UNC Athletics Director Bubba Cunningham stayed within the Carolina Family and hired Hubert Davis as the next head coach of the Tar Heels men’s basketball team.

Davis, 50, takes over as head coach after spending the past nine season as an assistant coach on Roy Williams’ staff. Williams announced his retirement last week after 48 seasons of coaching — the past 18 of which were spent with the Tar Heels.

“I am honored and humbled to be given the opportunity to lead this program,” Davis said in a release. “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.”

Davis, a Virginia native, played in 137 games for the Tar Heels from 1988-92, during which time UNC won the 1989 and 1991 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournaments and played in the 1991 Final Four. He averaged 21.4 points and earned second-team All-ACC honors as a senior.

“I love this University,” said Davis. “I played here, I earned my degree here, I fell in love with my wife here, I got married here, I moved here after I retired from the NBA and I have raised my family here. I am proud to lead this team, and I can’t wait for all that comes next.”

Following his career at UNC, Davis was selected by the New York Knicks in the 1992 NBA Draft. He played 12 seasons in the NBA and is currently third in NBA history in three-point percentage at .441.

Hubert Davis poses with students and fans in 1992 ahead of his senior season with UNC men’s basketball. (Photo via the Carolina Court Magazine.)

After his NBA career, Davis became an analyst for ESPN and College GameDay. He rejoined UNC in 2012 and previously served as the head coach of UNC’s junior varsity team.

Davis was thought to be a top contender for the job as soon as Williams’ announced his retirement. He steps into a familiar situation, having spent the past nine seasons in Chapel Hill as an assistant coach.

Per UNC, Cunningham and Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and interviewed a “diverse array of candidates from coast to coast, with input from dozens of men’s basketball alumni and senior Department of Athletics officials.” The decision to hire Davis came down to “his dedication to student-athletes, leadership, work ethic, service and passion to win.”

“Hubert Davis is the best leader we can possibly have for our men’s basketball program,” said Cunningham. “He teaches student-athletes on and off the court. He inspires his fellow staff members. He is strongly committed to family. 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 than our student-athletes and program will be the best they can be, as well.”

However, a new era of college basketball has dawned. New transfer rules and the potential for players to profit off of their name, image and likeness have spurred a changing landscape across the sport. These changes, while potentially positive for players, could present challenges to player-coach dynamics, which Williams alluded to in his retirement press conference.

Four players have announced their intentions to leave the program this offseason, including five-star big men Walker Kessler to the transfer portal and Day’Ron Sharpe to the NBA Draft. UNC did get some good news, however, when five-star guard Caleb Love announced that he will return to Chapel Hill for his sophomore season.

Despite the success that Williams experienced at UNC, the Tar Heels are coming off their worst two-year stretch in years. UNC went 14-19 two seasons ago and just finished an up-and-down year capped by the first loss Williams ever suffered in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament across 30 tries.

Davis will begin his duties as head coach immediately. Terms of his contract agreement with UNC will be released at a later time.

Featured image via Getty Images

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