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The North Carolina men’s basketball program parted ways with head coach Hubert Davis earlier this week after a disappointing loss to VCU in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
UNC did not disclose details of Davis’ departure, instead describing the move as a leadership change. The now-former Tar Heels coach later confirmed on social media that he was “let go” despite wanting to continue coaching at Chapel Hill.
Since Davis’ exit, several possible candidates with ties to UNC have emerged, including Kenny “The Jet” Smith, who was notably mentioned by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.
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North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis talks with Armando Bacot (5) during a game against the UC Riverside Highlanders on November 17, 2023 at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images)
After praising Hubert Davis, who both played and later coached at North Carolina, Kenny Smith shut down any interest in the open job, calling speculation linking him to the opening “disrespectful.”
“Yeah, we can talk about North Carolina,” Smith, a basketball analyst, said during halftime of the Texas-Purdue Sweet Sixteen game in the NCAA tournament. “But the vacancy — I thought it was disrespectful, frankly. But first of all, Coach Hubert Davis, thank you. Your service and what you did for North Carolina basketball as a player and as a coach, you moved it forward. I think people forget that because of one game here and there.”
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Smith emphasized the importance of retaining North Carolina’s coaching staff.
“But I also think it’s a precarious position for North Carolina and for us as the Tar Heels. For what makes us special, when you fire one person, that’s Hubert Davis. But when you have coach [Brad] Frederick, you’ve got Sean May, you’ve got Jeff Lebo, you’ve got Marcus Paige, you’ve got Pat Sullivan. What it is is you have a lineage to any era of basketball it’s Carolina that was on that staff including Hubert Davis. Every era was connected.”
Former North Carolina Tar Heels basketball player Kenny Smith poses for a selfie with fans as he hosts the annual Late Night with Roy Williams basketball kickoff at the Dean Smith Center on October 23, 2015 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
“That’s what makes us special. Forget all that ‘blue blood.’ What makes the Carolina family is the connection between all these eras were in one building at one time. That’s what makes people pay attention and have some animosity or love for us.”
It’s still unclear how wide UNC will cast its net, but hiring outside the program would break from a tradition closely tied to Dean Smith. Nonetheless, Smith hopes the next coach will be committed to Chapel Hill for the long haul, just as Davis was.
TNT basketball analyst Kenny Smith on air before the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the North Carolina State Wolfpack at State Farm Stadium on April 6, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
“I will say this. Dean Smith retired as a Tar Heel. Roy Williams retired as a Tar Heel. Hubert Davis wanted to retire with a Tar Heel. Whoever we bring in, they have to want to retire with a Tar Heel,” Smith said. “I don’t care what that means. You don’t want to look for, ‘Oh, [what] JJ Redick has done it in LA. I want to be a Laker.’ You retire a Tar Heel, the next person.”
Davis succeeded Roy Williams in 2021 after being elevated from his assistant role. Williams led the Tar Heels to three national titles. North Carolina’s deepest tournament run under Davis was a Sweet 16 appearance.
