![]() He has a tenacious, burning desire to be the best he can possibly be we witnessed that when he was a player, a broadcaster and an assistant coach - and I have no doubt he will ensure that our student-athletes and program will be the best they can be, as well. “He teaches student-athletes on and off the court,” Cunningham said. In a statement, athletic director Bubba Cunningham said Davis is the “best leader we can possibly have” for the program. But they suffered the only losing season of Williams’ career in an injury-plagued 2019-20 season, then returned to the NCAA Tournament this year despite experiencing inconsistency with a young team amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament only two years ago. The Tar Heels won a national championship as recently as four years ago while winning a share of the ACC regular-season title to go with a No. Roy Williams and Jim Calhoun will join John Beilein and Lon Kruger in a star-studded cast of coaches that will be inducted into the National College. Now it’s up to Davis to keep the Tar Heels among the nation’s elite programs. He was a first-round NBA draft pick by the New York Knicks and spent a dozen seasons in the league.Īfter his playing career, Davis spent seven years with ESPN as a college basketball analyst until Williams asked Davis to join his staff in 2012 - which Davis said at the time was “a total surprise.” He had also served as head coach of the UNC junior varsity team and oversaw the program’s charitable endeavors.ĭavis, the nephew of former UNC player and NBA All-Star Walter Davis, played for Smith from 1988-92 and still holds the program record for career 3-point percentage (.435). “I would not be here without Coach Dean Smith, Coach Bill Guthridge and Coach Roy Williams they taught me so much – and I’m eager to walk their path in my shoes and with my personality.”ĭavis had been on Williams’ staff since 2012 as a bench coach, recruiter and scout, including a run to the 2016 NCAA title game and then the championship a year later. “I am honored and humbled to be given the opportunity to lead this program,” Davis said. ![]() His hiring also marks a groundbreaking moment as the first Black coach in the history of the program. The Tar Heels are staying in the “Carolina family” again, this time by turning to a trusted former player who has never been a college head coach. It has worked before, with longtime assistant Bill Guthridge taking over after Smith’s 1997 retirement and leading the Tar Heels to two Final Fours, as well as Williams’ return from Kansas in 2003.īut it didn’t work during the three-year tumultuous tenure of Matt Doherty – including an 8-20 season in 2002 – after Williams turned down the job following Guthridge’s retirement in 2000. The school has long had a history of turning to people with UNC ties to lead its program, which owns six NCAA championships. All three of his NCAA championships came with the Tar Heels. Williams retired after 18 seasons at his alma mater in a career that also included 15 years at Kansas and 903 overall victories.
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