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University of North Carolina Athletics
Hubert Davis
Photo by: ANTHONY SORBELLINI
Hubert Davis Friday Press Conference Q&A
December 2, 2022 | Men's Basketball
Hubert Davis Press Conference
December 2, 2022
Q: How is ball movement affecting your play on the offensive end?
"That's all we talk about … the combination of ball movement and player movement, ball movement and player movement. Everything from an offensive standpoint is bound by spacing and balance with a combination of ball and player movement. So that's something that for this specific team, we communicated, talked about, drilled, and practiced the first time that we got together as a group. At the end of the day, what teams are doing against us is they are being very physical and that physicality has bothered us. And that physicality has bothered us in terms of our movement, it has bothered us in terms of our spacing, and it's bothered us in terms of us running our plays with purpose and pace."
Q: About not getting any easy baskets at Indiana.
"I don't remember one. I remember an out of bounds underneath in the second half when Pete [Nance] threw the bounce pass to Armando [Bacot] for a dunk. I can't remember another easy basket that we got. As I said before, not just Indiana, just the physicality of other teams and how they're guarding ball screens, they're blitzing us a lot. Our guards aren't able to penetrate and get down hill. It's taken us off of our spots, it's taken us off of our movement and our spacing. In the pace in which you have to run a play in order to generate a great shot, not only for yourself but for others, and that's something that we're going to work on today and tomorrow, something that I've thought about, stuff that we've talked about. I told you guys before, it was really good for two reasons. One, to be home, and then number two we have a chance to kind of think and just over the last couple days just been thinking two things. What's not working? And then on the other end, what's not working because we're not working? And those are two different things. And the things that aren't working, those are the things that you have to look at in terms of tweaking, pivoting, altering, and changing. But the things that aren't working because you aren't working, those are the things you need to stay the course. It's been great to have the last couple days and I can't wait for practice at 4 o'clock to communicate to the guys, what's not working, and the tweaks and pivots and alters and changes that we'll make, and the things that aren't working because we're not working, and that we're going to stay the course and get better."
Q: Which pertains more?
"I believe that it's not working because we're not working. I do. Even to be specific, Virginia Tech is unbelievable, they have a great coaching staff, a great team. The manner in which they run their plays. Everybody in the country runs set screens, they come off screens, they have guys that can post up, they've got guys that can shoot, but just the pace in which they run their plays really puts them in a position to be efficient on the offensive end. If you run a play and you don't run it with pace and purpose, the play's not working, but it's not the play, it's the pace and the purpose in which you run that play. I would 100% believe that most of the stuff that isn't working is because we're not working."
Q: About his message of blocking out the noise.
"I think it's an ongoing message. It is the message. It is what it is. It doesn't matter where you are ranked, what year, whether you're a coach or a student-athlete, your ability to focus on what is real, and to turn off the noise from the phone, the family, the friends, is very important. I think I've said it before, just referencing an interview by Doc Rivers on HBO Series, it just talked about in the locker room, there are more people in the locker room, and there is. There are the voices of the phones, the voices of the family, the voices of the friends, there's the voices of the agents, there's the voices of the workout guys. So there's more voices in the locker room. Individually and as a team, having the ability to turn down or turn off that noise is critical and the group last year did a really good job of doing that and my belief is that this group will do a great job of it as well."
Q: On the development of depth and bench play.
"They are [developing]. I really love what D'Marco [Dunn], Seth [Trimble], and Puff [Johnson] are doing. Their minutes are just going to keep continuing to rise. Obviously, they are playing not only well, but consistently well in practice and they're also all confirming that by their play in the game. I'm very happy with the way they've been playing and they're going to get more minutes. Everybody else is continuing to get better and I'm looking for consistency in practice and as I said before, play well in practice and I'll play you in a game. You consistently play well in practice and I'll play you in a game. Play well in a game and I'll give you more playing time. Plain and simple. I don't dictate playing time, I don't dictate rotations. That's just my philosophy on who plays and who doesn't."
