Some Points To Remember During This Hubert Davis-UNC Saga

While discussions are ongoing at North Carolina about the future of the program and the status of head coach Hubert Davis, here are a few points people may want to consider during this time and going forward.

I'm not going to litigate whether he should be hired or fired here. Everyone has their opinion on that and I've given mine already. Just some of the things surrounding this move that isn't just a typical hiring and firing of a head coach.

*THE FAMILY ASPECT: Obviously one of the charms of the Tar Heels basketball program is the fact that the family atmosphere is a real thing. Dean Smith was an assistant for Frank McGuire when he took the job in 1961. He handed it over to his assistant, Bill Guthridge, in 1997. Guthridge retired, and former player Matt Doherty got the job in 2000. Doherty "resigned" in 2003, and former assistant and UNC alum Roy Williams left Kansas for the job. Williams retired in 2021 and the job was given to his assistant and former player Hubert Davis. 

So since 1961, the job has been awarded to someone with ties to the program. If Davis is "removed" from his job as is the expectation, it is extremely doubtful someone with ties to the program will be the next head coach. 

To many, this is a shock to the system ... especially since Davis has constructed his program where darn near everyone is a UNC alum. All of his assistant coaches played at North Carolina. All of their wives attended North Carolina. The GM and many people attached to the basketball team went to the school.

But let's not pretend that is completely normal. Smith was willing to hire outside guys for his assistants, including bringing in Guthridge from Kansas State in 1967. When Doherty took over in 2001, he brought his own assistants who weren't UNC guys. Roy Williams brought over his Kansas staff who had no ties to North Carolina.

Sure, all of the head coaches were Carolina guys in some form, but it is acceptable to look elsewhere for someone to build this program back to a perennial championship contender. That person will, by nature, be able to merge his culture with the Carolina culture and create something great. Ex-players want the program to be successful and will be willing to embrace someone who embraces them. 

The 66 years of the "Dean Smith" era may end with who is the guy running the show on the bench, but his influence will still be a massive and valuable asset to whomever gets the job. 

*CELEBRATING HUBERT DAVIS: Pretty much everyone loves Hubert Davis the man and absolutely hates that we have come to this point. As disappointed as I am about where the program is right now, I still feel bad that Davis is having to go though all of this. Yet, that's the nature of the job you sign up for and Davis (who played in the NBA for several teams) is fully aware of. 

No one who cares about the program likes this. So how this is done is very tricky and needs to be done in as compassionate a way as possible. That's why Davis has not been fired and likely won't be fired ... even though we all know he's getting fired. Remember, Doherty wasn't fired either. Who knows exactly how it will end up looking like, but it won't be a clean break.

We also need to understand that while Davis may not be the right coach at North Carolina to uphold the standard this program demands, he isn't a bad coach who did nothing during his five years as head coach. We will aways remember that run in 2022 where Davis' Heels went into Cameron Indoor Stadium and beat Duke on Mike Krzyzewski Night in front of 100 of his former players. We will also remember the Final Four win over Duke that ended Coach K's career and gave Carolina a massive card to play in rivalry smack. 

Davis' teams never cratered like Doherty's teams did in 2001-2002 or even that horrendous Roy Williams season of 2019-2020. He had good seasons ... even if it most weren't great. And while the reasons for moving on from him are valid and up for discussion, there were some really good times over the last five years as well. Hopefully that will be celebrated forever. 

*THE BELICHICK SITUATION: This may not be the best point to make right now, but the university went all in on Bill Belichick a year ago. Whether or not it is working or not isn't the point of this ... but what is will be the financial aspects of this hiring. The boosters and the school has promised to upgrade the resources not only to hire Belichick but to put the program how he wants it to be. That means financial promises have been made, and as we saw in Year 1, this may not be a long term agreement that works out well for the school. 

The point is that if Belichick is the coach, he and his staff are being paid a lot to be there and the money needed to fund the program will be there. If he isn't the coach, there is a hefty buyout that will go with that, along with being able to pay for a new coach that can make the program better while not breaking the bank. 

So as these discussions about Hubert Davis are ongoing, money is a factor. Both in buying out Davis' contract, but also hiring the big name coach you want to come and likely paying for that coach's buyout at his former school. That's a big ask for boosters and the financial powers around the school to do simultaneously. It may not stop Davis from being removed or a big name coach to be hired, but it is stretching the wallet, so to speak. 

*A NEW ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: Remember that North Carolina will be transitioning athletic directors very soon, as Bubba Cunningham is taking on a new role while Steve Newmark will be the new AD this summer. So it makes sense that the new guy will have major input on the men's basketball job and its future.

*RIPPING THE BAND AID OFF: This may be the first of a few hard choices that the powers that be at North Carolina will have to make that will bring a shock to the fanbase's system. Yet it may be the perfect way to begin the future of the Tar Heels' athletics programs in the way that benefits everyone ... with the damage coming to nostalgia and history.

What I am about to say I don't take lightly. I was someone who wanted the nostalgia to continue and want the ways I remember Carolina basketball and the ACC were in the 1980s, 1990s and into the current century to continue forever. But over the last few years I have accepted that change is probably the right thing, and hiring a coach from outside the Carolina family will be the start that may allow these other changes to land a tad bit easier. 

Two major things hovering over the program are coming to a head. The most obvious one is the future of the arena. The Dean Smith Center is a cathedral, but it is outdated and is leaving UNC behind when it comes to revenue. Like it or not, it is a reality in college basketball today and having a 40-year old building that lacks the amenities that modern arenas have really hiders the potential of this program. 

I haven't picked a side on this debate yet, because I do understand every side of it. But I feel that the administration wanted to build a state-of-the-art arena off campus and was set to do so until the blowback from the community and former players was so great. Now there is a delicate situation occurring about trying to figure out what the program wants and needs that satisfies the most people possible. Still, making a move like this with a new basketball coach could be the "tearing off the band-aid" that shows the community that change can be good. 

The other decision coming down the road will be North Carolina's membership in the ACC. I don't think the timing of anything the athletic department has done or is doing is by accident. A new arena, trying to build a football program, and setting up the flagship sport at the school with the best coach possible is the shiny suit UNC wants to be wearing when the broadcast rights for many conferences are up for grabs in the next decade. North Carolina has been very political with its stance on its status as a member of the ACC while schools like Florida State and Clemson have been much, much louder. Make no mistake -- North Carolina is eying the landscape and is preparing itself for a move to the SEC or Big Ten when the next wave a realignment comes up in the 2030s. Remember that UNC was one of the schools who voted against having Stanford, Cal and SMU join the league a couple of years ago. They will be willing to jump to a new league and for all its riches when the Grant of Rights price falls sharply and the Tar Heels will be attractive free agents of sorts. 

This isn't a wild take. This will be a thing.