North Carolina Tar Heels Men's Basketball Head Coach
The North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team is one of the most successful college basketball programs in history, and one of the driving forces behind that success is their head coach. The current head coach of the Tar Heels is Hubert Davis, who took over the reins of the program in April of 2021. Davis is just the fourth head coach of the Tar Heels since 1961, and he has big shoes to fill following in the footsteps of legendary coaches like Dean Smith and Roy Williams. In this article, we'll take a closer look at Hubert Davis and his journey to becoming the head coach of the Tar Heels.
Early Life and Playing Career
Hubert Davis was born on May 17, 1970, in Burke County, North Carolina. Growing up, Davis was a standout basketball player at Lake Forest High School in Illinois, where he led his team to a state championship in 1988. Davis then went on to play college basketball at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he became one of the best shooters in school history.
Davis played for the Tar Heels from 1988 to 1992, and during his time there, he helped lead the team to two Final Four appearances and an ACC championship. He also set the school record for three-point shooting percentage, which still stands today. After his college career, Davis was selected by the New York Knicks in the first round of the 1992 NBA Draft, where he would go on to play for 12 seasons.
Coaching Career
After retiring from the NBA in 2004, Davis began his coaching career as an assistant coach at the University of North Carolina under his former coach, Roy Williams. Davis spent nine seasons as an assistant coach for the Tar Heels, during which time the team won two national championships and five ACC championships.
In 2012, Davis left North Carolina to become an assistant coach at the University of Texas, where he spent two seasons before accepting a similar position with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. Davis spent one season in Philadelphia before returning to North Carolina in 2018 to rejoin the Tar Heels as an assistant coach.
Becoming the Head Coach of the Tar Heels
On April 5, 2021, it was announced that Hubert Davis would become the next head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, succeeding Roy Williams, who had retired after 18 seasons at the helm. Davis became the first Black head coach in the history of the North Carolina men's basketball program, and just the second Black head coach in the history of the ACC.
Davis has big shoes to fill as he takes over a program with a rich history of success, but he is no stranger to the Tar Heels and their winning culture. As a former player and assistant coach, Davis understands what it takes to be successful at North Carolina, and he has already started to put his stamp on the program, recruiting top-notch talent and emphasizing the importance of player development and team culture.
Conclusion
Hubert Davis is one of the most respected and well-liked coaches in all of college basketball, and he is more than deserving of the opportunity to lead the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program. His playing career and coaching experience have prepared him well for this new challenge, and he has the full support of the North Carolina basketball community as he embarks on this new journey.