Locked On ACC - Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast - RJ Davis is Your ACC Player of the Year

Episode Date: March 12, 2024

In today's episode, Candace and Kenton discuss coaches on the hot seat as well as the ACC Men's Basketball post season awards. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

All right, here in these ACC streets, Kenny Payne, Kevin Keats, they could be on the hot seat. We'll talk about whether or not job security is in their future. We'll also talk about regular season awards why Hebert Davis is good as gold in Chapel Hill or Izzy. Find out on today's episode of Locked on ACC. You are Locked on ACC, your daily podcast on the Atlantic Coast Conference. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. On all right, everybody, welcome to today's edition of Locked on ACC. I'm your host, Keenis Cooper, joined by Kenton Gibbs of Locked on Wolf Pack.

Each and every day, you can find us to every list of podcasts. Make sure you download, subscribe to our YouTube page so you can interact with our community each and every day. We are so close to 2,000 subscribers that it pains me not to be there, but we know with this episode, you're going to hit the sub button and you're going to tell all your friends, so we'll be good to go there. Kinden has got some ACC Street Hustle News to share with us today. We are talking through Kevin Keats and Kenny Payne. could it be their last ACC tournament as head coaches of their respective schools. We also got regular season awards to dish in a preview of Mike Randall's interview that he did with Kenton.

All right, Kenton, you know, you've been hustling. You've been putting boots to pavement, letting us know what's going in the hard-hitting world of the ACC. See how we're feeling. What's the scoop? I've been feeling great. And, you know, there is, you're right. I have been doing a little bit of extra work behind the scenes to get some information. and ladies, gentlemen, friends,

it's buyout season. It's the season where schools are paying to say, hey, brother, I never want to see you again. With all due respect, I don't ever want your behind in that coaching seat again. And we're going to get into between Keats, Payne, and some others who are going to be receiving those big bags of, hey, walk away.

As a matter of fact, run away. You know what? Fly away. Whatever you do, just make sure it's away from him. Yeah, a thousand percent. There's been a lot of rumors. We'll start with Kevin Keats out of NC State. He's been the coach for quite a bit now.

We're going on what year, five, I believe? Seven. Seven. Yeah, we're in seven. Next year we'll be eight. I had a little flashback there. I thought the five year was the extension, the two more years and he's had.

Got it. Cool. And of course, if you've heard anything with Grace and then Kenton and lost on Wolfpack, you'll know that it seems as if his time has run out and yet until he finds a way to stick a road. to stick around. Maybe it's the ice cream, who knows. But Kevin Keith certainly, him and his team certainly need to have a strong showing at his ACC tournament if he does want to have a future.

Can they steal a bid? It's not impossible, but very difficult. But beyond that, for this team not to make NCAA tournament yet again with such a stored program, how does that make you feel? And do you feel as if Bukorga needs to have harder conversations? Well, here's the thing, okay? Coming into last weekend, I was hearing there was a, a great chance that Keith's was coming back. It was very likely that he was going to be the guy going into year eight next year. Okay, that's what I was hearing going into the weekend. However,

I don't know what changed in the past few days, but all of a sudden there seems to be a lot of chatter surrounding, hey, there's a very good chance that there's a bout on the way, especially, especially if this team loses two. Louisville, be it if Kenny Payne is on the sidelines or not, which is an entirely different story, which we'll get into just a second here. But, you know, it got really quiet

this weekend, a little too quiet, if you will. And I'm sitting up here thinking, now wait a minute, because all last week, I didn't even have to reach out for the chatter. Folks were reaching out to me, hey, this is what's going on, this is what I'm hearing, this is, and all of a sudden I'm having to, hey,

what you know? Is anything, any updates? Everybody's real tight. I don't know much. You know, I'm not sure. The only thing that I will say is one of my sources close to the situation told me that some of the boosters are having a bit of a change of heart from where they were a week or so ago. And that's to be expected when you, you know, take some demoralizing losses to your two

rivals that are literally right down the street from you. You can't get smacked upside the head and sit to the store for too long before people start looking at you. Like, wait, who are you? You're not that guy, pal, so, you know, I, Coach Keats is definitely on Pac-Watch. We definitely, you know, we're watching your brother because it's looking like that, you know, those bio talks may be in wrong. You know, it'd be a shame only because there's so much potential,

