CHARLOTTE — Hubert Davis wants this year's team to find its voice and define its identity.
The head coach knows it won't be possible to completely replicate the production of last year's squad. He can't replace Armando Bacot, the all-time leader in rebounds at UNC and someone Davis described as "one of one." He can't get another Harrison Ingram, who led the ACC in rebounding in conference play, averaging 10.9 a game. And he also can't replace Cormac Ryan, who scored in double figures 21 times last season.
The off-court characters can't be duplicated, either.
“Last year we had a lot of personalities,” graduate guard RJ Davis said. “We had Harrison who was a goofball, Cormac you never know with him and Armando [was] a troll, so it was a lot of personalities that was off the court but it flowed on the court. I think this year everyone's still finding their voice.”
North Carolina's new lineup is quieter. The players are less experienced. But the team is working on discovering its voice and tweaking game plans to complement who they are.
“I believe good teams have a voice,” Hubert Davis said. “They're loud, and not just in terms of communication on defense, but in terms of leadership on and off the court.”
As North Carolina is working to define its identity for the upcoming season, here are two takeaways from UNC's trip to ACC Tipoff on Thursday:
Rebounders in a revamped roster
UNC returned five scholarship players from last year's roster. Only two — Davis and sophomore guard Elliot Cadeau — have consistent experience in North Carolina's starting lineup.