University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Lucas: Tar Heel For Life
April 5, 2021 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
The new head coach of the Tar Heels has been determined to be a Tar Heel for his entire life.
By Adam Lucas
Hubert Davis was sitting inside one of the oversized University of Phoenix Stadium lockers late on the night of April 3, 2017, and he had a look of amazement on his face. The Tar Heel assistant coach had been in tears a few minutes earlier, sharing hugs with his family and with Carolina point guard Joel Berry after Carolina dispatched Gonzaga in the national championship game.
The room around him was abuzz. So it seemed logical to ask Davis why he seemed so at peace, so incredibly serene, in the midst of all this excitement.
"I just can't believe we won," he said. "I remember the 1991 Final Four. I remember losing the NBA Finals with the Knicks. I remember last year (2016, enough said). Sometimes you think, 'Maybe you're never going to win it.' And it's completely unbelievable that we did it this way. I think about Rick (Fox), and King (Rice) and Pete (Chilcutt) and Brice (Johnson) and Marcus (Paige). And I'm so happy for Coach Williams."
And that's why, just slightly over four years later, Davis fits so perfectly as the new head coach of the Tar Heels. He is the Dean Smith era. He is the Roy Williams era. And now, he is the Hubert Davis era. There have been twelve United States Presidents since 1961. There have only been five Carolina basketball coaches. Which makes sense, since one job is so clearly more important than the other.
In the next few days, you're going to hear quite a bit about Hubert Davis as a person. You can't find one better. He is a devoted father and the kind of husband your wife wishes you were. Since he joined the staff in 2012, he has been a trusted mentor to dozens of Tar Heels.
"When it comes to caring about his players, there are very few who could ever care more," says Kenny Williams. "He's a unique guy and he attacks whatever he does whether it's basketball on the court or taking an interest in his players off the court and I'm evidence of that with the way he took me under his wing for four years. To this day we have a great relationship, and that's a testament to who he is. He cares and he works and that's why so many people love to be around him, because he genuinely loves everybody that he comes into contact with."
Davis takes special note of the birthdays of the current players and makes sure to bring them some sort of treat on their birthday. Think about it: what people in your life do that for you? Only the ones that care the absolute most.
"He is," says Garrison Brooks, "the definition of Carolina Family."
Hubert Davis: Tar Heel player (he was the model for the new Alexander Julian argyles when they debuted for his senior season in 1991-92 and his uncle, Walter, hit the game-tying desperation shot that tied the eight points in 17 seconds game against Duke in 1974, so find me a better Tar Heel pedigree than that). Hubert Davis: twelve-season NBA success story and one of the best three-point shooters in pro history. Hubert Davis: nice guy ("nice guy" really doesn't do it justice--I literally have never heard Davis say something bad about any other human, and that includes Blue Devils).
These are all aspects of his resume that we knew before today. But don't forget that another part of the story is Hubert Davis: really good basketball mind.
Players from the last decade will tell you that a Davis scouting report is delivered without notes, is thorough, and covers every meaningful tendency of every opposing player. And you might not have seen his passion fully visible on the Carolina sideline in recent years, because that's the role of the head coach. But some of his halftime locker room speeches this year left the Tar Heels marveling. He even had some very impassioned words for the 2020-21 club in the Mackey Arena locker room after the final game of the season, against Wisconsin.
Don't be tricked into believing that Davis is nothing but an infectious laugh. He also played a dozen years in the NBA and has the requisite competitiveness that comes with that experience.
It was Davis who had the scouting responsibilities on Kentucky during the 2017 season. After the Tar Heels were torched by the Wildcats in the initial meeting of the season in Las Vegas, Davis took personal offense to the fact that UK sharpshooter Malik Monk scored 47 points while notching zero fouls and zero rebounds.
"You let someone play basketball against North Carolina and completely take the night off on the defensive end of the court," Davis told the Tar Heels in the days leading up to the rematch in the regional final. "You let him score 47 points and he rested on the defensive end. That should never, ever happen."
