UNC basketball coach Hubert Davis is a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he’ll be pulling for a former Tar Heel in Super Bowl 60.
Before the 16th-ranked Tar Heels (16-4, 4-3) took off to Atlanta for an ACC road game against Georgia Tech (11-10, 2-6) at McCamish Pavilion on Saturday, Jan. 31 (2 p.m., ACC Network), Davis spent nearly 18 minutes with media members on Friday, Jan. 30, inside the Smith Center media room.
Toward the end of his press conference, UNC’s fifth-year coach mentioned New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who was an ACC Player of the Year during his time with the Tar Heels before leading his NFL team to Super Bowl 60 in his second season with the franchise. Maye and the Pats play the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Feb. 8 (6:30 p.m. ET, NBC) at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
“Obviously, cheering for him and his family. Couldn’t ask for a better family to be associated with and to be around. I’ve been blessed to, obviously, have coached Luke and also coached his brother, Beau. Mark and I went to school together,” Davis said. “It’s been a long relationship. Yes, the success is fun to watch. But the way that him and his family manage and react with the success, it doesn’t change them. Just a humble, straightforward, loving, serving-type of family. I couldn’t be happier for Drake and I couldn’t be happier for his family.”
During UNC’s practice on Thursday, Jan. 29, Davis said he showed the Tar Heels a video clip of Maye chatting with Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels on the sideline in the fourth quarter of New England’s win at Denver, which featured blizzard-like conditions.
In the clip, Maye tells McDaniels, “It’s hard.” McDaniels responds by saying, “It’s gonna be hard. But look, this will be the most rewarding six and a half minutes of our lives if we can get it done.”
Davis wanted to motivate his team as it prepares for the final 11 games of the regular season and what he hopes to be a lengthy stay in the postseason once the calendar flips to March.
“I referenced that (clip). I said, ‘Guys, it’s hard. It’s hard to win, it’s hard to practice, it’s hard to box out, it’s hard to talk on defense, it’s hard to sprint to offense, it’s hard to get to the offensive glass, it’s hard to make open shots, it’s hard to get to the free-throw line, it’s hard to play here. It’s hard. And that’s good. That hardness is something that you have to walk towards and embrace,’” Davis said. “I told the guys, ‘I know it’s hard, but if we can figure out how to get this done the next two months, this is something that could be something that could be impactful for the rest of your life.’”
Following its game at Georgia Tech, UNC returns home to face Syracuse (12-9, 3-5) on Monday, Feb. 2 (7 p.m., ESPN) at the Smith Center before hosting No. 4 Duke (19-1, 8-0) on Saturday, Feb. 7 (6:30 p.m., ESPN).
