UNC Basketball: 12 candidates to succeed Roy Williams as head coach

Hubert Davis

While it’s a pretty obvious fact, let’s just state it to be clear: schools like North Carolina are rarely in a position to replace a living legend of the game. It’s important to get the hire right to contend that upwards trajectory of the program; nobody wants to see the Tar Heels descend into the chaos that Indiana has seen since Bob Knight’s departure. One potential action is to follow the same course as after Dean Smith’s retirement and promote a longtime assistant.

Davis played guard under Smith near the end of his tenure with the Tar Heels before spending 12 seasons in the NBA. After retirement, Davis was an ESPN analyst until he was hired to be part of Roy Williams’ bench in 2012. He’s spent the last nine seasons as an assistant coach at North Carolina and is certainly one of the most capable in-house candidates to take over the program.

The obvious concern is that Davis has never been a head coach, but that didn’t stop the program from promoting Bill Guthridge back in 1997. The main difference is that Guthridge retired after just three seasons himself, while Davis could likely lead this program for the next two decades. That extensive NBA experience wouldn’t hurt either, especially in trying to attract prospects to Chapel Hill. The bottom line is that Davis is one of the best and most realistic candidates for the position, even if he lacks coaching experience.