Q: About Armando's injuries.
"My expectation is for everybody to be playing on Sunday. I haven't heard of any X-rays. I'm ready for practice at 4:00. North Carolina will be in Blacksburg on Saturday ready to play on Sunday."
Q: On Leaky Black's assist rate being down.
"I don't know. One of the things is it's such a small sample size right now. People do these press conferences and are throwing numbers at me, and I'm just like, it's eight games in, you know. Yes, over the last couple of years, Leaky [Black] has had the best assist-turnover ratio on the team and he just makes good decisions, he's an excellent passer, and to be able to have another playmaker out there on the floor with his size and athleticism is just a huge benefit to all the unbelievable, great things that Leaky does for us. He doesn't have that 2-1 assist-turnover ratio right now, but my belief is by the end of the year he will. Eight games in, I don't want to make any judgments on small sample sizes of games."
Q: General thoughts on the defense.
"Defensively, we're just not doing a very good job of protecting the paint and I feel like where it for the most part it starts the way that we're guarding ball screens. That's something that we're going to have to tweak, alter, pivot, change. Our guards are being able to get depth into the paint to the basket and it's just breaking down our defense and I think that's a huge reason in terms of contributing to the points in the paint that some of the teams have had. The points in the paint also I'm thinking is a contributing factor is our transition defense as a result of turnovers. I think I've said this before, our turnovers are pick sixes. So that just really hurts. Outside of that, I really do love our defense. You know, the first 20 seconds, where we break down in terms of the discipline and the details is the late part of the shot clock, I think that's an area where we need to get better as well."
Q: On Jalen Washington getting ready to play.
"He's progressing extremely well and I'm looking for him to be a full go by next week."
Q: Is winning at Virginia Tech last year something you will mention to the team.
"I just don't think that helps us. On Sunday, we're a different team, Virginia Tech is a very different team. Our focus is on going up there and competing and putting ourselves in a position to be successful. I think adding that type of weight in terms of turning things around in Blacksburg, I don't think it helps us, I don't think it's a benefit. I know a lot of people from last year want to grab onto something on what happened. I can't tell you how many questions I've had, 'what happened?' Was it the Virginia Tech game? Was it the Pitt game? Was there a no coaches meeting, all players? It was none of that. It was a year of growth. We just kept getting better and better, even through the wins and the losses, we just stuck together, and we kept getting better and better. For this year's team, that's what we have to do, we got to stick together, and we got to tweak and alter and pivot and change the things that we need to change and we need to stay the course on the things that are good for us. And that's what we're going to have to do the next season. We're just in a similar spot and it's a joy and a privilege to be able to walk through it. This season, just like season, is life. There are going to be rainy days and cloudy days, there are going to be sunny days. Just got to figure it out. We'll be committed to getting up every day and going to work, just like all of us."
Q: On playing Virginia Tech.
"Obviously they're very talented, very gifted from an offensive standpoint. I mentioned earlier the purpose and the pace in which they run their sets. You have to be consistent and there has to be a discipline about you defensively to be able to guard their multiple actions on every possession defensively. From an offensive standpoint, they're very talented and they're always very physical and tough on the defensive end and anytime that you play on the road, first game, ACC, which we've done for the third straight year, it's going to be a challenge for us but I'm really excited about going up there and they're a great team and a great staff."
Q: Are the players modifying their list of goals from early in year.
"No, I just want to stick to those goals. Let's check the box on the goals that are written down on that list of paper before we start adding. Let's check the box to everything that's on that sheet. Then, once we check the box consistently to everything on that sheet, then we can think about adding to the sheet."
Q: Follow up on Jalen Washington practicing.
"He's been full go for practice for about two and a half weeks. He didn't play his senior year of high school and not only is he an unbelievably great kid, I think he has a very bright future and I just want to make sure physically, in terms of fitness and also strength, he's in a good place to be able to do the things that he wants to do out there on the floor. For each one of the players it's about them personally first and then their basketball. He's just a great kid."
