The North Carolina Tar Heels decided to part ways with Hubert Davis earlier this week, ending his tenure as head coach. This was the result of losing in the First Round of March Madness.
“North Carolina men's basketball coach Hubert Davis was fired by the school, bringing a conclusion to a tumultuous week after the Tar Heels' stunning loss to VCU in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The school did not specify the nature of Davis' departure in its statement Tuesday night, simply calling it a change in leadership,” Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello wrote.
The decision was not mutual, as Davis had wanted to return to lead the Tar Heels. However, it had reached the point where opponents no longer feared North Carolina under his leadership.
“I had really hoped he was the coach forever. No one in the ACC was scared of him. I'm worried that they hire someone really good now because if you get a big-time guy at UNC, they could be right there with Duke again,” an anonymous coach told CBB analyst Jeff Goodman.
North Carolina is now expected to pursue some of the biggest names in college basketball—and possibly in the NBA as well. One name to watch is former Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens.
“Stevens has been a name floating around the past few days that Tar Heel fans have been excited about. Stevens was once, upon a time, one of the best college basketball coaches before taking his talents to the Boston Celtics, where he has built one of the best rosters in professional basketball,” SI’s Kade Nix wrote.
Stevens has been out of coaching for a few years but has maintained influence through his roster construction with the Celtics. At North Carolina, he would have the opportunity to build his own program from the ground up.
With experience at every level of basketball, Stevens is a strong candidate to take over for the Tar Heels. It will now depend on what North Carolina is willing to offer to entice him away from a championship-contending team.