University of North Carolina Athletics
JV Tar Heels Start 3-0
January 26, 2017 | JV Men's Basketball
by Cassie Creech
CHAPEL HILL—New year, new UNC JV team. The Tar Heels officially kicked off their 2016-2017 season on January 12th in the Smith Center against Johnston Community College, and the new year has treated them well so far. The Tar Heels improved their record to 3-0 after two more wins against Wake Tech and Methodist over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend.
The JV team began practices back in October, working with Coach Hubert Davis as well as with the varsity team's strength and conditioning coaches. Coach Davis wanted his team to have a more rigorous season than in years past, so all 16 of their games will be played in a span of just two months.
Caleb Ellis, a sophomore transfer student from Apex, made his Carolina debut by leading the team with 26 points against Johnston Community. Despite the big win, Ellis insisted that they still have plenty of room to grow as a team. “Obviously you always want to work hard to improve throughout the season, but our shooting outside the arc and our defense need to improve specifically.” With the team shooting just 26% from behind the 3-point line, and 21 turnovers for the night, he was spot-on. “As we get back in shape and get back in the rhythm, we really need to be playing with more intensity.” Devin Dukes, another sophomore, added that Coach Davis has also really been pushing for that intensity. “[Coach Davis] has more fire and energy than coaches I've played for in the past. He's a legend, and that legacy and fire really just makes you want to play even harder.”
The following Saturday, the team beat Wake Tech 91-77, and then returned Monday afternoon to beat Methodist 112-52. The team's 3-point percentage improved to 53%, and to 60% from the floor overall, while holding themselves to just nine turnovers. Though Coach Davis always has high expectations for his team, he said the 60 point victory to finish off the weekend was definitely an improvement, and even a bit of a surprise. “We shot the ball really well today, especially from the 3-point range. With our ability to run and our ability to penetrate, shooting the ball from the outside is just going to give us more spacing and allow us to be even stronger on the offensive end.”
Despite a slow start coming back from Christmas Break, the 3-0 start to their season is keeping the Tar Heels hopeful about what 2017 can bring.