December 2, 2022
Q: How is ball movement affecting your play on the offensive end?
"That's all we talk about … the combination of ball movement and player movement, ball movement and player movement. Everything from an offensive standpoint is bound by spacing and balance with a combination of ball and player movement. So that's something that for this specific team, we communicated, talked about, drilled, and practiced the first time that we got together as a group. At the end of the day, what teams are doing against us is they are being very physical and that physicality has bothered us. And that physicality has bothered us in terms of our movement, it has bothered us in terms of our spacing, and it's bothered us in terms of us running our plays with purpose and pace."
Q: About not getting any easy baskets at Indiana.
"I don't remember one. I remember an out of bounds underneath in the second half when Pete [Nance] threw the bounce pass to Armando [Bacot] for a dunk. I can't remember another easy basket that we got. As I said before, not just Indiana, just the physicality of other teams and how they're guarding ball screens, they're blitzing us a lot. Our guards aren't able to penetrate and get down hill. It's taken us off of our spots, it's taken us off of our movement and our spacing. In the pace in which you have to run a play in order to generate a great shot, not only for yourself but for others, and that's something that we're going to work on today and tomorrow, something that I've thought about, stuff that we've talked about. I told you guys before, it was really good for two reasons. One, to be home, and then number two we have a chance to kind of think and just over the last couple days just been thinking two things. What's not working? And then on the other end, what's not working because we're not working? And those are two different things. And the things that aren't working, those are the things that you have to look at in terms of tweaking, pivoting, altering, and changing. But the things that aren't working because you aren't working, those are the things you need to stay the course. It's been great to have the last couple days and I can't wait for practice at 4 o'clock to communicate to the guys, what's not working, and the tweaks and pivots and alters and changes that we'll make, and the things that aren't working because we're not working, and that we're going to stay the course and get better."
Q: Which pertains more?
"I believe that it's not working because we're not working. I do. Even to be specific, Virginia Tech is unbelievable, they have a great coaching staff, a great team. The manner in which they run their plays. Everybody in the country runs set screens, they come off screens, they have guys that can post up, they've got guys that can shoot, but just the pace in which they run their plays really puts them in a position to be efficient on the offensive end. If you run a play and you don't run it with pace and purpose, the play's not working, but it's not the play, it's the pace and the purpose in which you run that play. I would 100% believe that most of the stuff that isn't working is because we're not working."
Q: About his message of blocking out the noise.
"I think it's an ongoing message. It is the message. It is what it is. It doesn't matter where you are ranked, what year, whether you're a coach or a student-athlete, your ability to focus on what is real, and to turn off the noise from the phone, the family, the friends, is very important. I think I've said it before, just referencing an interview by Doc Rivers on HBO Series, it just talked about in the locker room, there are more people in the locker room, and there is. There are the voices of the phones, the voices of the family, the voices of the friends, there's the voices of the agents, there's the voices of the workout guys. So there's more voices in the locker room. Individually and as a team, having the ability to turn down or turn off that noise is critical and the group last year did a really good job of doing that and my belief is that this group will do a great job of it as well."
Q: On the development of depth and bench play.
"They are [developing]. I really love what D'Marco [Dunn], Seth [Trimble], and Puff [Johnson] are doing. Their minutes are just going to keep continuing to rise. Obviously, they are playing not only well, but consistently well in practice and they're also all confirming that by their play in the game. I'm very happy with the way they've been playing and they're going to get more minutes. Everybody else is continuing to get better and I'm looking for consistency in practice and as I said before, play well in practice and I'll play you in a game. You consistently play well in practice and I'll play you in a game. Play well in a game and I'll give you more playing time. Plain and simple. I don't dictate playing time, I don't dictate rotations. That's just my philosophy on who plays and who doesn't."
Q: About Armando's injuries.