but I think the biggest heavy-hitting part of Coach Keats is maybe departure here soon. It will be for the fact that, you know, North Carolina had a Hall of Fame coach. They replaced that Hall of Fame coach, and there was not a slump, right? They still were able to go to national championship. they still were able to really compete. Yes, they had one season where they didn't make the tourney, but it wasn't a consistent year after year. If you look at Duke in the same token,

they have a new coach. After leaving a Hall of Fame coach, they picked up right where they left off, not only by wins, but also recruiting trails and all the like. So it's hard when you're looking at the triangle and everyone's telling you, oh, we just need the Hall of Fame coach to retire

because they're just so good. You're getting out coached to now have still new coaches kind of giving you the business. Yeah, now I talked about the situation in terms of NC State for a very long time through. I don't know if our viewers watch a lot of anime or not, but Avatar Las Airbender had a moment where it was Sozan's comment, where the fire nation was at their strongest because this specific comment that enhanced their abilities came along.

It was the right time for everything to go perfectly for them, and that's what they planned on making happen. And it was that for NC State. you were having Coach Roy Williams retire. You were having Coach K. Retire. You were having a sort of change in the one and done rules so that it then favored success for teams that can keep players in for years, which is that that's the model that you want to go for if you're at C. You know you're not going to be getting the five-star guys off the bat. And yet, despite the perfect storm of things coming together and working in your favor, seven years,

years and the Keith's tenure, we have zero NCAA tournament wins to show for it. That's tough. That's hard to bounce back from or give excuses for. And I mean, mind you, a lot of his guys who committed our top guys either did not show up or fizzled out or either had to transfer or just, you know, not panning out to what we thought they could be. Like it was supposed to be a really good strong season for NC State. And it just hasn't quite been that way.

So I definitely get it frustrating. All the best to them, however it goes. but they hopefully are locked in for this tournament to see how far, just how far they could get. On the flip side of that, there's another coach who, for all purposes, has been a stink, stunk type of era since he's been there. I would certainly pay Kenny Payne to not coach my team again. It's unfortunate, but year one, you say, all right, year one, adjust, find the guys, find your groove. Some people got to buy into your system, your discipline, all the things. year two to not have what the two

ACC wins on the season is embarrassing. Yeah, Coach Payne has never won back-to-back ACC games. Has he won back-to-back games? No, he has won back-to-back games, I believe. He did that once or twice, if I'm not incorrect here. But he's never won back-to-back ACC games. You're not at a, you talk about a story program. Louisville

in my lifetime, in your life. lifetime. Okay, all right. Well, they were in Final Fours. They were in Elite 8, you know, say what you want about Patino and how you got those players and what he did. But I'll tell you, you talk about making something shake. The boys are making something shake on the court. Okay. They think what they had to do. On the court in the classroom and outside of it too. And so you now look at a situation where this team is just downright dilapidated. Tell of themselves. Yeah, they're seemingly devoid of talent. They're devoid of direction, there's no passion, there's no vision, there's no fire. This is very much so a situation

where how bad was it going to get if you kept Kenny Payne? And that is one that the line for NC State Louisville moved from, I believe, six and a half to nine and a half in like no time at all, which tells me, even if Dalton Pence will not confirm, we love you, Dawton, you know, you're a friend of show, baby. Even if he won't confirm it, tell you. tells me, chances are Kenny Payne did accept that buyout. He may be on the sideline for tomorrow's game. He may not be. That would be crazy.

You've got to finish the season with the guys who committed to you for a season. Come on now. Here's the thing. Okay. If Kenny Pan was like a beloved guy where it was like, you know, oh, my God, we love Kenny. He's just old now. You know, he's done great things for the program. He's just, he's at that age where it's like, we got to send him all.

Like Mike Bray at Notre Dame. Yeah, like Mike Bray and Notre Dame, like, Baham up there in Syracuse. It was that type of situation I could see. Oh, I wouldn't put Beehive in that one, but go ahead. All right. Okay. My fault, OG. My fault.

