WATCH: Hubert Davis reveals importance of North Carolina to him
North Carolina’s newly anointed head basketball coach Hubert Davis is going to be one of the most scrutinized men in all of college basketball during the 2021-2022 college basketball season. He’s replacing one of college basketball’s all-time great coaches in Roy Williams at a school with an incredible history in the game of college basketball.
Davis recently spoke with the media about the history at North Carolina and what it means to him.
Check out the video below from the ACC Network.
Davis recently became the first African American head coach in UNC basketball history on April 5th, 2021.
He spent the last nine seasons as an assistant under Roy Williams at North Carolina. Davis also played at North Carolina from 1988-1992, averaging over 21 points per game as a senior. He played in the 1991 Final Four for the Tarheels and played 14 seasons in the NBA. The North Carolina native also served as a college basketball analyst for ESPN for seven years.
His former boss Roy Williams decided to retire on April 1, 2021. Williams finished his career as one of the game’s all-time winningest coaches. He finished third all-time in wins with 903, won three national championships, and was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2007.
2021-2022 North Carolina season outlook
Like many other college basketball teams across the country, the Tarheels were hit hard by defections in the transfer portal. Their talented center, Walker Kessler, was just starting to blossom and was poised for a much bigger role for UNC in the 2021 season, but he ultimately decided to transfer to the Auburn Tigers.
Another key big man for the ‘Heels, Garrison Brooks decided to transfer to Mississippi State for his extra year of eligibility provided by the COVID pandemic. He nearly averaged a double-double his junior season at UNC, and was voted the ACC’s Most Improved Player. That improvement earned him ACC Preseason Player of the Year honors for the 2020-2021 season. His 2020-2021 season was considered somewhat of a disappointment, but he still managed to finish third on the team in scoring and rebounding. He finished with 1,276 points for his North Carolina career.
Armando Bacot, Jr. is the only big man returning for the Tar Heels and he looks like he’s been hitting the weight room in the off-season. Last season as a sophomore, he averaged 12.3 points per game while corraling 7.8 rebounds per game. He led UNC in points, rebounds, blocks, and shooting percentage, but his game has plenty of room for growth and development. The ‘Heels will need him to step up and in a big way in the 2021-2022 season.
Another key starter returning is point guard Caleb Love, a former McDonalds-All American who really started to shine as the season progressed last season. The former five-star prospect scored in double figures in six of his final seven games last season as a freshman, including a career high 25 point eruption against Duke.
Transfer portal additions
Brady Manek was one of the bigger additions from the transfer portal the North Carolina coaching staff brought in the 2021 off-season. Manek played for the Oklahoma Sooners for four seasons and he stuffed the stat sheet with 1,459 points, 681 points, 101 blocked shots, and 61 steals. He’ll play a critical role in helping ease the losses of big men UNC had in the off-season: Day’Ron Sharpe (NBA), Walker Kessler (Auburn), and Garrison Brooks (Mississippi State).
Justin McKoy, a North Carolina native, transferred to UNC from Virginia. He played the past two seasons with the Cavaliers, scoring a career-high 11 points with eight rebounds against San Francisco last season.
North Carolina opens up their 2021-2022 season in an exhibition matchup against Elizabeth City State on Nov. 5.