The North Carolina Tar Heels are officially in the head coaching market after firing Hubert Davis on Tuesday night, which was initially reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
- “North Carolina head men’s basketball coach Hubert Davis will not return next year, sources told ESPN,” Thamel reported. “Davis informed his team of his departure on Tuesday night, sources said. His exit looms large over a historic program that’s long leaned into alumni and the so-called Carolina Way and opens up one of the most coveted positions in all of basketball. Davis has nearly $5.3 million of guaranteed money left on his deal.”
Earlier that day, with the assumption that Davis would be fired at a moment’s notice, a marquee athletic director told UNC Tar Heels on SI exclusively that North Carolina should pursue a well-known commodity to take over in Chapel Hill.
What Was Told
- “North Carolina is one of those schools where it doesn’t matter who the coach is; failure is absolutely unacceptable,” the athletic director said. “I would immediately start chasing Brad Stevens and make him get a restraining order to get me to leave him alone before I started looking at who is the next best available college coach in America.”
- “North Carolina has every resource and no excuses for failure,” he added. “If you’re a winner, you can be a Tar Heel. But it’s unacceptable to be a Tar Heel and not a winner.”
However, Stevens is no longer a candidate, as he removed his name from consideration and is focused on his tasks with the Boston Celtics. Nevertheless, the anonymous athletic director’s comments highlight the magnitude of the Tar Heels’ next hire. With that being said, this next name is an intriguing option for North Carolina.
Billy Donovan Emerging As Legitimate Candidate
Donovan is currently the head coach of the Chicago Bulls and has not coached at the college level since 2015, when he coached the Florida Gators. Since then, the 60-year-old coach has been with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the aforementioned Bulls.
Before Dan Hurley, Donovan was the last coach to lead a collegiate basketball program to back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007. Chicago is a tanking franchise with no direction, which should be a driving force for Donovan to consider other options on the market.
North Carolina makes a ton of sense. The veteran head coach now has extensive experience dealing with professional athletes and player movement, which is evident in the college game because of NIL. If Davis was able to land top-end recruits and transfers, adding Donovan to the North Carolina logo should increase the chances for the Tar Heels to acquire players to join the program.