.png&width=36&height=36&type=webp)
Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
Dave Hanners enters his 11th season on the University of North Carolina basketball staff. In his tenure at Carolina, the Tar Heels have played in five Final Fours, won one NCAA title and four Atlantic Coast Conference championships.
"Dave is a tireless worker," says head coach Bill Guthridge. "He was a tenacious competitor as a player and remains that way as a coach. He does a lot of the behind the scenes duties that don't get noticed by many people, but really keep the program moving. Dave is adept at scouting the opposition and finding its strengths and weaknesses that help us prepare for games. He has a great basketball mind and is fun to be around."
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Hanners graduated from Walnut Ridge High School, where he won a state championship while playing with Brad Hoffman and Ed Stahl, both of whom would eventually become Tar Heel teammates of Hanners.
A guard at Carolina in the mid-1970s, Hanners earned four letters and was a tri-captain of the 1976 team with Mitch Kupchak and Bill Chambers. As a senior, he helped lead the team to a 25-4 overall mark and a 13-1 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Although he was the backup point guard to Phil Ford his senior year, Hanners played a significant role in one of the most famous comebacks in Carolina history. In the opening round of the 1975 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, Carolina was trailing Wake Forest by eight points with only 50 seconds remaining.
Hanners contributed a key steal and a pair of assists in a rally that propelled the Tar Heels to a stunning one-point overtime victory. Spurred by that amazing comeback, North Carolina went on to capture the 1975 ACC Tournament crown. That year, Carolina had to win the ACC Tournament to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. That tournament victory also began Carolina's incredible run of 24 straight seasons in NCAA play, a streak that still exists.
In 1976 Hanners earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Education from Carolina. After graduating, he worked on the Tar Heel staff for two years as a graduate assistant coach, helping Eddie Fogler with the junior varsity program. Hanners earned his Master of Arts degree in English Education from UNC in 1978.
From 1978-80, Hanners worked as a high school head coach at the University School in Milwaukee, Wis., and in 1979-80 he coached at Westover High School in Fayetteville, N.C.
After his high school coaching stint, Hanners entered the collegiate ranks, serving as an assistant coach at UNC Wilmington for three years, at Furman University for two years and at East Tennessee State University for four years.
Working under head coach Les Robinson, Hanners was in charge of the Buccaneers' recruiting efforts. In 1988-89, ETSU won the Southern Conference championship and was one point shy of eliminating NCAA Southeast Regional top seed Oklahoma in the first round of the tournament.
Hanners served as head coach of Carolina's junior varsity team for two years. In 1994-95, Hanners guided the team to a record of 10-5 against many community colleges that give scholarships. Hanners will once again direct the junior varsity program in 1999-2000.
EDUCATION
B.A., English Education North Carolina '76
M.A., English Education North Carolina '78
PLAYING EXPERIENCE
North Carolina, 1972-76COACHING EXPERIENCE
North Carolina, Assistant Coach 1989-Present
East Tennessee State, Assistant Coach 1985-89
Furman, Assistant Coach 1983-85
UNC Wilmington, Assistant Coach 1980-83
COACHING HIGHLIGHTS
Has been a part of five Final Four teams, the 1993 NCAA title and four ACC Tournament championships.
