As we near the one-week mark of the UNC men’s basketball head coaching vacancy, rumors continue to swirl about the Tar Heels’ potential targets. If leading candidates are any indication, the next head coach will not come from the “Carolina Family,” breaking a streak that began with Dean Smith.
Since Smith, each UNC head coach has had some connection to Chapel Hill and the men’s basketball program. Here’s a brief look at that timeline:
Bill Guthridge (1997-2000)
Bill Guthridge was a longtime assistant coach under Dean Smith before assuming head coaching duties. (Image via UNC Athletic Communications)
Following Dean Smith’s shocking retirement in the fall of 1997, Guthridge was elevated to the position of head coach. There was so “search” per se, as Guthridge’s promotion was announced immediately. Guthridge was a longtime Smith assistant in Chapel Hill, serving on his staff for all but six of Smith’s 36 years with the Tar Heels. Prior to his promotion, Guthridge had never held a collegiate head coaching position.
At 60 years old when he assumed the role, Guthridge was double Smith’s age when Smith arrived at UNC. He would retire after three seasons, two of which ended in the NCAA Final Four.
Matt Doherty (2000-2003)
After Guthridge’s retirement, UNC attempted to hire Kansas head coach Roy Williams, another former Smith assistant. But Williams turned the school down, forcing the administration to look elsewhere. It landed on Matt Doherty, a former UNC player who started alongside Michael Jordan and James Worthy on the 1982 national championship team. Doherty was also a former assistant of Williams at Kansas and had just completed his first season as a college head coach at Notre Dame. That season led to modest success for the Irish, who won 22 games and finished as runners-up in the NIT.
Like his predecessor Guthridge, Doherty only lasted three seasons. But none of them were nearly as successful, as UNC earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament but lost in the first round in 2001, sunk to a school-worst record of 8-20 in 2002 and missed the tournament again in 2003. Doherty resigned after several players threatened to transfer, and the UNC job was open for the second time in less than a decade.
Roy Williams (2003-2021)
Roy Williams served as UNC head coach for 18 seasons. (Image via Todd Melet)
UNC was determined not to miss on Williams a second time. But hiring a coach is a two-way street, and Williams’ Kansas Jayhawks were marching toward the national championship game as Doherty’s coaching tenure came to an end. Williams had long been connected to the Carolina job, but remained adamant his focus was on his Kansas team. In fact, shortly after Kansas lost the 2003 title game to Syracuse, CBS reporter Bonnie Bernstein asked Williams about the position. He let loose with a blistering rebuke, saying, “I could give a s— about North Carolina right now.”
Talk is cheap: just one week later, Williams was named UNC’s head coach. He would lead the team to a new golden age of success, one which included three ACC Tournament titles, five Final Fours and three national championships. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.
Hubert Davis (2021-2026)
Hubert Davis was dismissed as head coach on March 24. (Image via Todd Melet)
As with Smith’s retirement in 1997, Williams’ retirement on April Fool’s Day 2021 sent shockwaves through the Tar Heel fanbase. It was so stunning, in fact, that many (including some of Williams’ own players) believed it to be a prank. But Williams was done after 18 seasons, and the UNC job was vacant once again. That vacancy wouldn’t last long, as just four days later Hubert Davis was named as Williams’ successor.
Like Guthridge, Davis was a longtime assistant, having served on Williams’ staff since 2012, and had never held a collegiate head coaching job before. Later, it would be revealed that Davis was Williams’ personal choice for the job. Davis would last five seasons, leading the team to the national championship game in 2022 but ultimately falling victim to inconsistencies on the court. He was dismissed on March 24, less than a week after Carolina lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season.
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