A key cog in the North Carolina Tar Heels’ run to the NCAA title game this spring, guard R.J. Davis likely had a chance to test the NBA draft waters this summer.
Instead, he’s joining his friends and teammates for a return try at a national championship.
Davis, the 6-foot, 175-pound guard said Saturday he’ll return to UNC for a third season, skipping out on the NBA draft to stay with teammates Armando Bacot and Leaky Black, who both announced previously they’ll return to the Tar Heels.
Davis was a key piece of the well-oiled UNC machine that revved its engine in the final month and a half of the season, just in time to spoil rival Duke’s farewell for retiring coach Mike Krzyzewski not once, but twice, and reach the NCAA title game.
Davis, from White Plains, N.Y., averaged 13.5 points per game this season, playing in a two-guard set alongside fellow sophomore Caleb Love. The two players developed a key chemistry over the past two seasons.
“I felt bad for (Davis and Love) because as freshmen, they didn’t have the luxury of having an upperclassman at their position that can show them the way of how to prepare, how to practice and how hard you have to play just to give yourself a chance to be successful,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said during the NCAA Tournament this spring. “As freshmen they were given the keys and said, ‘Here’s North Carolina, run the show.’ At times, it was up and down for them.”
For Davis, it was mostly “up” this season. To go with his 13.5 points per game, Davis averaged 3.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game and shot 37% from the 3-point line.
The opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament showed just how valuable R.J. Davis was to the Heels.
Against Marquette, he dished a career-high 12 assists in the first round. Then Davis ensured the run to New Orleans didn’t get cut short against No. 1 seed Baylor. With starters Brady Manek ejected and Love fouled out in the second half, Davis finished off his career-high 30 points in overtime to help the Heels avoid a second-round exit.
In two years at UNC, Davis has averaged 11.4 points, 2.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game, starting 49 of the 68 games in which he played, including all 39 in 2021-22.