But if it was one of those situations, I could definitely understand it. It doesn't seem to be that situation. There seems to be multiple moments that were very tumultuous between him and different players from the situation where the one player was announcing that he was transferring to him saying, no, I'm not transferring. that got kicked off the team to the situation where the young man was told where he told the press the young man did not play because we didn't have the leggings that we've never had for him before you know it doesn't seem to be that type of relationship where it's like the guys are like one more

for good old coach it just doesn't seem to be that type of situation yeah which is truly unfortunate and wishing everyone all the best as they move through their next endeavors but let's get to some regular season awards positive things but first Are you the kind of driver that likes to push things a little further? Ever wonder what adventure could be around the corner. Our friends at Nissan have a lineup of SUVs with capabilities to take your adventure to the next level. The 2024 Nissan Rogue is perfect for city drives and great escapes. Class exclusive Google built in is your always updating assistant to call on for almost anything.

Gone are the days of connecting your phone. Google Assistant, Google Maps, and Google Play Store are built right into. your touchscreen. Listen, all you got to do, take the Nissan Rogue, Nissan Pathfinder, or Nissan Armada, and go find your next big adventure. Shop NissanUSA.com. All right, we're going over regular season awards here with Kenson Gibbs. And, of course, we've got to start with glee and excitement for those who are questioning

my loyalty to those in Carolina Blue. Hebert Davis, coach of the year. Talk bad about my dog. everybody was in on him saying he wasn't it, that and the third and lovingly behold coached the year talk nice to him, okay, period.

Don't play with Hubie. I mean, listen, he said big huby, never the little one. Never the little one. Stop playing with. Because I'm going to just tell you, you know, it was down to all the marbles. It was down, it was, hey,

who wants this thing more, who wants this thing worse, and who's coach is going to be better in this situation. And yet again, he outdules John Shire. You obviously could not give it to Bennett at Virginia. That offense was god-awful, atrocious. They wasn't doing nothing. And I believe the fourth seat is pit.

Man, man, right? Like, you can't, man, you can't give Cape Town of the year. So, Hubey was the obvious choice for a coach of the year. Well deserved. They're one of the better teams in the nation's. this year and they deserve all the accolades that are coming their way including this coach of the year. I completely agree. I think for Hubert to beat Duke the way with which he beat them twice, right, the second best team in your conference to beat them how badly as they did,

coach you get punched in a mouth a couple of times, keep you humble. But you know, you really got to tip your cap to him and how he's really bought into the transfer portal with really great recruiting and really utilize some of the guys that he, ushered into the Chapel Hill. ACC player of the year, RJ Davis, why not for? Okay? Sometimes you just need a lane and an opportunity,

and that is certainly what RJ Davis has gotten this season over-exceeding expectations. He didn't make preseason ACC team, which is like, all right, I'm going to show you, and he did. So kudos to him. Yeah, and the biggest thing about RJ Davis here is that team needed him to be this. It wasn't like this was like a, oh, it's nice to have him play this.

No, no, no. That team needed it. With all due respect, who else was going to score from the outside at a high clip on a regular basis? Because I know somebody's going to jump in Coremancor and drop 30. Sure, because you count on them for 30 at night? I don't think so. My biggest thing as well, to your point, Kenton, after you figure out that when Baycott isn't getting fed down low, then we're pretty much screwed.

It's pretty much an easy game plan. You prevent him from scoring in the paint. We're good to go because he ain't got no jumper. And he over here trying to play with threes. Right. So without RJ, okay, Elliot still don't know how to confidence shoot. We're in trouble. Hot water.

Yeah, the season goes very differently for this team if they don't have RJ Davis being the player that he was all year. And even through some of the lows, he still just kept battling, kept showing up and I won't say that he was, you know, defensive player of the year terms of her, but he was a plus defender as well. You know, you got to give him his props. You got to give Ms. Gray.

Defensive player of the year in fact, Reese Beekman out of Virginia. And, you know, I think at this point you have to give it to a Virginia person. Maybe. I don't know. I'm trying to find it. But Reese definitely is a lockdown defender. Let me ask you a question, Candace.

Have you seen a we done with the 90s trend? Have you seen that trend on? On TikTok. I don't have TikTok. Everyone, I was saying, have you seen it? I don't have TikTok. Well, Lord Story Short, it's a trend basically showing that every NBA team ran the packline defense in the 90s in the 80s. They literally were like, oh, I don't care if it's Reggie Miller.

Give them the space to shoot. I'm going to play at the free pro line. And, you know, it's crazy to think. Virginia is still having success doing that to this day, but it is only because of players like Beatman. Who, when he is asked to press up, when he is asked, hey, go eliminate that guy. He does it. He does it. He does it well.

