UNC Basketball: How to replace a coaching legend in Roy Williams

UNC has had practice replacing a coaching legend

It can be difficult replacing a legend, whether it’s a player or a coach, but for the Tar Heels, this isn’t the first time they’ve had to find a successor for an all-time great. When Dean Smith retired in 1997 the program turned to longtime assistant Bill Guthridge to fill the role. Guthridge had been Smith’s assistant for 30 years and stayed at the helm for three seasons.

Guthridge was then succeeded by another former player, Matt Doherty before Williams arrived in 2003. Some 18 years later, Davis fills the role of Guthridge, trying to replace the Carolina legend of Roy Williams.

Like Guthridge, Davis was a longtime cohort of Williams since he asked Davis to leave ESPN and join his staff in 2012. One big thing that Davis has going for him is, unlike Howard and Hardaway, he has some collegiate coaching experience. There’s an adage in sports that says, “You don’t want to follow the man, you want to follow the man that follows the man.”

That is to say, you don’t want to follow the legend, you want to follow the guy that succeeds him. The Tar Heels and their fans hope that isn’t the case with Davis.