It is the end of an era, albeit a relatively short-lived one, at North Carolina after the school fired Hubert Davis as coach on Tuesday.
The Tar Heels stressed that while it was not an easy decision, parting ways with Davis was the best move as they look to improve their level of competitiveness.
The 55-year-old Davis was under fire after No. 6 North Carolina lost to No. 11 VCU in overtime in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels blew a 19-point lead and got eliminated in the opening round in back-to-back years.
North Carolina probably won't have a hard time finding a suitable replacement, as many are expected to line up for the coaching vacancy, including former Tar Heels.
According to basketball insider Adam Zagoria, UNC is keen on bringing in a big name.
“North Carolina is looking for a ‘superstar’ to replace Hubert, per source close to the program,” wrote Zagoria on X.
He also reported that, based on the betting odds released by DraftKings, Florida's Todd Golden is the favorite to replace Davis. Vanderbilt's Mark Byington, Iowa State’s TJ Otzelberger, Alabama’s Nate Oats, and Michigan’s Dusty May are also in the top five.
Charles Barkley recently joked that former UNC star Kenny Smith couldn't handle the job. Other alumni who might be interested are Marcus Paige, who is currently an assistant coach of the team, Rasheed Wallace, Jerry Stackhouse, and Brendan Haywood.
The hiring of Davis, who played for the Tar Heels from 1988 to 1992, after Roy Williams retired in 2021 drew criticism because of his lack of experience. He silenced critics when he led North Carolina to the national title game in his first year. He, however, failed to duplicate the feat.
He ended his five-year stint with the Tar Heels with a 125-54 record and four appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
