Hubert Davis Q&A Ahead of UNC-Kansas: ‘Keep Your Eyes Straight Ahead’

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina basketball coach Hubert Davis met with reporters on Thursday afternoon, ahead of the Tar Heels’ early season showdown against Kansas on Friday night here at the Smith Center.

The No. 25 Tar Heels and No. 19 Jayhawks will meet for the 14th time in their storied histories, but the first time ever in Chapel Hill. Last November, UNC fell short 92-89 at Kansas’s Allen Fieldhouse, after climbing out of a 20-point deficit. The Tar Heels were ahead 87-83 with 3½ minutes remaining and 89-87 with two minutes left, but couldn’t hold the lead during crunch time that night.

On Thursday, Davis provided thoughts on last season’s matchup with Kansas, while previewing Friday night’s game. Watch the full video of his question-and-answer session here, and scroll below for noteworthy comments.

Star freshman Darryn Peterson is very gifted. What does he bring to Kansas?

Hubert Davis: “He is, obviously, he’s gifted, but just his ability to be impactful and dominant on both ends of the floor. I mean, obviously, you can score; he’s a four-level score. Can shoot from three, mid-range, get to the bucket, get fouled, get to the free-throw line. I’ve also been impressed, just from a defensive standpoint, his ability to get steals and deflections, rebound the basketball, and so he’s more than just a score. He’s a complete basketball player, and obviously, he’s playing at an extremely high level with tremendous confidence.”

Is there anything you can take away from the way you guys played at Kansas last season?

Davis: “Not necessarily in terms of schemes, but I do remember, we’re up four or three minutes to go, and one of the things that we talk about as a team is discipline and details, the little things to make big things happen. And down the stretch, you just got to be tight defensively, getting stops, rebounds. We didn’t stop them down the stretch. We gave up an offensive rebound, and just execution on the offensive end, taking care of the basketball, getting the right shots, getting the right shots by the right guys. And not that we would have won, but just a missed opportunity last year down the stretch.”

As you get a defensive game plan together for Kansas, how does their size dictate how your team matches up on the perimeter?

Davis: “Yeah, but we got some pretty good size too. But they are, they do have positional size, they’re athletic. They can do a number of things on the floor, whether it’s on the perimeter, obviously, their ability for lob threats. They can put max pressure on the rim through penetration. They put you in situations where they can get space and isolation plays. They’re great in transition, and so their athleticism and length is real, and that’s something that we’ll have to match up with.”

What are the key things you need to see from Henri Veesaar against Kansas big man Flory Bidunga down low?

Davis: “Henri, obviously, from a defensive standpoint, rebounding the basketball, but he also, with his length, he can block and he can alter shots, and so obviously they have a lob threat, rim threat, and so that’s something that we’ve talked about, and we want to try to eliminate as much as possible. But on the offensive end, Henri does a really good job of running the floor. He’s a post presence for us, and that’s real. We’ve talked at great length of how we want to dominate points in the paint. We want to throw the ball inside, and so just using Henri around the basket, but also his ability to pass on the perimeter and shoot from three, hasn’t shot a lot of threes, but just trying to find more opportunities for Henri pick-and-pop situations, because that’s a real gift of his, and that’s something that we really need to utilize.”

Do the Quad 1 résumé struggles from last season add a sense of urgency for this season to get some quality wins under the belt early?

Davis: “I think it’s an added sense of urgency for us to continue to improve and get better. One of the things that I’ve said to you guys a number of times, I speak to the team, and I give them Proverbs 4:25, ‘Ignore all side show distractions. Just keep your eyes straight ahead.’ So obviously winning big games is important, but the most important thing is to focus on what is real, and that for us is our preparation, our practice, and for us to play at the highest level that we can play tomorrow night, and at the end of the day, the results will take care of itself.”

Do you think Caleb Wilson is one of the most-ready freshmen you have coached for a big-game environment this early in the season?

Davis: “He is ready, and he wants the spotlight. He’s somebody that runs towards it. And yesterday at practice, he had a look, over the last week, just a different look. So after practice, I pulled him aside and said, ‘Caleb, is everything OK?’ And he goes, ‘Coach, I’m just really locked in.’ And I was like, ‘OK, that’s fine, but one of the things that really makes me feel comfortable as a coach is when you smile.’ So I said, ‘You can be locked in, but you have to smile. Just look at me, just give me that smile, and you can go back to being locked in.’ But I mean, he’s somebody that the attention to detail, I’ve mentioned before, that he’s always asking questions. As talented as he is, he’s not somebody that thinks he knows everything. He’s always willing to learn, but he is one that runs towards the light, and he’s really excited about playing on Friday.”