UNC announced Thursday changes to the men’s basketball staff made by new head coach Hubert Davis, who will now have three former Tar Heel players sitting next to him on the bench.

Sean May, who has been on the UNC staff since 2014, was elevated to an assistant coach alongside the incoming Jeff Lebo, who spent 28 years as a head coach at Auburn, Chattanooga, East Carolina and Tennessee Tech.

Jackie Manuel is the other addition to staff as the program’s director of player and team development, after he served in the same role with the UNC women’s basketball program this past season.

Additionally, Davis is retaining Brad Frederick for his ninth year on staff and fifth as an assistant coach.

Eric Hoots has been promoted to director of basketball operations, while head trainer Doug Halverson and strength and conditioning coach Jonas Sahratian will remain in the same roles.

Steve Robinson and Kendall Marshall, the other two members of the men’s basketball staff during Roy Williams’ final season, will not be returning to the program under Davis.

“Coach Rob came to Chapel Hill with Coach Williams and was a huge part of every Tar Heel win and national championship over these past 18 years,” Davis said in Thursday’s release. “I deeply appreciate everything he has done to help me grow as a coach and a person over the nine years we spent together on the staff.”

“I didn’t get a chance to coach Kendall,” the new head coach added, “who is one of our greatest point guards, but am proud that he came back to finish his degree and begin his coaching journey at Carolina. I wish Kendall and Steve nothing but great days ahead.”

This will mark the first time that the UNC men’s basketball head coach and all three primary assistants are former Tar Heel players. Davis said that was one of his goals when named to the head coaching position.

“I think you have a great opportunity to do this job well if you’ve experienced it as a player,” he said. “It’s not the only way, of course, but given there are so many former players who are coaching, it’s a great way to build my first staff as the head coach.

“It was important for each of the assistants to have a connection with Coach Smith, Coach Guthridge, Coach Doherty and Coach Williams,” Davis added. “It connects each of the former head coaches’ personalities to our current team, which was a huge incentive for me in constructing this staff. Carolina Basketball is all of them and I wanted a staff that had that diversity of experiences to give the most to our players.”

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