Will North Carolina poach one of the most popular coaching candidates from the NBA? We got our answer this Wednesday.
After days of nonstop speculation, North Carolina made the tough decision to fire head coach Hubert Davis. This seemed inevitable after his team squandered a 19-point lead against No. 11 seed VCU in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
"Tonight, I was let go by the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill," Davis said in a statement. "My desire was to continue to coach here. This opportunity has truly been such a blessing. I thank Jesus literally every day for giving me the opportunity, relationships and experiences with the kids and my staff. I am very proud of what we were able to accomplish together. My goal is to coach again in the very near future."
North Carolina will owe Davis $5.312 million since he's still under contract through June 30, 2030.
Immediately after North Carolina fired Davis on Tuesday night, Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens was mentioned as a potential candidate for the job. He had an incredible run at Butler from 2007-2013, winning 166 games and making the national championship game twice during that stretch.
According to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, the Tar Heels won't be able to target Stevens as their next head coach. He removed his name from consideration for the job in Chapel Hill.
Who's an option for UNC?
Florida's Todd Golden is currently the odds-on favorite (+300) at DraftKings to become North Carolina's next head coach. Vanderbilt's Mark Byington (+400) and Iowa State's TJ Otzelberger (+500) aren't too far behind Golden.
North Carolina shouldn't have an issue landing a top-tier coach. After all, this is one of the top coaching jobs in college hoops.
Will the boosters in Chapel Hill be willing to spend $16 million on Golden's buyout though? Only time will tell.
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