Who Will Be UNC's Next Coach?
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North Carolina men's basketball have let Hubert Davis go. He was in the title game in 2022, but two first round exits in a row seem to have been the nail in the coffin. Let’s discuss.
Hubert Davis played at UNC, had a solid NBA career, did some tv analyzing and took over as the head coach of his alma mater in 2021. He was there for five seasons, compiling a record of 125-54. That's an average of 25 wins a season, which is really good at the college level. He took UNC to the NCAA tournament four of those five years. The other season they finished 20-13 and declined an invitation to the NIT. In his four tournament appearances UNC had the miracle run to the title game in his first season, made the Sweet Sixteen the next time they made it, and then had to the two first round exits.
The run to the title was unexpected. They made the tournament as an 8 seed. They beat Baylor in the second round, who was the number 1 seed in their region. They then went on to beat UCLA Saint Peters, another Cinderella that season, to make the Final Four. That would have been exciting enough, but they weren't done there. They beat their rivals Duke to make the title game. And they had a big lead in that game until Kansas decided to make a run and win it all. That set the expectations high for Davis.
Not even making the postseason in year two was a bummer. But they returned the next season and made a Sweet Sixteen run, eventually being ousted by Alabama, who would go on to make the Final Four. Then they were beaten in round one the next year, and this year, blowing a 19 point lead to VCU. That was the final deed for the higher ups who make the decisions at UNC.
I do want to say, Davis was coaching without his best player, Caleb Wilson, and basketball is the one sport where one player can change a team's fortune. Caleb Wilson is that good. He is going to be a top five pick in the upcoming draft. And without him you could see that UNC was a totally different team.
If it were me, I would have given Hubert Davis a bit more leeway, another season to see what he could do with a new recruiting and transfer class, but UNC didn't see it that way. And now they are going to go on a big time search for their next men's basketball coach. It looks like they're going to take a big swing too. The early names being mentioned are the cream of the crop, and with the resources at UNC, they may be able to pry one of these coaches away.
Brad Stevens was the first name I heard, but he has already taken his name out of the running. That makes sense because he is doing the job he wants and he is very good at that job. Now that Stevens is out, names like Dusty May, Todd Golden, Billy Donovan, Tommy Lloyd, Nate Oats and TJ Otzelberger, among many others. The idea of Dusty May leaving Michigan scares me. He may want the pressure that comes with coaching a high profile basketball school. He has done wonders in two short seasons, but maybe he wants a bigger challenge. Todd Golden is at Florida right now, and they just got beat by Iowa. He has a national title, can recruit and has shown a nice ability, save for their last inbounds play last weekend, to draw up good plays. Billy Donovan is an interesting name. He has been in the pros for awhile now, but the Bulls are getting younger and he may be sick of this never ending rebuild. Maybe he wants back in the college game, and he is one hell of a basketball coach. Tommy Lloyd has Arizona as a real threat again. They're a number 1 seed and have looked great so far. He is also a very good recruiter and he puts players in the pros. Nate Oats is a jerk, but the dude understands the modern game and he is a very, very smart head coach. He makes his offense better with the plays he draws up. And TJ Otzelberger is young, upcoming and has one of the best defenses in college hoops right now. He also likes to bomb away from three point land.
All of these guys are very solid, very interesting options. I don't think Lloyd or Otzelberger will leave their current jobs. They seem happy and comfortable where they are right now. I don't think Billy Donovan wants to go back to the college game. He has been in the pros too long. Nate Oats and Dusty May should intrigue UNC very, very much. Oats, as I said before, is a college basketball offensive genius. He is prickly, but Roy Williams coached there for years. Dusty May knows how to use the portal properly, and has shown an ability to recruit high school stars. He also has a very solid offensive game plan for every opponent and defense has been Michigan's calling card all season. But I really think Todd Golden may jump at the possibility of coaching UNC. He has taken Florida to the top. He turned them into a 1 seed this year after a slow start. He can do all the things UNC will want in a new coach. Maybe this is just me hoping that Dusty May doesn't want to leave Michigan. Or maybe I just really, truly think that Golden is the best option of the names I listed.
Time will tell, I bet UNC is going to take their time, but if they are going to swing for the fences, these are the names I'd keep an eye on for the time being.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.