Will North Carolina be looking for a replacement for head men’s basketball coach at the end of the season? Fans are becoming steadily disgruntled with the the performance of the Heels under Hubert Davis. What might tip the boat toward a change? As with everything in life pretty much everyone has an opinion on the subject but if you want to get a feel for what fans feel you head to multiple North Carolina Message Boards. Or you can simply jump on Reddit where folks are more than ready to tell you what they’re thinking.
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A nod to Tarheels351 for the most recent question to his fellow Redditors at r/Tarheels that prompted this look-see at North Carolina basketball, Hubert Davis and who fans would like to see as their next coach. Travs6ooo indicated that a large contingent would prefer to keep the hiring (if it occurs) inside the house, i.e., someone who attended which opened the door to who are realistic candidates with that background and frankly, the cupboard is a bit bare.
Basketball
Here are some of the coaches mentioned within the conversation –
- Nate Oats
- Dusty Maye
- Wes Miller
- Jerrod Haas
- Joe Forte
- Rashad McCants
- Brad Stevens
Then there’s the other side of coin where the rubber truly hits the road. Perhaps it’s time to go outside the family and especially avoid an individual who doesn’t have head coaching experience. Now, the search is becoming challenging.
The further you get into both Message Boards and Reddit the more heated the discussion becomes. Tar Heels men’s basketball fans are passionate and want to see a return to competitiveness that places them in the top tier nationally and, of course, knocking heads (and beating) with Duke. Will it take a tough decision on the part of the administration in cutting ties with Davis? Does it mean opening the doors to choosing a coach that has no ties with the school? Mediocrity is not North Carolina’s middle name and the clock is ticking.
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In the meantime, we unleashed Claude AI to help us find that new coach. We asked it to list the top 8 candidates based upon experience, success, recruiting ability and reputation for a top-tier men’s college basketball program. Here’s the list it generated.
Basketball – Coaching List
Dan Hurley (UConn) – Back-to-back national champions (2023, 2024), turned down the Lakers, excellent recruiter, built winning cultures at Wagner, Rhode Island, and UConn.
Nate Oats (Alabama) – SEC regular season titles, Final Four appearance (2023), one of the best offensive minds in basketball, strong NBA pipeline, elite recruiter in the NIL era.
Scott Drew (Baylor) – National champion (2021), rebuilt Baylor from scandal to powerhouse, consistent NCAA Tournament success, respected program builder, excellent recruiter.
Tommy Lloyd (Arizona) – Won immediately at Arizona with multiple Pac-12 titles, came from Gonzaga system under Few, proven recruiter, high-powered offense.
Kelvin Sampson (Houston) – Multiple Final Fours, built Houston into a national power, exceptional defensive coach, strong NBA track record from his past, respected veteran.
Mark Few (Gonzaga) – 25+ years of excellence, national championship game appearance, consistent Top 25 program, international recruiting success, one of the winningest active coaches.
Jay Wright – Retired but would be the top choice if he returned; two national titles (2016, 2018), Hall of Fame coach, Villanova architect, elite recruiter and developer.
Bill Self (Kansas) – National champion (2022), multiple Final Fours, perennial Big 12 power, Hall of Fame coach, one of the most successful active coaches in the sport.
Big money, big results? Which direction would you go?
