At UNC’s “Live Action With Carolina Basketball” event on Friday night, both the men’s and women’s basketball teams revealed they were confident going into the season.
After completing the Suite 16 and bringing back four of last year’s starters, the women’s team is looking to take another leap this year. The Tar Heels hopes to earn a top-four seed and hold her first two NCAA Tournament games at Carmichael Arena. .
And while the final four banners and rings presented to the men’s program were excellent in form, the teams were still not satisfied. It’s clear that the men’s player, who is returning his four starters from the national championship, is looking forward to returning this season.
“We’re locked in and ready,” head coach Hubert Davis said.
Both teams capped off ‘live action’ with an intra-squad scrimmage to give fans a glimpse of what they’ve been working on this offseason. Some points from these contests are:
The ‘best ever’ men’s starting chemistry
Developing chemistry in the frontcourt tandem of freshman forward Pete Nance and senior forward Armando Baco is now a top priority for Hubert Davis.
However, according to junior guard RJ Davis, the synergy across the team is fine.
“The chemistry is the best ever,” he said. “Pete is new here, but as soon as he stepped onto campus it felt like he had been here for a while.”
With junior guard Caleb Love out of scrimmage with a strained hamstring, RJ Davis had more opportunities to show off his arsenal: sneaking a wraparound pass from the pick-and-roll to Nance to take down a bigger defender. Finish with two hands and sink a deep pull. – Up three off the screen.
After losing to Kansas in the NCAA Championship Game last season, the White Plains, NY native has had plenty of time to reflect on this season. And if Friday night was any indication, the core of veteran tar heels likely isn’t struggling with complacency or chemistry this season.
“I’ve watched a lot of national championship games,” said RJ Davis. “I couldn’t count the number of times I’ve seen it because I was dying to go back there. I want different results this year.”
The new male face shows promise
Freshman Seth Trimble, Tyler Nickel, Will Shaver and junior walk-on Bo May each provided some highlights of their own on Friday.
“Seth is defensively tenacious,” said RJ Davis. “Super quick guard, athletic. Tyler can shoot the ball with a high clip.”
Tasked with guarding a crafty junior point guard, Trimble held several isolated possessions while pushing the starting point guard up the half-court line. As Trimble gains more college experience, fans can expect him to contribute as a defensive stalwart in the backcourt.
Nickel, who holds Virginia’s all-time high school scoring record, was impressive offensively, especially from behind the arc. Additionally, Bo May, the brother of former UNC star Luke May, knocked down successive deep balls from the left wing and scored on the inside with a layup.
Barring an injury in the frontcourt, the first-year redshirt forward Shaver probably won’t have any significant time. However, he showed his vision of a solid court with some clean backdoors on his pass.
Kennedy Todd-Williams helpful
Todd-Williams started all 32 games for the women’s team last season as a sophomore and was third on the team with 10.8 points per game. She was particularly impressive with two performances against Louisville and Arizona, giving the Tar Heels two wins.
Friday night she showed her ability to score from every level on the floor with a baseline pull-up shot, a left-handed drive and two 3-pointers. She also scored points for her team and her overall versatility led to impressive ball movements.
Teammates Eva Hodgson and Maruti Tenge agreed that Todd Williams, who nearly doubled his scoring average from his first season to his second, made another leap as a junior.
“She’s literally in the gym all the time,” Hodgson said. “She sleeps in the gym, it really does. And it shows. In situations like tonight, it’s exciting to see all of her hard work pay off.” is.”
Women’s Frontcoat Extending Range
In the women’s scrimmage, UNC forwards Anya Poole, Alexandra Celaya, Destiny Adams and Chitenge showcased the shooting range.
Six-foot-four-inch Jr. Zelaya had a three-point shot, Adams went 3-for-3 with a baseline jumper, and Chitenge and Poole both pulled up from the foul line for success.
Head coach Courtney Banhart said, “The more space our bigs can play in range, the more spacing they can get.” And we have a very dynamic guard that can play in space. increase.”
Tshitenge attributes this range improvement to the UNC chemistry.
“Our guards now trust us to take those 15-footers and make those 15-footers,” she said.
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