UNC-ECU Hubert Davis Q&A: 'I’m Happy, But Not Satisfied'

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina closed out non-conference play with a wire-to-wire 99-51 victory on Monday against East Carolina inside the Smith Center.

UNC shot a season-high 48% from 3-point range, making 12 of its 25 attempts. The 99 points the Tar Heels scored also set a season-high, as did the 48 points they won by.

Elijah Davis, son of head coach Hubert Davis, closed the game with a 3-point field goal, the first points of his UNC career.

Watch head coach Hubert Davis’ postgame press conference and read excerpts below…

You made shots, but it seemed the team also played with life in both halves. What contributed to the high level of energy for the whole game, compared to other games this season?

“I felt like we were consistently in transition. I felt like we got back to our transition fastbreak game against Ohio State, and I felt like we took levels up tonight. Obviously, it depends on getting stops and getting rebounds, but I felt like consistently, we had five guys sprinting to the offensive end, and we were living in transition. I think it’s the fourth straight game that we’ve had 20 assists or more (*it’s the third time in four games). So just sharing the basketball, and we’re in a good spot in regards to getting everybody involved.”

Luka Bogavac had a rough stretch in his last two games, but he had five points in the first five minutes on Monday and finished with 15. What did you like about his game today?

“He’s a skilled, aggressive offensive player. I always think he’s a four-level score. He shoot from three, midrange, get to the free throw line, finish around the basket. He was aggressive. He was on point tonight, and it’s exactly what we need. When you’re out there, especially with the starting lineup, with Seth (Trimble) and (Kyan Evans) and his ability to be able to score on the perimeter and pass and make plays. You talk about Henri (Veesaar)’s threes, like the pass in the second half that Luka made to him, that was real. And so he’s a gifted passer as well. Glad he had a good game.”

Can you describe the uniqueness of Henri’s game?

“His talent is real, and he can just do so many things on both ends of the floor, but specifically offensively. He can score with either hand around the basket. He’s a gifted passer. He’s got a nice floater, midrange game. He can shoot from three. You saw against Ohio State, give him the ball and put him in ball screen action, and so he can make plays off of that. Being able to move him around even more, putting him in different spots, is going to be key for us to be able to take advantage of his skill set. And I’m looking forward to building that out.”

What did it mean to you to see your son, Elijah, hit that 3-pointer and score as a Tar Heel?

“I’m the head coach, so I try to be ‘head coach,’ not ‘Dad.’ It was a really awesome, cool moment. I heard his little brother took off his shirt and started waving it when Elijah hit the three. Mom was really happy. Younger sister was really happy. Somebody else told me that Henri wouldn’t come speak to you guys unless Elijah could come. It just speaks to the chemistry of this team, and for them to adopt him as their teammate, and not the head coach’s son, has been something that I can’t put into words and how special it’s been. 

“Y’all are trying to make me cry! I’m an emotional guy.”

Now that non-conference play is done, what did you like, and what needs to get better in ACC play?

“I’m happy, but not satisfied. But happy with the way we did the non-conference season. I feel like we’ve been through every scenario. We’ve gone through a lot in two months, and we’ve been able to persevere and be able to find ways to be successful. Another encouraging thing is I don’t feel like we’re anywhere close to where we can be. I think we can be a lot better defensively, rebounding the basketball. I think we can be more efficient on the offensive end. We can shoot the ball better, even though we shot the ball well from three tonight. And so that’s the encouraging thing, that I think there’s a lot more room to grow. I’m looking forward to the break, but really excited about what this team can look like in the future.”