Hubert Davis opens up about building North Carolina's chemistry during offseason

Hubert Davis is reloading for an even more successful second season at North Carolina. A tall task given that the Tar Heels came within a few possessions of winning the 2022 title. Alas, they lost in brutal fashion after giving up a big halftime lead as Bill Self secured his second title at Kansas.

Those runner-up Tar Heels are back with one goal in mind: be on the other side of that scoreboard next April. UNC returns four of its five starters off of last year’s magical run to the title game. Caleb Love, RJ Davis, Leaky Black and Armando Bacot are all back in baby blue next season after turning their nose at the NBA.

According to their coach, these guys are coming back with a vengeance. “What they experienced last year has lit a fire inside all of them,” Davis said to media. Love, Davis, Black and Bacot aren’t complacent after such postseason success. Instead, they’re focused on performing more consistently in the regular season and summiting the mountain in the NCAA Tournament.

Coach Davis is “really excited about the leadership of this team,” following a year where it took a while for the leaders to really take control of the team. Heading into this fall, those roles are more set. Even some of the younger returners off the 2022 team are starting to find their voices in the locker room. Davis said he’s seen “tremendous leadership from Dontrez Styles and Puff Johnson,” who were underclassmen wings this past year.

Not only does Carolina return a vast amount of talent, but also plenty of leadership.

College basketball insider reveals the latest on transfer Pete Nance’s recruitment

One of the top remaining players in the college basketball Transfer Portal is Northwestern forward Pete Nance, who is on a visit to North Carolina this weekend.

College basketball analyst Matt Norlander provided an update on Nance’s visit on Friday with good news for the Tar Heels. Here’s what Norlander tweeted regarding Nance’s trip to Chapel Hill:

“The best remaining transfer on the board is Northwestern transfer Pete Nance, who is still on his UNC visit right now. I’m hearing it’s likely/expected at this point he’ll be a Tar Heel. Would be another huge piece added to an already-loaded 2023 national title contender.”

Norlander also had this to add for context on Nance the player:

“Nance averaged 14.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.7 APG and shot 45.2% from 3 last season. With him in the fold, UNC would all the more be a viable team to consider for preseason No. 1. Everyone of significant impact except for Brady Manek is back for the Heels. Good plot development for CBB.”

Looks like Carolina might have their Manek replacement. Great shot for Hubert Davis’ club to be the top-ranked team in the preseason.