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The Daily Tar Heel

JV men's basketball coach Hubert Davis pushes his team to be more aggressive in win over Methodist

The Dean E. Smith Center echoed with the desperate screams of North Carolina junior varsity basketball coach Hubert Davis.

“Be quicker!” he exclaimed, after senior Lyle Jones failed to make a stop on defense.

“Slow down!” he commanded, following senior Max Konstanzer’s pass to nobody on a botched pick-and-roll.

“Take the charge!” he consistently pleaded to junior Toby Egbuna, whose foul allowed the Monarchs to tie the game at 26 a piece with 4:05 in the first period.

By halftime — with the team leading by just a bucket — Egbuna was fed up with his coach’s antics.

“(Coach) doesn’t cuss, but he was very close to cussing me out at halftime,” Egbuna said. “I was kind of pissed off.”

Egbuna — who describes himself as a relaxed guy — channeled his anger into aggressive play, leading the Tar Heels to a 73-52 victory over Methodist University’s junior varsity team Monday.

When Davis implored his team to finish inside, the junior post player answered the call.

“I wasn’t playing hard in the first half,” said Egbuna, who missed plenty of easy opportunities at the rim. “He lit a fire under me.”

Minutes after scoring the second half’s opening bucket, Egbuna drove for an aggressive and-one, igniting the crowd of no more than 75 strong.

And after an emphatic block sent the ball into the stands, he had brought the bench to its feet.

“Basketball’s a game of momentum,” said Egbuna, who scored 12 of his team-high 20 points in the second half. “From there, there wasn’t any going back.”

Egbuna’s dominant play sparked a 24-8 run for the Tar Heels, though Davis continued to beg him, unsuccessfully, to take a charge.

Instead, junior Spenser Dalton took his turn at fulfilling Davis’ wishes — he twice attempted, also unsuccessfully, to take those charges in the second half.

“He wants me to step up as a leader,” Dalton said. “I try to do anything to help the team win.”

Dalton did it all, from diving for loose balls and crashing the boards to leading the fast break and kicking out to open shooters.

And after nailing seemingly every shot in pre-game warmups, it was no surprise Dalton was red-hot from the opening tip.

The red-headed sharpshooter went a perfect three-for-three in the first half from beyond the arc, and after finishing with a team-leading 13 points at the break, even Dalton couldn’t explain his shooting stroke.

“I don’t know,” said Dalton with a smile. “Just tried not to think about it.”

It wasn’t just Davis’ voice that filled the empty silence of the arena, as the third-year guard coupled an inspired performance on the court with vocal leadership off it.

“Lead by example just as much as leading with your voice,” Dalton said. “Anytime I can help the team win, that’s a successful day for me.”

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And if Dalton and Egbuna continue their strong play, they could be playing for Davis in the Dean E. Smith Center again next season, their ears filled with the screams of more than 21,000 screaming fans.

“If there’s a spot for me and Coach Williams thinks it’s right, then I’d love to be a part of the program,” Dalton said. “I’m just going to do everything I can to put myself in a good place to make the team.”

sports@dailytarheel.com