.png&width=36&height=36&type=webp)
University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Maggie Hobson
Lucas: Basketball Practice Notebook
October 5, 2022 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Notes and quotes from the first week of Tar Heel basketball practice.
By Adam Lucas
The Tar Heels are enjoying an off day today after the first full week of practices of the 2022-23 season. As expected with a veteran team, the sessions have been largely productive.
A brief lapse in effort last week sparked the only real Davis frustration of the preseason so far, and the first instance of what is likely to be numerous reminders that Carolina was one rebound away from a national title last season. "I'm not satisfied with beating Duke," the head coach told his team. "I don't want to walk through that tunnel again with confetti falling on me."
The message connected with Tar Heels across the roster's age spectrum. "We needed that," Pete Nance said. "We needed to hear that from him and make sure we had a productive practice."
"I knew exactly what he was saying," said freshman Jalen Washington. "My last high school game, we went to the state semifinals and lost. As soon as the buzzer went off, I was in tears walking back to that locker room. That was my most recent basketball memory. I have so much left to prove. Coach Davis talks about that validation, and I'm hungry for it."
Not surprisingly, it was RJ Davis who took control and changed the tone of practice after the head coach's instructions, increasing his defensive intensity and forcing his teammates to match him. The junior guard has been a consistently steadying force and has also showed explosive scoring ability as he continues to build on a strong postseason performance.
Defensive emphasis: You never really think about all the tiny pieces that go into building a defense. The Tar Heels spent an entire period last week just focusing on how they guard a ball screen, with only two offensive and defensive players on the court. "We're worry about all the other guys later," Hubert Davis said. "We can't be really good on defense until we are really good guarding the ball. When we get this, we'll worry about the other guys."
And how good could they be defensively? On Monday, the White (regulars) team picked up ten straight stops during a "must stop" portion of practice. Blue did eventually find the basket, but the six- or seven-minute stretch was a reminder of what the team could be defensively…
Notes: The benefits of an experienced team that shares the same frame of reference: as the Heels were installing a set, Hubert Davis referenced another Atlantic Coast Conference opponent that runs a similar play. "The difference with the way they run it is they don't go through the motions, and that's what makes it hard to stop," he said, and the vast majority of his players nodded in agreement…Please don't misunderstand this: Armando Bacot remains an imposing physical presence in the paint, and that is where the vast majority of his damage will be done. But he's also had a very solid week taking an occasional jump shot. That's an area he's worked hard to improve this summer, and it shows. "He has worked on that tirelessly," says Will Shaver, who has the unenviable task of guarding Bacot regularly in practice. "His shot has changed completely. In the past five practices he's hit seven or eight three-pointers, and they are all net. They're not rattling in. It's been cool to watch that progress for him."…
The way Pete Nance communicates may be partially lost to fans in a full arena, but it's very evident in an empty Smith Center during practice. The Northwestern transfer has consistently been the most vocal Tar Heel, always offering encouragement or a correction for a younger teammate. If you missed his interview on the Carolina Insider, it was a nice window into how he tries to play and what he wants to contribute this season other than scoring…Hubert Davis recently mentioned how much he enjoys working with players one-on-one. So it wasn't surprising to see him recently on the Smith Center court going over the finer points of the floater with RJ Davis...
Two Tar Heel basketball reminders: first, because of the storm delay, Live Action will take place Friday night at the Smith Center. It's a great early chance to see this year's team and also have one last celebration of last year's memorable accomplishments...If you've been waiting to order Together, the behind the scenes book on last year, now is the time. Books are headed to the distributor now and should start to be mailed out in the next two weeks. There's a discount code available here.
The Tar Heels are enjoying an off day today after the first full week of practices of the 2022-23 season. As expected with a veteran team, the sessions have been largely productive.
A brief lapse in effort last week sparked the only real Davis frustration of the preseason so far, and the first instance of what is likely to be numerous reminders that Carolina was one rebound away from a national title last season. "I'm not satisfied with beating Duke," the head coach told his team. "I don't want to walk through that tunnel again with confetti falling on me."
The message connected with Tar Heels across the roster's age spectrum. "We needed that," Pete Nance said. "We needed to hear that from him and make sure we had a productive practice."
"I knew exactly what he was saying," said freshman Jalen Washington. "My last high school game, we went to the state semifinals and lost. As soon as the buzzer went off, I was in tears walking back to that locker room. That was my most recent basketball memory. I have so much left to prove. Coach Davis talks about that validation, and I'm hungry for it."
Not surprisingly, it was RJ Davis who took control and changed the tone of practice after the head coach's instructions, increasing his defensive intensity and forcing his teammates to match him. The junior guard has been a consistently steadying force and has also showed explosive scoring ability as he continues to build on a strong postseason performance.
Defensive emphasis: You never really think about all the tiny pieces that go into building a defense. The Tar Heels spent an entire period last week just focusing on how they guard a ball screen, with only two offensive and defensive players on the court. "We're worry about all the other guys later," Hubert Davis said. "We can't be really good on defense until we are really good guarding the ball. When we get this, we'll worry about the other guys."
And how good could they be defensively? On Monday, the White (regulars) team picked up ten straight stops during a "must stop" portion of practice. Blue did eventually find the basket, but the six- or seven-minute stretch was a reminder of what the team could be defensively…
Notes: The benefits of an experienced team that shares the same frame of reference: as the Heels were installing a set, Hubert Davis referenced another Atlantic Coast Conference opponent that runs a similar play. "The difference with the way they run it is they don't go through the motions, and that's what makes it hard to stop," he said, and the vast majority of his players nodded in agreement…Please don't misunderstand this: Armando Bacot remains an imposing physical presence in the paint, and that is where the vast majority of his damage will be done. But he's also had a very solid week taking an occasional jump shot. That's an area he's worked hard to improve this summer, and it shows. "He has worked on that tirelessly," says Will Shaver, who has the unenviable task of guarding Bacot regularly in practice. "His shot has changed completely. In the past five practices he's hit seven or eight three-pointers, and they are all net. They're not rattling in. It's been cool to watch that progress for him."…
The way Pete Nance communicates may be partially lost to fans in a full arena, but it's very evident in an empty Smith Center during practice. The Northwestern transfer has consistently been the most vocal Tar Heel, always offering encouragement or a correction for a younger teammate. If you missed his interview on the Carolina Insider, it was a nice window into how he tries to play and what he wants to contribute this season other than scoring…Hubert Davis recently mentioned how much he enjoys working with players one-on-one. So it wasn't surprising to see him recently on the Smith Center court going over the finer points of the floater with RJ Davis...
Two Tar Heel basketball reminders: first, because of the storm delay, Live Action will take place Friday night at the Smith Center. It's a great early chance to see this year's team and also have one last celebration of last year's memorable accomplishments...If you've been waiting to order Together, the behind the scenes book on last year, now is the time. Books are headed to the distributor now and should start to be mailed out in the next two weeks. There's a discount code available here.
Players Mentioned
F/C
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballWBB: Post-Elon Press Conference - Nov. 6, 2025
Friday, November 07
Hubert Davis Pre-Kansas Press Conference
Thursday, November 06
UNC Field Hockey: Tar Heels Drop Duke, 5-2, for Spot in ACC Final
Thursday, November 06
MBB: Hubert Davis Pre-Kansas Press Conference
Thursday, November 06