UNC basketball’s Hubert Davis talks Tar Heels ahead of season opener
North Carolina basketball coach Hubert Davis provided his thoughts on the Tar Heels ahead of the Nov. 4 opener vs. Elon at the Smith Center.
CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina basketball coach Hubert Davis says the Tar Heels don’t need Belmont transfer Cade Tyson to “fit in” with the Tar Heels.
UNC’s highest-ranked addition via the transfer portal, Tyson comes to Chapel Hill with the reputation as a premier 3-point shooter who’s also capable of providing a boost as a rebounder.
“There’s always a transition and you’re trying to get comfortable. Sometimes you come in as a new player and you see established players like Seth (Trimble) and RJ (Davis) and J-Wash (Jalen Washington), and you want to fit in,” Davis said Wednesday afternoon at the Smith Center.
“I’ve told all of the 10 new players that I don’t need you to try to fit in, the team will fit in around you. We’re not asking you to be a role player, we’re not asking you to play a role. We’re asking you to be the best player that you can become. So, whatever you have in your bag, bring it out. The team will adjust to you.”
UNC basketball’s Cade Tyson scouting report, history at Belmont
A 6-foot-7, 200-pound junior from Monroe, Tyson averaged 15 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in two seasons with the Bruins. He made 44.1% of his 3-pointers on 287 attempts.
Across 31 games last season, Tyson was 15th nationally in three-point percentage, according to KenPom.com, at 46.5% and had 21 games with multiple treys. He averaged 5.5 attempts from deep per game.
“I know on this team I probably won’t have the ball in my hands as much as I did at Belmont. I’ll take pride in doing the little things like rebounding,” Tyson said.
“Not saying that rebounding is a little thing by any means; it’s super important to the game. I want to do the things that the coaches find important, anything that I can do to compete and help my team win the game.”
Tyson was a starter in exhibition games against Memphis and Johnson C. Smith, averaging 8.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in his preseason appearances for the Tar Heels. He missed seven of 10 shots in the win against the Tigers, including 5 of 6 three-pointers, but made both of his treys against the Golden Bulls and 4 of 4 free throws.
“I’m really comfortable,” Tyson said. “It’s a lot of fun just playing with super-athletic guys. … I’d say I’m pretty comfortable by now.”
But there was an adjustment period when Tyson first joined the Tar Heels as he figured out how to play with his new teammates.
“It took a little while. I’m still trying to manage where my shots are coming from, when to shoot the ball and when not to shoot the ball,” he said. “I think, mainly, I just don’t need to think too much about it. Whenever it’s there, just shoot it.”
Tyson is also learning how to deal with the attention that comes with being a part of a high-profile program like UNC. He’s learning how to handle the hype and noise that consistently surrounds the Tar Heels.
“The good attention and the bad attention, as well,” he said. “I’d say that’s the biggest thing, just fighting through all the noise, keeping it in a tight-knit circle with our team and our coaches.”
As a player, Tyson has provided the Tar Heels with a list of positive attributes. Hubert Davis rattled them off one by one as he discussed what Tyson can bring to this particular group. Again, Davis doesn’t want Tyson to “fit in,” he wants the Tar Heels to fit around Tyson’s abilities.
“Cade is a basketball player. … He can really shoot the basketball, which really helps our team. But he’s an excellent rebounder. He’s really been great in terms of trying to get us second-chance opportunities, but even if he doesn’t get an offensive rebound, he’s really good at keeping the ball alive and tipping it out,” Davis said.
“His ability to run the floor, he can handle the basketball, so he can score off the bounce. He feels comfortable being able to post up, so I see his ability on the offensive end just to continue to grow every game. He’s feeling more comfortable out there on the floor. He’s been everything that we have wanted him to be, and even more.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
