'Overdue for him to be celebrated': RJ Davis named a finalist for the Naismith Trophy

RJ Davis has always been overlooked. 

He was overlooked in AAU, small for his age and from a suburb of New York City rather than a proper borough. He was overlooked in high school, under-recruited and left off scouting lists until his senior year, despite leading his team in scoring. And he was overlooked in college, left off the All-ACC first and second team preseason lists at the beginning of the fall. 

He was overlooked — until now. 

On Tuesday afternoon, the senior guard was named a finalist for the Naismith Trophy, awarded to the most outstanding player of college basketball. It comes after Davis was named the ACC Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American.

“I felt like RJ, in some senses, has been overlooked and it’s overdue for him to be celebrated,” head coach Hubert Davis said after Davis won ACC POY.

Davis averages 21.4 points per game, leading the ACC in scoring and is the fifth-leading scorer in UNC history. Furthermore, his experience and steady mindset have led him to be labeled as the “closer” by the team — in other words, he’s the one that gets the ball when the team needs to find a way to win. And North Carolina has won a lot this season, boasting a 29-7 record.

The senior has already ensured that his jersey will be hung in the rafters of the Dean E. Smith Center by winning ACC POY — an honor he doesn’t take lightly. 

“To see there’s number four up there and for me to make history like that, I mean, I can’t be more proud of myself,” Davis said.

But now, he has the chance to have his jersey number retired completely if he wins the Naismith Trophy. Only three other UNC players have achieved the accomplishment: Tyler Hansbrough in 2008, Antawn Jamison in 1998 and Michael Jordan in 1984.

First, he has to beat out the other finalists in Purdue's Zach Edey, Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht and Houston’s Jamal Shead. Edey is the reigning Naismith Trophy winner and is Purdue’s all-time leading scorer. Knecht is among the top-15 scorers in the nation, while Shead was the first player in Big 12 history to be named conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. 

Davis isn’t spending time worrying about his competition, though. 

“One thing I know I can’t control is a vote and people's opinions and lists and stuff like that, but I tell myself I can control my play,” Davis said.

He has his mind firmly set on helping the No.1-seeded Tar Heels make it as far as they can in the NCAA tournament. He remembers the disappointment of the 2022 national championship game that the Tar Heels lost to Kansas, and he doesn't want to feel it again. 

So while his teammates might loudly label him as the best player in the nation, Davis is content to let them do the talking and continue to focus on playing to the best of his ability, until the final vote is counted on Sunday, April 7.

“I’m so proud of my boy,” Davis’ father, Robert, said. “He had a hell of a year, I think he’s a humble kid, he’s going in the right direction, and I can’t be more happy as a father.”

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