Hubert Davis and North Carolina will start what it hopes is an NCAA title run at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on Thursday. But before his team takes the floor in Uptown Charlotte, Davis took it to another place to get some reps in on its outskirts.
UNC basketball hit the court at Brayboy Gymnasium to practice for the NCAA Tournament on the campus of Johnson C. Smith University on Wednesday morning. It is an HBCU – but not just any HBCU.
Davis’ father, Hubert Sr., played his college ball at Johnson C. Smith from 1965-1969. Hubert Davis Jr. was born in Winston-Salem, NC in 1970. The younger Davis would go on to follow in the footsteps of his uncle, Walter, at UNC before going on to a pro career in the NBA – but his father was a Golden Bull. This isn’t the first time Davis has paid homage to his JCSU connection. Back in the summer of 2022, Davis pledged to build a relationship by playing JCSU every other year.
“We’re scrimmaging Johnson C. Smith this year, we’re going to do that every other year just to support my parents,” Davis said. “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. North Carolina will take on Wagner on Thursday.
Wagner defeated MEAC champion Howard in the First Four on Tuesday to earn the right to play UNC.