How Does Hubert Davis' First Season Stack Up With Other UNC Head Coaches?

Hubert Davis’ first season as head coach for the UNC men’s basketball team is officially in the books. Even though Davis’ Tar Heels lost the national title game to Kansas Monday night in New Orleans, his debut season ranks among the very best not just in Carolina history, but in the history of Division I basketball. Davis is the only Division I coach ever to lead his team to the title game in his first full season.

Here’s how the 2021-22 campaign stacks up with the first seasons of other notable Carolina head coaches:

Hubert Davis’ First Season (2021-22)

Record: 29-10 (15-5 ACC)

Record vs. Duke: 2-1 (includes win in Final Four)

ACC Finish: Third place (regular season), ACC Tournament semifinals

NCAA Tournament Finish: National runner-up

Roy Williams’ First Season (2003-04)

Record: 19-11 (8-8 ACC)

Record vs. Duke: 0-2

ACC Finish: Fifth place (regular season), ACC Tournament quarterfinals

NCAA Tournament Finish: Second round

Though Roy Williams’ first season as head coach in Chapel Hill doesn’t stack up with some of his best years with the Tar Heels, it becomes more impressive when you remember this team was just two years removed from a wretched 8-20 season in 2001-02. Williams’ team was ranked for the entire season and finished .500 in a loaded ACC which finished with six ranked teams, two of which (Duke and Georgia Tech) made the Final Four. The Tar Heels made the NCAA Tournament field for the first time since 2001, and laid the foundation for a national championship the next season.

Matt Doherty’s First Season (2000-01)

Record: 26-7 (13-3 ACC)

Record vs. Duke: 1-2 (includes loss in ACC championship)

ACC Finish: First place (regular season), ACC Tournament runner-up

NCAA Tournament Finish: Second round

A cautionary tale of peaking too early, Matt Doherty’s first season in Chapel Hill appeared to be on track to become one of the best ever, as the Tar Heels ascended to the nation’s No. 1 ranking in February after a win at No. 2 Duke. But Carolina fell apart down the stretch, going 3-3 in its last six regular season games and losing by 26 points to Duke in the ACC championship. Though UNC still earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, they were upset in the second round by No. 7 seed Penn State. Doherty wouldn’t appear in the tournament again with the Tar Heels, and was fired two seasons later.

Bill Guthridge’s First Season (1997-98)

Record: 34-4 (13-3 ACC)

Record vs. Duke: 2-1 (includes win in ACC championship)

ACC Finish: Second place (regular season), ACC Tournament champions

NCAA Tournament Finish: Final Four

Though Guthridge is a beloved figure among Carolina circles, his first of three seasons as UNC head coach deserves a bit of an asterisk. The longtime Dean Smith assistant took the reins of a team which made the Final Four a year earlier and returned Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Shammond Williams and Ed Cota. Guthridge’s first Tar Heel team stands as one of the most talented groups in the history of the program, and they proved it by winning the ACC Tournament (beating Duke by 15 points in the championship game) and earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels made the Final Four once again, but fell in the semifinals to Utah. Guthridge retired just two seasons later.

Dean Smith’s First Season (1961-62)

Record: 8-9 (7-7 ACC)

Record vs. Duke: 0-2

ACC Finish: Fourth place (regular season), ACC Tournament quarterfinals

NCAA Tournament Finish: Did not qualify

Dean Smith’s legendary career in Chapel Hill didn’t necessarily get off to a flying start. Though the season began with a win over Virginia, Smith’s team lost seven of its final nine games (including two to Duke) and fell in the first round of the ACC Tournament to South Carolina. The Tar Heels missed the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season, and would miss the tournament for the first five seasons under Smith. But Smith followed that up with three straight Final Fours, likely saving his job and beginning a Hall of Fame run with Carolina.

Long story short: a coach’s first season isn’t exactly the best indicator of future success. Dean Smith’s first few years were tough enough that the man was infamously hanged in effigy outside Woollen Gym. Matt Doherty climbed to the No. 1 overall ranking and was out of a job just a few years later. Roy Williams finished 8-8 in the ACC before winning three national championships.

So while Hubert Davis’ first season is without a doubt a ringing success, it’s important to not put the cart before the horse. Let’s hope the famously sane and grounded Carolina basketball fanbase can take that to heart.

Featured image via Todd Melet

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