University of North Carolina basketball coach Hubert Davis Jr. is holding true on his promise to play his parent’s alma mater. UNC will take on Johnson C. Smith in an exhibition game on October 28 in Chapel Hill, NC. Hubert Davis’ father played basketball at JCSU.
The UNC coach made the promise earlier this month on a radio show appearance. At the time Davis promised to “scrimmage” the Golden Bulls at least every other year. The scrimmage will indeed be a full exhibition on a public stage for JCSU to “shoot their shot.”
“We’re scrimmaging Johnson C. Smith this year, we’re going to do that every other year just to support my parents. That’s where they went to school, I want to bring them in and we’re going to scrimmage them every other year while I’m head coach,” Davis said earlier this month.
Hubert Davis Sr. attended Johnson C. Smith from 1965-69, and played basketball his first two seasons. He averaged 10.5 points per game his first year and 11.1 points per game as a sophomore. Walter Davis, the brother of the elder Davis, starred at UNC before becoming a six-time NBA All Star.
The game will only count as an exhibition since JCSU is a Division II team. Division I teams are allowed to play one Division II team as a preseason exhibition. The Hubert Davis era, as head coach, actually began with a CIAA opponent. UNC played an exhibition game against Elizabeth City State University last November, winning 83-55.
The Tarheels under Roy Williams played Winston-Salem State in an exhibition in 2019. UNC also defeated North Carolina Central University 73-67 in the 2020-2021 season.
The JCSU game will be on Friday, October 28, the night before the UNC football team plays host to Pittsburgh on its Homecoming Weekend.
Johnson C. Smith was 2-13 in the CIAA last year and 5-19 overall. UNC finished last season 29-10 after losing in the national championship game to Kansas.