Monk shot 4-for-10 in the rematch. Carolina won, and went on to win the national championship that so awed Davis that night in Phoenix.
Williams and Davis have always been remarkably kindred spirits. You know about Williams' background. You will be reminded in the days to come that Dean Smith wasn't sure Davis was a good enough player to compete at the Atlantic Coast Conference level, and suggested he attend school somewhere he might play more minutes.
But Davis wanted to be a Tar Heel, and has spent his entire life showing why. When the Smith Center court was named for Williams, Davis sat in the very front row after delivering a heartfelt speech (again, without notes) about what Carolina Basketball meant to him. When Williams was at the podium making his speech, he refused to look at Davis, just as Davis stared straight ahead, away from Williams, refusing to look at the head coach. Both men were afraid they would break down if they looked at the other, each knowing what Carolina in general and Carolina Basketball (and Dean Smith) specifically had meant to them.
You'll hear more about this in the days to come, but there are principles Davis learned from Dean Smith that have shaped the entire rest of his life. We'll find out in the days and months to come how he plans to defend dribble penetration and how he feels about utilizing multiple defenses. But this is an absolute guarantee, because it's already happened during his relatively short time on staff: Hubert Davis is going to change lives.
"As a person, there cannot be a better guy in terms of representing what we value in Carolina basketball," says Marcus Paige. "You know we differentiate ourselves in the way that we care about every aspect of our program and upholding the Carolina family as something sacred, and Coach Davis wears his love for Coach Smith, Coach Williams and Carolina basketball on our sleeve."
It was Davis who wore the "DES" lapel pin longer than anyone else after Smith passed away. It is Davis who understands better than anyone what it means that a Black man is the head coach of the Tar Heels, the surest possible way to continue Smith's legacy. You will never, ever have to explain any aspect of Carolina Basketball to Hubert Davis, a man who worked with former walk-on Sasha Seymore to develop an app that would help new Tar Heels understand key parts of Carolina history.
That night the court was named for Williams, Davis concluded his speech with remarks that were touching but have also proven to be prophetic. "For a kid who only ever wanted to be part of this program," Davis said, "Carolina Basketball has been the best part of my life."
Hubert Davis was sitting inside one of the oversized University of Phoenix Stadium lockers late on the night of April 3, 2017, and he had a look of amazement on his face. The Tar Heel assistant coach had been in tears a few minutes earlier, sharing hugs with his family and with Carolina point guard Joel Berry after Carolina dispatched Gonzaga in the national championship game.
The room around him was abuzz. So it seemed logical to ask Davis why he seemed so at peace, so incredibly serene, in the midst of all this excitement.
"I just can't believe we won," he said. "I remember the 1991 Final Four. I remember losing the NBA Finals with the Knicks. I remember last year (2016, enough said). Sometimes you think, 'Maybe you're never going to win it.' And it's completely unbelievable that we did it this way. I think about Rick (Fox), and King (Rice) and Pete (Chilcutt) and Brice (Johnson) and Marcus (Paige). And I'm so happy for Coach Williams."
And that's why, just slightly over four years later, Davis fits so perfectly as the new head coach of the Tar Heels. He is the Dean Smith era. He is the Roy Williams era. And now, he is the Hubert Davis era. There have been twelve United States Presidents since 1961. There have only been five Carolina basketball coaches. Which makes sense, since one job is so clearly more important than the other.
In the next few days, you're going to hear quite a bit about Hubert Davis as a person. You can't find one better. He is a devoted father and the kind of husband your wife wishes you were. Since he joined the staff in 2012, he has been a trusted mentor to dozens of Tar Heels.
"When it comes to caring about his players, there are very few who could ever care more," says Kenny Williams. "He's a unique guy and he attacks whatever he does whether it's basketball on the court or taking an interest in his players off the court and I'm evidence of that with the way he took me under his wing for four years. To this day we have a great relationship, and that's a testament to who he is. He cares and he works and that's why so many people love to be around him, because he genuinely loves everybody that he comes into contact with."
