RJ Davis has had a lot of opportunities to run out of the tunnel at the Dean Smith Center to play in front of the hometown fans in Chapel Hill.
In fact, Davis has done it 72 times, with Saturday marking the 73rd (and final) time that the fifth-year graduate student will have the opportunity to do so.
Sure, some of those games were in front of empty crowds with cutouts occupying some of the seats during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Davis' story as a member of the UNC basketball program has many layers to it.
It feels like yesterday that Davis was a freshman that Roy Williams tabbed on multiple occasions as a "tough little nut." Who would've thought that Davis would experience so much during his five seasons at North Carolina.
You can certainly justify saying it has been a bit of a roller coaster for the White Plains, New York native. From trying to adjust to the college life through the COVID-19 pandemic to being a major part of two of the UNC basketball program's greatest victories against rival Duke, then proceeding to be on a team that started as the preseason No. 1 team who ultimately didn't even make the NCAA Tournament to follow that up with an ACC regular season crown (and many individual accolades a season later).
Oh yeah, and we haven't even touched on this season in all of that, a year in which the UNC basketball program is considered a "bubble team" for the NCAA Tournament.
Davis has seen just about everything a college kid could during their time on campus.
On Saturday night, Davis will run out of that tunnel in the Smith Center for one last time. The stakes are high as rival Duke rolls into town for a clash to close out the regular season.
While we all hope that Davis puts on a show in his likely final appearance in this historic rivalry, we all need to take a moment to appreciate everything that Davis has done for the program and the University of North Carolina as a whole.
Sure, we'll soon look into the rafters to see his No. 4 hanging among the UNC basketball elite. We'll all remember his historic senior season, a year in which he earned ACC Player of the Year and consensus first-team All-American honors along with his overall impressive resume, one that places him second on the UNC basketball program's all-time leading scorers list.
However, RJ Davis' legacy is much more than the amount of shots he made or how many games the Tar Heels won.
In the current landscape of college basketball, it is a rarity to see a player stick with a program for even one to two years. Davis is a rare exception, spending all five of his collegiate years in Chapel Hill. His loyalty and dedication to the University of North Carolina should be fondly remembered, as he gracefully navigated all the ups and downs that his college experience had to offer.
At this time last year, we all were chanting "ONE MORE YEAR" as Davis was honored as part of what would've been his true senior season. While COVID was a terrible time period for our world, it did give us an additional year of RJ Davis, something we can all be fortunate about.
Unfortunately, there won't be any "ONE MORE YEAR" chants this year, as Saturday night is the final time the hometown fans will watch Davis compete at the Dean Dome. While we're sad to see it coming to an end, we're grateful for all RJ Davis has done for the UNC basketball program.
Tar Heel faithful has a very important task at hand on Saturday night. When RJ Davis gets announced during the team's 'Senior Night,' celebration, make sure the arena erupts in cheers to show him just how much we all appreciate him for everything he's done as a Tar Heel.
College careers come to an end, but legacies never die. RJ Davis' legacy is one that Tar Heel fans will talk about for quite some time. #WhyNot4 #ThankYou4