The University of North Carolina’s search for a new men’s basketball coach was
brought to a swift conclusion on Monday, as the school officially announced the hiring of Hubert Davis. The announcement came just four days after Roy Williams announced his retirement. The hiring of Davis continues North Carolina’s long-standing tradition of hiring coaches with ties to the program. Davis played at North Carolina for Dean Smith from 1988 to 1992 before spending 12 years in the NBA. Davis returned to North Carolina as an assistant on Williams’ staff in 2012, and remained in that role until being named as the head coach, winning a national championship with the Tar Heels in 2017. He also served as the head coach of North Carolina’s JV team, though he has no prior experience as a Division 1 head coach. The terms of Davis’ contract have not been made public.
From the moment Williams officially announced his retirement, athletic director Bubba Cunningham made it clear that his replacement would likely be someone who had ties to the program. The name that had been mentioned the most outside of Davis was Wes Miller, who is currently the head coach at UNCG and won a national championship with Williams as a player in 2005. According to reporting from ESPN, Cunningham gauged the interest of a few external candidates, but ultimately went with Davis, who had the backing of Williams and a number of former players. Davis inherits a team that may have to replace most of its offensive production, as Walker Kessler and Day’Ron Sharpe have already departed the program and the futures of Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot still need to be settled.
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