CHAPEL HILL, N.C. –– In the world of college athletics change is the only constant.
Every season of Carolina Basketball seems to be a new era of the team, but amidst all of the changes head coach Hubert Davis remains steadfast in his commitment to keeping the main thing the main thing, anchoring the team through every transition.
From cutting-edge technology to the transfer portal, the college hoops’ landscape is in perpetual flux. Yet amidst this world wind of innovation, one topic dominates headlines with remarkable consistency – Name, Image and Likeness. As universities nationwide grapple with this seismic shift, North Carolina recently unveiled sweeping changes to its NIL framework.
The university consolidated its previous initiatives – forming a new partnership between Carolina Athletics, The Rams Club, Old Well Management and the North Carolina Hall of Fame (NCHOF). The new entity is called CAROLINA NIL, serving as a one-stop shop for all interested parties (student-athletes, fans, supporters, recruits and local businesses) to invest in athletic excellence in Chapel Hill.
“Supporting Name, Image and Likeness opportunities is crucial to ensuring that Carolina attracts and develops the very best students and athletes in the world while continuing to build on our championship tradition,” said UNC Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham. “We’re committed to providing championship opportunities for our student-athletes, and consolidating and enhancing our NIL services through Carolina
NIL is our next step in this new era of college athletics.”
When asked how Carolina plans on maintaining tradition at ACC Tipoff this past week, Davis said simply that “you maintain it because it’s not changing.”
“It just is what it is,” he continued. “Carolina is Carolina. I’ve experienced it. I’ve gone through it. I believe in it. It’s proven that it works, and as long as I’m head coach, that will never change. I know there’s other factors – the transfer portal and NIL, the involvement of agents. That being said, Carolina is Carolina. The foundation of this place will never change.”
But what has changed quite a bit is the roster, or rather who’s missing from it. Armando Bacot, the 6-foot-10 rebound specialist, is now with the Memphis Grizzlies. For the first time in five years, UNC’s roster won’t feature the Richmond, V.A. native.
Davis knows that this year’s group is different and that it will be impossible to replicate the production of last year’s group, but he finds that encouraging and wants this team to find their own voice, lean into their own identity.
“I believe that we have enough pieces and I’m very encouraged that we can be a very good basketball team,” he said. “In terms of the athleticism, the length, the depth it really excites me what this team could be and what this team could look like.”
The program returned five scholarship players from last year’s roster: RJ Davis, Jalen Washington, Seth Trimble and Elliot Cadeau. But in the process, lost the ACC’s top rebounders in Bacot and current San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Ingram.
So Davis did what is now a familiar ritual for coaches nationwide and plunged into the transfer portal to fill in the gap needed around the glass. He found Cade Tyson and Ven-Allen Lubin, who transferred from Belmont and Vanderbilt respectively. Both provide height, athleticism and much-needed experience to an inexperienced frontcourt. Washington has also impressed in the last few months, working on his conditioning to get stronger down in the post.
Out of the new transfer guys, however, Davis said that Tyson’s versatility stuck out the most. At 6-foot-7, the junior guard is not just out-rebounding some of his more athletic teammates, but he’s also found ways to score in different spots – serving as the glue for a mix of different lineups this season.
Tyson along with a group of talented freshmen, including Drake Powell and Ian Jackson, offer a glimpse into the team’s evolving identity.
“You can see many different lineups with the groups that we have,” he said. “We could go big, we could go small. Those are things that we’ll look at and continue to develop and use throughout the season.”
Another component is the faster playing style, highlighted by Davis’ five-on-five drills where if one team fails to bring the ball up the court in three seconds he takes it away. That’s the pace he wants his team to play at this season, but it’s not just the on-court excellence Davis wants from these guys.
“You have to be elite on the court, off the court, in the classroom. You have to serve out in the community. You have to unpack your bags and both feet have to be in for this university and this community and this program. You have to want to be a part of a team. You have to think about the team’s success, not just your success. And this is not a transactional program. It just is not.”
North Carolina opens the season with a Blue-White scrimmage tomorrow afternoon at the Smith Center, a chance to see this team’s debut and how they will evolve.