You know, you could ask him to pick up for a court of need be, and he could do so. I'm not saying he does that eye clip. I'm not saying he could do so at a high volume. But, you know, I don't think of anybody else in the ACC right now as that type of standout defender that he is. So, again, who else are you going to give the award to? I make an argument for Harrison Ingram. I would make an argument for here. Oh, stop it.

All right. Stop it. If you wanted to talk like Most Improved or something like that, Harris is in any room, you know, I'm with you. Most improved for what? Stanford? Like, yeah. I'm with you.

He showed up in massive ways. He was the star in his role in a way that we had not seen since Rodman. Like that's, or Ben Wallace or something like that. He showed up and played his role, phenomenal. You could not ask, for a better hustle, effort, heart.

Give me everything you got. And every now and then you're going to go off and score a little bit, but just dominate on the boards despite the fact that you're never going to be the biggest guy on the court. You couldn't ask for a better one. But again, back to Beekman, he was the defender that, to me, he set the top. Okay. Sixth man of the year, Ishmael, leg it at a pit. I think that when you have such a strong, solid five, four for pit,

you try and do your best part. And Ishmael definitely did that this season when it came to Pitt and giving that burst of energy that they certainly at times needed. Yeah, I thousand percent agree. And when you talk about Ishmael, like the most interesting thing that I find here is this is a young man. He did a little bit of everything. He wasn't in that Lou Will role of like, hey, when you come in, just score.

Score right away. That's all you got to do. No, no, no, no. He came in and said, you know what, I'm not just going to be about scoring. I'm going to be about winning. I'm going to be about crashing a glass if need be. I'm going to be about making the right play and passing it, making the right pass if need be. He did it all and he deserves this, he deserves this accolade because he, a difference between Pitt and a lot of the other teams.

What allowed Pitt to get that four seats is that they were not a team that was just like, hey, just tread water when our twos are out there. their tools were definitely a viable weapon. I a thousand percent agree. Let's talk about rookie other year, Marcus Burton from Notre Dame. And I think that, you know, you can make an argument for that freshman from Georgia Tech whose name I can't find. But, you know, maybe that's probably why he didn't win. Is it Stadamire? Stottomire is the coach.

Yeah, Sadamire is the coach. No, okay. So who, who, come on, fighting Irish. He's the one that has a sun playing, right? I believe so. Yes. But there's a young man on Georgia Tech's team who's a freshman who was going to be very good. And you're going to find his name before the show is over.

And I can't wait for that. But kudos to Marcus Burton for having a great year. Not a great team. Flashy good moments. A lot of upside. He reminds me a lot of Wesley out of Notre Dame came in and sort of dominated. But I think if you give him another year, he'll be good to go. Oh, absolutely.

Let me tell you something. That young man, if it wasn't for him on this here, Notre Dame team, they look like Louisville. And I mean that. I mean that. Listen, he showed up, showed out. He carried that team on his back. He was out there doing things that were like, and his, you know, a lot of people like to say, oh, such and so is a Maserati amongst Bobo's.

This is the greatest example of that I've ever seen. because that young man, let me tell you something. Burton, he went out there, competed, night in, night out, did his thing. So I'm going to give him all the love, all the respect, all the props in the world, because he's earned it much, much deserved player to year. Absolutely. Most improved. Ian Shetland, Shifflin, from Clemson.

My man's from Atlanta, K, and he brings that energy if you pick up what I'm putting down. He might be melanchin, deficient, but he can get a bucket. Okay. Yeah, and he was an important part. He was an important part of what helped Clemson kind of be who they were this year. I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying Joe Girard was bad. I'm not going to say that by any stress of the imagination.

But if it wasn't for Shiflin being the kind of combo with him out there, if it wasn't for that, Clemson struggles a lot. PJ Hall was phenomenal. PJ Hall was PJ Hall and he was what you expected. But Shipplin taking that next step is truly what got Clemson to the level of, are they a tournament team? If they do the right things in the ACC tournament, we could potentially see it.

You wouldn't be the most surprised in the world if they won it outright, won an ACCC tournament out right? Because, again, Shiflin has taken a big step as a score, as a decision maker, as just doing the right things on the court, and not being as much of a traffic cone defensively. I think it's also been helpful for them, and it would be essential for them that he has to play big with PJ in order for Clemson to go far. Not only in the ACCC tournament, but if they are to get into the NCAA tournament, he's going to have to have some big games and some big numbers. Yeah, nobody can deny that.

