University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Peyton Williams
Lucas: Basketball Practice Notebook
October 21, 2021 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Notes and quotes from this week's Carolina basketball practices.
By Adam Lucas
Most of the attention around the new approach from head coach Hubert Davis has focused on spacing, shooting and a few defensive tweaks.
There has been less attention given to Davis' preferred pace. But don't expect the Tar Heels to walk it up the court in the first post-Roy Williams season. Davis has been just as focused in practice at getting his team to play with pace as his Hall of Fame predecessor.
On multiple occasions this week, Carolina scrimmaged for several minutes with a 15-second shot clock. That might not sound like enough time to get a good look at the basket, but it actually created numerous good shots. The key, as the Tar Heels learned during the scrimmage: all five offensive players had to sprint up the court, and quick decisions and decisive passes were paramount. The shorter clock virtually eliminates aimless dribbling. There wasn't a single shot clock violation during the 15-second portion of practice on Thursday.
Notes: As practices have evolved over the last couple of weeks, the distinctions between a Roy Williams practice and Hubert Davis practice have become more clear. The Tar Heels did an interesting drill this week that involved not just sprinting out to the three-point line to run a shooter off the arc, but then had a second stage when they sprinted to the arc and then had to "creep" to walk out to a shooter several feet off the line…Former Carolina assistant coach and past National Coach of the Year winner Eddie Fogler has moved back to Chapel Hill and has been a regular practice observer. Fogler was the lead recruiter for current assistant Jeff Lebo when Dean Smith landed Lebo's commitment. Fogler made enough trips to Carlisle, Pennsylvania to recruit Lebo that he instantly recalled the most efficient way to get there—"Fly to Baltimore and then drive to Carlisle rather than having to change planes to go to Harrisburg"—and also remembered the impressive performances from Lebo's high school team, which included former Syracuse star Billy Owens and was coached by Lebo's dad, Dave…
D'Marco Dunn hit a nice three-pointer during one of Thursday's full-court periods. "I try to be real smooth and real efficient," he said. "I don't try to do too much, but I try to make a big impact on the court." Hear much more from Dunn tomorrow on GoHeels.com in an exclusive story with him and his "The Intro" video on the Carolina basketball social media channels. Dunn's fellow freshman, Dontrez Styles, was featured last week…This week's moment when Hubert Davis sounded the most like Roy Williams came after Armando Bacot threw a fairly casual behind the back pass on the baseline. The head coach stopped the drill immediately. "No, no, no," Davis said. "We're trying to win a championship. None of that."…
Davis' heart had to swell on Thursday afternoon when he saw the reaction to the final full-court drill of practice. The head coach told his team the squad that got three straight defensive stops would win the drill. That produced the most competitive moments of practice, as R.J. Davis, Justin McKoy and Brady Manek helped their side get the stops and take the win, which prompted a vocal celebration…McKoy then flashed his offensive talents in a drill that regularly marks the end of practice, as players have to make two consecutive three-pointers from five different spots around the arc and then work their way back around the arc (a total of ten spots) in one minute and 45 seconds. McKoy cleared all ten spots and then kept going and cleared a bonus 11th spot before time elapsed…Carolina's men's golf team will host the Williams Cup next Monday and Tuesday in the first-ever event designed to honor Roy and Wanda Williams. Subscribe to the Carolina Insider podcast to hear tomorrow's interview with golf coach Andrew DiBitetto, who in addition to having his program ranked in the top five nationally has some terrific Williams stories and was one of the first individuals to know about the head coach's surprising retirement...
Fall break began on campus Wednesday evening. With no classes on Thursday or Friday, the Tar Heels were able to practice earlier on Thursday in preparation for traveling later in the day. Don't be surprised if they pop up at an NBA game on Friday.
Most of the attention around the new approach from head coach Hubert Davis has focused on spacing, shooting and a few defensive tweaks.
There has been less attention given to Davis' preferred pace. But don't expect the Tar Heels to walk it up the court in the first post-Roy Williams season. Davis has been just as focused in practice at getting his team to play with pace as his Hall of Fame predecessor.
On multiple occasions this week, Carolina scrimmaged for several minutes with a 15-second shot clock. That might not sound like enough time to get a good look at the basket, but it actually created numerous good shots. The key, as the Tar Heels learned during the scrimmage: all five offensive players had to sprint up the court, and quick decisions and decisive passes were paramount. The shorter clock virtually eliminates aimless dribbling. There wasn't a single shot clock violation during the 15-second portion of practice on Thursday.
Notes: As practices have evolved over the last couple of weeks, the distinctions between a Roy Williams practice and Hubert Davis practice have become more clear. The Tar Heels did an interesting drill this week that involved not just sprinting out to the three-point line to run a shooter off the arc, but then had a second stage when they sprinted to the arc and then had to "creep" to walk out to a shooter several feet off the line…Former Carolina assistant coach and past National Coach of the Year winner Eddie Fogler has moved back to Chapel Hill and has been a regular practice observer. Fogler was the lead recruiter for current assistant Jeff Lebo when Dean Smith landed Lebo's commitment. Fogler made enough trips to Carlisle, Pennsylvania to recruit Lebo that he instantly recalled the most efficient way to get there—"Fly to Baltimore and then drive to Carlisle rather than having to change planes to go to Harrisburg"—and also remembered the impressive performances from Lebo's high school team, which included former Syracuse star Billy Owens and was coached by Lebo's dad, Dave…
D'Marco Dunn hit a nice three-pointer during one of Thursday's full-court periods. "I try to be real smooth and real efficient," he said. "I don't try to do too much, but I try to make a big impact on the court." Hear much more from Dunn tomorrow on GoHeels.com in an exclusive story with him and his "The Intro" video on the Carolina basketball social media channels. Dunn's fellow freshman, Dontrez Styles, was featured last week…This week's moment when Hubert Davis sounded the most like Roy Williams came after Armando Bacot threw a fairly casual behind the back pass on the baseline. The head coach stopped the drill immediately. "No, no, no," Davis said. "We're trying to win a championship. None of that."…
Davis' heart had to swell on Thursday afternoon when he saw the reaction to the final full-court drill of practice. The head coach told his team the squad that got three straight defensive stops would win the drill. That produced the most competitive moments of practice, as R.J. Davis, Justin McKoy and Brady Manek helped their side get the stops and take the win, which prompted a vocal celebration…McKoy then flashed his offensive talents in a drill that regularly marks the end of practice, as players have to make two consecutive three-pointers from five different spots around the arc and then work their way back around the arc (a total of ten spots) in one minute and 45 seconds. McKoy cleared all ten spots and then kept going and cleared a bonus 11th spot before time elapsed…Carolina's men's golf team will host the Williams Cup next Monday and Tuesday in the first-ever event designed to honor Roy and Wanda Williams. Subscribe to the Carolina Insider podcast to hear tomorrow's interview with golf coach Andrew DiBitetto, who in addition to having his program ranked in the top five nationally has some terrific Williams stories and was one of the first individuals to know about the head coach's surprising retirement...
Fall break began on campus Wednesday evening. With no classes on Thursday or Friday, the Tar Heels were able to practice earlier on Thursday in preparation for traveling later in the day. Don't be surprised if they pop up at an NBA game on Friday.
Players Mentioned
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