he's really a unique and really good player.
UNC and NC State were able to recruit Jarin Stevenson the first time around. He understands the local dynamics. What was it like when you saw the contrast for spending a couple of years on a recruit and then basically, probably a week after he transferred from Alabama?
Yeah. I mean, I've known Jarin, obviously, since high school, and his family, and it was a joy to be able to recruit him the first time. And even though he decided to go to Alabama, my relationship with him and his family continues to stay the same.
I mean, just because kids decide to go to other places, that doesn't stop my relationship with them in regards to wanting them to do well, and if they ever need anything, this program and I are here for them. And so when Jarin went into the transfer portal, it was an immediate call for me, and very thankful that we had a second chance to be able to recruit him. And I'm so thankful that he's here.
And it's been a joy to coach and be around. And I love him and his family being a part of Carolina basketball.