If that doesn't happen, don't worry about it. That's packing a mail. Good luck in the NIT boys. We'll be seeing you there, Clems. All right, let's talk about any snubs if we felt like there any. First, say goodbye to Busted Brackets because Fandul let you bet on every game of the tourney, including our friends in North Carolina now. Whether you're betting on big stuff or a one seed, it's time to go dancing on America's number one sportsbook.

Right now, new customers get $200 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. That's $200 to use on point and spreads money lines. You can even pick who's going to win it off. Visit Fandual.com slash locked on college. of Fandul.com slash locked on and bet on college hoops until they cut down the net. That's fandle.com slash locked on. All right. Any upsets or any snubs or any, not upsets, any snubs to the awards of the season, do you feel?

You know, I don't really feel like there were any big time snubs in terms of the awards, but I do agree with you that there definitely, there was an argument for Nathan George. I will give you that. Nathan George of Georgia Tech is who you were thinking of. was the freshman. Can we have made an argument for Jared McCain? Hmm. Mm.

Now, that's a good one. That's a good one. I see the movie. I'm rocking with Mark because Mark rocking with us. I get where you're going with that. I think he came on a little too late. I do. I do.

I think that early in the season, he just wasn't effective enough. And on top of that, he was in. the situation that the other two weren't in, which it hurt him maybe unfairly, and that his team did not need him from day one, hey, you have to show up or this team's going to be off. Notre Dame, without Burton playing the way he did? Yeah, that's tough. They're going to be, you know, their coach is in year one, and he would have been on that

hot seat for buyout season as well. you know, same thing with the gentleman, Mr. George, from Atlanta down there. But, you know, this is, the reality is I could see the argument for McCain. I'd have them as a strong third in the running there. I'd have them as a really strong third. I see the vision. All right. So it is tournament time.

We know March Madness is a thing. And there's going to be some upsets. They're going to be some heartbreaks. You're going to be some championships. They're going to be some close matches. They're going to be some blowouts. You're going to get all. you're going to get all that goodness.

And we had to, like, and let's have some help, right? It couldn't just be us when it comes to sorts of things. And so, Kinton, please let the fans know what they can expect this week. A big interview, if you will. Yeah, we have Mike Randall from the For the Numbers Network. Now, let me tell you what's special about them, okay? They don't just run a simulation or two to get you ready for Bracketology, to get you ready for ACC tournament, NCAA tournament.

they run 10,000 simulations to get the to kind of bring them to the results and conclusions that they come to. I'm telling you, you're not going to want to miss it. It's special. Mike Randall is a friend of the pot. He's a great brother to have one. And we're going to talk all things sports betting because we know the tournament's in D.C. this year. And last time I checked, sports betting is for sure legal there. Very sure.

You know, I'm just saying if you're going up to the capital, you know what I mean? Hey, you go ahead and get you a little betting action in. Courtesy of Locked on ACC, we're going to make you a little something now. Yes, 100%. If you do create a bet, I don't know, Ken, you might have to throw a little bets, some bets in our community page and give them little liners, you know, the money lines, the props and all those things. You should throw some out there for our guests when they subscribe to our YouTube channel

and let the people know how they can win some big money with band do you know the more i have my rental the more comfortable i'll be doing that because it's not me giving you the information because i know folks be ready to tussle with me over just about everything you know i don't need all the tins with me over the funds okay because that's a whole different beast but again we're going to have my grader of the for the numbers network and and you know he's like i said he's going to be a really exciting show where we get into all things bracketology ACC tournament as well as NCAA tournament for the ACC as well. A thousand percent agree.

So guys, make sure you check that out with Kenton Gibbs and Mike Randall from FTE and Betts. Make sure that you get ready for tournament time as we kick off tomorrow. As we mentioned, the three good games happening, you've got Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, you've got NC State in Louisville, you've got Boston College in Miami. Three great matchups that we hope that you will give us a feedback for. Let us know what you think. We'll have those recaps as well as we get through the rest of turning time for all our teams with some buys.

So for Candace Cooper and Kens and Gibbs, we look forward to seeing you soon. Until next time.