UNC basketball guard RJ Davis will be back for a fifth season with the Tar Heels, Davis announced Wednesday morning on social media.
“I’m back,” Davis said.
ACC Player of the Year and first-team All-American in his senior season with the Tar Heels, Davis averaged 21.2 points to lead the ACC in scoring and made 39.8% of his 3-pointers.
He is the first Tar Heel to win the Jerry West Award, given annually by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame to the nation’s best point guard. Davis made a career-high seven 3s against Miami on February 26, when he scored 42 points to set the Smith Center’s all-time record.
Davis is UNC’s all-time leader in free throw percentage (.858), is second in 3-pointers made (274) and fifth in scoring (2,088 points). Phil Ford is the only Tar Heel guard with more points.
What UNC’s 2024-25 roster looks like with RJ Davis
The Tar Heels lost Seth Trimble to the transfer portal and got him back a few weeks later. With the return of Trimble, RJ Davis, along with the arrival of freshman Ian Jackson and the expected return of sophomore Elliot Cadeau, UNC will have one of the best defensive depths in the country.
The Heels added Belmont transfer Cade Tyson, a long wing who should be able to help replace Cormac Ryan, but they need more help at the position to help fill the holes left by Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram. Rutgers transfer Cliff Omoruyi and Kentucky transfer Adou Thiero are among the portal entries reportedly interested in joining UNC.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared in The Fayetteville Observer: What RJ Davis’ return means for UNC basketball in the 2024-25 season
