RJ Davis' vlogs boost camaraderie of No. 4 UNC men's basketball team

WASHINGTON — When RJ Davis isn't holding a basketball, he's holding a small black vlog camera. 

It travels with him wherever he goes. Well, most places. Sometimes he forgets it around the house in a rush to get to practice early in the morning. 

"It’s kind of hard for me to vlog and play basketball at the same time," the senior guard and ACC Player of the Year joked on Wednesday prior to UNC's 92-67 ACC tournament quarterfinal win over Florida State on Thursday.

But still, Davis takes his trusty camera most places. He's captured videos of the No. 4 UNC men's basketball team on the road in their bus and private jet. He's filmed them at practice and during games. He's given fans an inside look into his pregame rituals, his go-to hype songs and his favorite meals to cook at home. He's created a personal connection with people he hasn't met, and strengthened his connections with those he knows well. 

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The vlogs have made an impact — both on Davis and his teammates. The four that he has released so far have amassed over 228,000 views on YouTube since Jan. 10. Furthermore, they have boosted the morale and camaraderie of the team, and served as a creative outlet for Davis. 

“We love it," graduate guard Cormac Ryan said with a grin. "He’s a creator now, he’s an influencer, he’s got the camera out.”

He didn't always have the camera out, though. 

When Davis was a kid, he always loved to watch YouTube videos, in what he dubbed a "weird obsession." Whenever he had a free minute, he would search up "day-in-the-life videos" from his favorite NBA players.

So naturally, when the idea came to him to pick up the camera during his senior season at UNC, it was a no-brainer. 

"I just wanted to see how it felt for me," Davis said. "And I actually enjoy doing it. It's like a little side hobby for me and it's fun."

It's not only fun for Davis, however — it's fun for his teammates, too. They jostle with each other and fight for screen time in the final cut but, most of all, they just have fun with it. 

“We obviously live the vlog, for the most part," Ryan said, "so we know that, but it’s cool to see the videos get put together and captured forever.” 

It's not all sunshine and rainbows, though. Sometimes Davis' teammates get testy over the final cuts of the videos. 

“Seth [Trimble]'s always complaining about his face time,” Davis said.  

It's true — Trimble took to Davis' Instagram comment section after his latest vlog post to share some choice words. 

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"Aye my screen time has been getting cut in these vlogs lately I'm not happy," he wrote.

Davis was quick to clap back: "I'm not going to be chasing you around for tv time. Do better."

His teammates have been trying, and to be fair, they've had ample opportunity. Davis said he currently has two vlogs — one of the road win against Louisville and one of Senior Night — in the works, and is also videoing this week at the ACC Tournament.  

While only time (and Davis' friend who helps him edit his videos) will tell who gets the most screen time in Davis' next video, his teammates are keeping their hopes high that they make the cut.

“I think the one coming up, I’m in it a lot more," junior forward Harrison Ingram said. "I hope so, I don’t know, it’s up to RJ. Sometimes he’s a little stingy." 

So the only question remaining: When will the next vlog come out?

"Today, maybe," Trimble said.

Really?

"Yeah, might be today."

@peacegwen 

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