Welter: Thoughts and observations from UNC Basketball's open practice

By Pat Welter

I've been to a lot of iconic venues; The Rose Bowl, Beaver Stadium, The Swamp, Jerry World...but there's just something about that Carolina blue. UNC opened up the Dean Smith Center to the media Wednesday for the first time during the Hubert Davis era. Photographers and videographers got to record the first twenty minutes. Everyone was allowed to stay for the remainder and watch. As I looked around I couldn't help but be a little starstruck by the building. It was my first time in the arena having just started reporting for WRAL at the beginning of the month. It hit me as I sat in the empty arena. Most of this team hasn't really been to the Smith Center either.

COVID-19 robbed sophomores like Caleb Love of the true college experience. During a recent zoom interview he talked about how much he's looking forward to playing in front of fans. He also talked about his improved mental state. I can only imagine how hard it would be to try to play college athletics under last year's circumstances. All the players I've heard speak have talked about how beneficial this off season was actually getting to work and be together this summer.

It's a strange time, but UNC and new head coach Hubert Davis are making the most of it. The NCAA updated its transfer policy and granted players an extra year of eligibility. Dawson Garcia (Marquette), Brady Manek (Oklahoma) and Justin McKoy (Virginia) are all eligible to play right away. Watching practice you can tell this front court is going to be experienced and deep, especially with the return of Armando Bacot who tested the NBA draft waters, but decided to return for his junior season.

The transfer who intrigues me the most is Justin McKoy from Virginia. He didn't score a lot with the Cavaliers, but he showed flashes. He said on one of the off season zoom calls that one of the reasons he transferred to UNC was to be a part of a more spread out NBA style offense. You can tell by watching him how much emphasis he's put on his three point shot. He worked with the wings, instead of the bigs during practice. At one point while the whole team was taking a water break, he was the only guy on the floor putting up a few more three pointers.

UNC appears poised to return to greatness under Davis. He's an alum and he's more than paid his dues. The players all sound genuinely excited to play for him. During one impassioned moment Davis yelled at his team, "I'm tired of losing, I'm tired of not winning championships." I wanted to add from my seat "I'm tired of the pandemic!" The sooner Davis has UNC winning in front of a sold out Smith Center, the sooner life will feel somewhat "normal" again.