Davis takes special note of the birthdays of the current players and makes sure to bring them some sort of treat on their birthday. Think about it: what people in your life do that for you? Only the ones that care the absolute most.
"He is," says Garrison Brooks, "the definition of Carolina Family."
Hubert Davis: Tar Heel player (he was the model for the new Alexander Julian argyles when they debuted for his senior season in 1991-92 and his uncle, Walter, hit the game-tying desperation shot that tied the eight points in 17 seconds game against Duke in 1974, so find me a better Tar Heel pedigree than that). Hubert Davis: twelve-season NBA success story and one of the best three-point shooters in pro history. Hubert Davis: nice guy ("nice guy" really doesn't do it justice--I literally have never heard Davis say something bad about any other human, and that includes Blue Devils).
These are all aspects of his resume that we knew before today. But don't forget that another part of the story is Hubert Davis: really good basketball mind.
Players from the last decade will tell you that a Davis scouting report is delivered without notes, is thorough, and covers every meaningful tendency of every opposing player. And you might not have seen his passion fully visible on the Carolina sideline in recent years, because that's the role of the head coach. But some of his halftime locker room speeches this year left the Tar Heels marveling. He even had some very impassioned words for the 2020-21 club in the Mackey Arena locker room after the final game of the season, against Wisconsin.
Don't be tricked into believing that Davis is nothing but an infectious laugh. He also played a dozen years in the NBA and has the requisite competitiveness that comes with that experience.
It was Davis who had the scouting responsibilities on Kentucky during the 2017 season. After the Tar Heels were torched by the Wildcats in the initial meeting of the season in Las Vegas, Davis took personal offense to the fact that UK sharpshooter Malik Monk scored 47 points while notching zero fouls and zero rebounds.
"You let someone play basketball against North Carolina and completely take the night off on the defensive end of the court," Davis told the Tar Heels in the days leading up to the rematch in the regional final. "You let him score 47 points and he rested on the defensive end. That should never, ever happen."
Monk shot 4-for-10 in the rematch. Carolina won, and went on to win the national championship that so awed Davis that night in Phoenix.
Williams and Davis have always been remarkably kindred spirits. You know about Williams' background. You will be reminded in the days to come that Dean Smith wasn't sure Davis was a good enough player to compete at the Atlantic Coast Conference level, and suggested he attend school somewhere he might play more minutes.
But Davis wanted to be a Tar Heel, and has spent his entire life showing why. When the Smith Center court was named for Williams, Davis sat in the very front row after delivering a heartfelt speech (again, without notes) about what Carolina Basketball meant to him. When Williams was at the podium making his speech, he refused to look at Davis, just as Davis stared straight ahead, away from Williams, refusing to look at the head coach. Both men were afraid they would break down if they looked at the other, each knowing what Carolina in general and Carolina Basketball (and Dean Smith) specifically had meant to them.
You'll hear more about this in the days to come, but there are principles Davis learned from Dean Smith that have shaped the entire rest of his life. We'll find out in the days and months to come how he plans to defend dribble penetration and how he feels about utilizing multiple defenses. But this is an absolute guarantee, because it's already happened during his relatively short time on staff: Hubert Davis is going to change lives.
"As a person, there cannot be a better guy in terms of representing what we value in Carolina basketball," says Marcus Paige. "You know we differentiate ourselves in the way that we care about every aspect of our program and upholding the Carolina family as something sacred, and Coach Davis wears his love for Coach Smith, Coach Williams and Carolina basketball on our sleeve."
It was Davis who wore the "DES" lapel pin longer than anyone else after Smith passed away. It is Davis who understands better than anyone what it means that a Black man is the head coach of the Tar Heels, the surest possible way to continue Smith's legacy. You will never, ever have to explain any aspect of Carolina Basketball to Hubert Davis, a man who worked with former walk-on Sasha Seymore to develop an app that would help new Tar Heels understand key parts of Carolina history.
That night the court was named for Williams, Davis concluded his speech with remarks that were touching but have also proven to be prophetic. "For a kid who only ever wanted to be part of this program," Davis said, "Carolina Basketball has been the best part of my life."
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