Hubert Davis Reconstructs UNC's Offense With Intentionality

Since taking over, Davis has emphasized his desire to shift North Carolina’s offense while still honoring the fundamentals of ball movement and play that defined the Dean Smith and Roy Williams eras of UNC basketball. This season, that balance might just be clearer than ever.

Rather than relying heavily on isolation, Davis wants to create an offense built on spacing, pace, and shooting threats at multiple positions, while still running plays that flow into traditional Carolina secondary breaks and high-low looks when needed.

Intentional Construction

Coach Davis recruited and developed with a specific vision in mind, targeting player archetypes that would expand the floor:

• Jonathan Powell: A sophomore wing who gives UNC the kind of perimeter shooter it lacked last year. His ability to hit threes off movement forces defenders to stay attached, opening driving lanes.
• Jarin Stevenson: Now in a bigger role at UNC, he stretches opposing bigs to the perimeter with his shooting and gives UNC options it didn’t fully exploit last season.
• Kyan Evans: A junior point guard, brings pace and control, organizing the offense and allowing other guards to work off the ball.

Tactics, New and Old

UNC’s early scrimmage sets showed more spread, using Stevenson as a big across the floor and Powell as a corner shooter. This structure forces rotations and opens skip passes–something Carolina didn’t consistently leverage last season.

The Heels are also experimenting with smaller lineups, something Coach Davis emphasizes by using Trimble as a secondary ball-handler and Powell on the wing to play faster and switch more easily.

Off the ball, there’s more movement through flare screens and back cuts designed to take advantage of defenders cheating toward the lane.

The pace remains high, but there’s more purpose behind it. Instead of simply running fast, UNC looks to use early actions to collapse defenses, then flow into half-court spacing if nothing is available.

Hubert’s Vision Taking Shape

This is the clearest version yet of Hubert Davis’s offensive vision. It’s not just about scoring more points; it’s about creating a structure that maximizes spacing, uses versatile personnel, and avoids the stagnation that cost UNC key games last season.

If this preseason is any indication, Davis has built a system that fits both the program’s tradition and the modern game in a smaller guards-led roster. Whether that vision translates into ACC play remains to be seen, but the blueprint is set.

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