"My expectation is for everybody to be playing on Sunday. I haven't heard of any X-rays. I'm ready for practice at 4:00. North Carolina will be in Blacksburg on Saturday ready to play on Sunday."
Q: On Leaky Black's assist rate being down.
"I don't know. One of the things is it's such a small sample size right now. People do these press conferences and are throwing numbers at me, and I'm just like, it's eight games in, you know. Yes, over the last couple of years, Leaky [Black] has had the best assist-turnover ratio on the team and he just makes good decisions, he's an excellent passer, and to be able to have another playmaker out there on the floor with his size and athleticism is just a huge benefit to all the unbelievable, great things that Leaky does for us. He doesn't have that 2-1 assist-turnover ratio right now, but my belief is by the end of the year he will. Eight games in, I don't want to make any judgments on small sample sizes of games."
Q: General thoughts on the defense.
"Defensively, we're just not doing a very good job of protecting the paint and I feel like where it for the most part it starts the way that we're guarding ball screens. That's something that we're going to have to tweak, alter, pivot, change. Our guards are being able to get depth into the paint to the basket and it's just breaking down our defense and I think that's a huge reason in terms of contributing to the points in the paint that some of the teams have had. The points in the paint also I'm thinking is a contributing factor is our transition defense as a result of turnovers. I think I've said this before, our turnovers are pick sixes. So that just really hurts. Outside of that, I really do love our defense. You know, the first 20 seconds, where we break down in terms of the discipline and the details is the late part of the shot clock, I think that's an area where we need to get better as well."
Q: On Jalen Washington getting ready to play.
"He's progressing extremely well and I'm looking for him to be a full go by next week."
Q: Is winning at Virginia Tech last year something you will mention to the team.
"I just don't think that helps us. On Sunday, we're a different team, Virginia Tech is a very different team. Our focus is on going up there and competing and putting ourselves in a position to be successful. I think adding that type of weight in terms of turning things around in Blacksburg, I don't think it helps us, I don't think it's a benefit. I know a lot of people from last year want to grab onto something on what happened. I can't tell you how many questions I've had, 'what happened?' Was it the Virginia Tech game? Was it the Pitt game? Was there a no coaches meeting, all players? It was none of that. It was a year of growth. We just kept getting better and better, even through the wins and the losses, we just stuck together, and we kept getting better and better. For this year's team, that's what we have to do, we got to stick together, and we got to tweak and alter and pivot and change the things that we need to change and we need to stay the course on the things that are good for us. And that's what we're going to have to do the next season. We're just in a similar spot and it's a joy and a privilege to be able to walk through it. This season, just like season, is life. There are going to be rainy days and cloudy days, there are going to be sunny days. Just got to figure it out. We'll be committed to getting up every day and going to work, just like all of us."
Q: On playing Virginia Tech.
"Obviously they're very talented, very gifted from an offensive standpoint. I mentioned earlier the purpose and the pace in which they run their sets. You have to be consistent and there has to be a discipline about you defensively to be able to guard their multiple actions on every possession defensively. From an offensive standpoint, they're very talented and they're always very physical and tough on the defensive end and anytime that you play on the road, first game, ACC, which we've done for the third straight year, it's going to be a challenge for us but I'm really excited about going up there and they're a great team and a great staff."
Q: Are the players modifying their list of goals from early in year.
"No, I just want to stick to those goals. Let's check the box on the goals that are written down on that list of paper before we start adding. Let's check the box to everything that's on that sheet. Then, once we check the box consistently to everything on that sheet, then we can think about adding to the sheet."
Q: Follow up on Jalen Washington practicing.
"He's been full go for practice for about two and a half weeks. He didn't play his senior year of high school and not only is he an unbelievably great kid, I think he has a very bright future and I just want to make sure physically, in terms of fitness and also strength, he's in a good place to be able to do the things that he wants to do out there on the floor. For each one of the players it's about them personally first and then their basketball. He's just a great kid."
Players Mentioned
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