Hubert Davis, like so many coaches before him, faced an unenviable task ahead of the 2021-22 North Carolina basketball season: succeeding a legend and beloved son of the university.
Roy Williams’ decision to retire following the 2020-21 season was unexpected. But Williams’ decision was not one that placed Davis in a difficult situation. Indeed, Williams made sure to place Davis, an assistant since the 2012-13 season, in the most advantageous position possible.
Davis now leads the Tar Heels — a team he helped recruit and develop — into a massive Final Four showdown against Duke and Mike Krzyzewski. But Davis’ success isn’t just Williams’ doing. Davis knows this program like few others, not only as a standout under legendary coach Dean Smith but also as an assistant under Williams.
Indeed, those who know Davis’ history at UNC — and in the NBA — won’t be surprised he has his team a game away from playing in the 2022 NCAA Tournament championship.
The Sporting News breaks down Davis’ history and career timeline, not only as a player at UNC and in the NBA, but also his coaching career at his alma mater:
Hubert Davis career timeline
UNC playing career
Williams helped recruit Davis to UNC as an assistant under Dean Smith in 1988, but left for Kansas before Davis’ freshman year in Chapel Hill.
Davis was a four-year player and two-year starter under Smith from 1988-92, helping the Tar Heels to a 102-37 record and two ACC Tournament championships. He played 30-plus games in every season at Chapel Hill, but did not start a game in either his freshman or sophomore seasons.
Davis registered his first career start as a junior in 1990-91, a season in which he scored 13.3 points per game and helped lead the Tar Heels to their first Final Four since winning the 1982 NCAA Tournament nine years prior. He put up 25 points in the loss, which came to Williams’ Jayhawks team.
The following year, Davis led the team in points per game (21.3), 3-points per game (2.6) and 3-point percentage (42.9 percent) in a season that ultimately ended with a Sweet 16 loss to Ohio State.
He ended his career with 1,615 points, 248 rebounds and 179 assists. He also became the school’s highest-percentage 3-point shooter (43.5 percent) and tied the program’s single-game record for made 3s (eight). Below are his career stats at UNC (per game):
| Year | GP (GS) | FG% | 3P% | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| 1988-89 | 35 (0) | .512 | .308 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 3.3 |
| 1989-90 | 34 (0) | .446 | .396 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 9.6 |
| 1990-91 | 35 (20) | .521 | .489 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 13.3 |
| 1991-92 | 33 (30) | .508 | .429 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 21.4 |
MORE: Roy Williams, Michael Jordan and the Snickers bar that saved North Carolina’s national title
NBA career
Following his playing career at UNC, Davis became a first-round selection in the 1992 NBA Draft, getting taken 20th overall by the New York Knicks. Though his playing career was largely devoid of memorable moments, Davis was part of a controversial play in the 1994 Eastern Conference finals — the first of two seasons Michael Jordan did not play for the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls held an 86-85 advantage with 7.6 seconds to play. On the Knicks’ final offensive possession, Davis took a pass from John Starks at the top of the key and shot a long 2-point attempt. Though Davis’ attempt was off the mark, official Hue Hollins called Scottie Pippen for the foul (which Pippen clearly believed he did not commit). Davis — an 82.5 percent free-throw shooter that season — sunk both shots to give Knicks the 87-86 victory and a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
New York would go onto to win in seven before losing the NBA Finals in seven to Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets. Davis ultimately played in two more postseasons, both with the Knicks, in 1995 and ’96.
Following his four-year stint in New York, the Knicks traded him to the Toronto Raptors ahead of the 1996-97 season. He also spent time with the Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons and New Jersey Nets. His final game was in 2004, as a member of the Nets.
For his career, Davis totaled 5,583 points (8.2 per game), 1,045 rebounds (1.5 per game) and 1,172 assists (1.7 per game). He also finished his career shooting 44.1 percent from 3 — second in NBA history only to Steve Kerr.
MORE: Williams reminisces about UNC’s 1982 championship
UNC assistant coach
Following his NBA playing career, Davis was hired as a studio analyst for ESPN, a role in which he served for several years before returning to his alma mater — as a coach.
Williams needed to find a replacement for longtime assistant Jerod Haase, who left the Tar Heels to become head coach at UAB. In searching for a replacement, Williams knew he wanted someone with ties to the program: He ultimately got his “first choice” in Davis, whom he groomed to succeed him as head coach.
“I am elated that I can fill this spot with Hubert,” Williams said in a prepared statement at the time (via ESPN). “I helped recruit him to Carolina in 1988, coached him in the World University Games in 1991 and have always admired him on and off the court. I knew the day would eventually come when I would need to replace staff members as they moved on.
“For the last four or five years Hubert has always been on my mind in case a spot did come open. I didn’t know if I could get him to come back, but I knew I wanted him to be the first option. Coaching is about teaching, relationships and passion and I feel Hubert is the perfect choice. Our student-athletes will benefit greatly from what he adds to our staff.”
Said Davis: “I am very excited, thankful and honored to re-join the Carolina basketball program as an assistant to Coach Williams. I loved being a part of college basketball during my time at ESPN by attending practices and games and developing relationships with players and coaches. Now I will have the opportunity to do this on a more personal level at a university and with a basketball program that I have loved my entire life.”
Davis held that position from 2012-21, becoming a part of five Sweet 16 teams, three Elite Eight teams, two Final Four teams (2016-17), one national runner-up (2016) and one national championship team (2017).
MORE: Davis leads UNC to Final Four in up-and-down debut season
UNC head coach
Shortly following North Carolina’s loss to Wisconsin in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament — a first for a Williams-coached team — Williams announced his decision to retire, citing his belief that he was no longer “the right man” to lead the Tar Heels.
That person, he believed, was Davis. Four days after Williams announced his retirement on April 1, 2021, North Carolina officially named Davis as his successor and the first Black head coach in UNC men’s basketball history.
Hubert Davis: “I’m 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗳𝘂𝗹, 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 of being your new men’s basketball coach for the University of North Carolina.”#CarolinaFamily pic.twitter.com/Lev1CwyTQD
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) April 5, 2021
Though Williams admitted to The Sporting News’ Mike DeCourcy that he misses coaching now, he felt that dragging out his career would only make it harder for Davis to step up into that role. So he elected to step down and retire.
“The more I delayed it, it made all of those things more difficult,” Williams told The Sporting News. “I really wanted to wait and do it a little later myself, for me personally. But if you’re talking about the next guy coming, it wasn’t going to be nearly as smooth if I waited longer.”
One year later, with a Final Four berth in tow and a chance at the national championship game on the line, it appears Williams chose the perfect time to step down and — as he would say it — the right man to succeed him.
This news is republished from another source. You can check the original article here