For the second year in a row, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels will dominate headlines about its coaches. Last year, it was Bill Belichick going back to college and becoming UNC Football’s head coach, and this year, the focus is on UNC Basketball following the dismissal of Hubert Davis.
The Tar Heels’ basketball program is one of the blue bloods of college basketball. UNC Basketball ranks among the top three in Division I history in wins, winning percentage, conference tournament titles, Final Four appearances, and national championships. Thus, Davis getting bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in consecutive years is unacceptable, and at the same time, UNC won’t have a shortage of interest for this position. Here are the top candidates to replace Davis and become the next North Carolina Basketball head coach.
Jerry Stackhouse, Golden State Warriors Assistant Coach
One of the greatest players in North Carolina Basketball history, Jerry Stackhouse has found success at every stage of his career.
He was an All-American for UNC, a two-time NBA All-Star, was both coach of the year and a champion as a G-League head coach, and was the SEC Coach of the Year at Vanderbilt. He has seven years of head coaching experience and has spent the last two years on Steve Kerr’s bench with the Warriors.
That NBA coaching experience is invaluable, given we’re in the NIL Era of college sports, where the amateur game now resembles the pros more than ever before.
Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls Head Coach
Billy Donovan, a two-time national champion at Florida, has turned down many opportunities to go back to college as he’s in his 11th year in the NBA.
However, the last 10 of those have been without playoff series victories, and this year’s Bulls will miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season. Thus, Donovan may be more open to coaching elsewhere after Chicago’s season ends, and he clearly had more success in college than in the pros.
Given the success he had at a “football school” with the Florida Gators, the Tar Heel Nation would love to see what he could do at a school that prioritizes its basketball program above all others.
Wes Miller, UNC Charlotte Head Coach
Starting with Dean Smith, each of the last five Carolina head coaches has either played for the Tar Heels or previously served as an assistant with the program. So, UNC likes to stay “within the family”, and Wes Miller falls in the former category.
The Greensboro native began his playing career at James Madison, but he ended it with four years in Chapel Hill. He wasn’t a star, but he clearly learned under Roy Williams and has spent the last 18 years coaching college basketball. That includes 15 years as a head coach, with a decade at UNC Greensboro, before taking his talents to the Bearcats five years ago. He was then named head coach of UNC Charlotte the day before Davis was dismissed, but Miller certainly wouldn’t be the first coach to renege on a job after acceptance.
Miller has posted a winning record in each of the last 10 seasons, and while his name may not carry as much sizzle as others, he’s as proven as any younger coaching candidate available.
Nate Oats, Alabama Head Coach
Nate Oats has worked his way to the top of an SEC program; previously, he coached at the high school level in the NCCAA, at the Division III level, and at a D1 mid-major before joining the Tide. He had Bama ranked No. 1 three years ago and in the Final Four two seasons ago.
Also, Oats’ brand of basketball would be appealing to the Carolina faithful, as he loves to run and gun. Alabama leads all of college basketball in scoring for the third season in a row, and that style of play is of high interest to lots of recruits and top prospects.
Grant McCasland, Texas Tech Head Coach
A 25-year coaching veteran, Grant McCasland is not yet 50 years old, so he has plenty of years ahead of him.
He won a JUCO championship as a head coach, went to back-to-back Elite Eights in Division II, and became North Texas’s all-time leader in winning percentage before landing in Lubbock, Texas. He’s had success with the Red Raiders, including an Elite Eight last season, but there’s also a glass ceiling when coaching Texas Tech Basketball. TTU will always fall behind Big 12 heavyweights like Kansas, Arizona, and Houston, though McCasland seems quite fond of the Longhorn State, so he may not want to leave.
Apart from three years as an assistant elsewhere, he’s spent his entire life either playing or coaching in the state of Texas.
Sean May, UNC Assistant Coach
North Carolina only has to look at its rival in Duke to see how turning the reins over to a younger assistant can do wonders. Jon Scheyer replaced Coach K four years ago and is knocking on the door of his third straight Elite 8 appearance. Scheyer spent eight seasons as an assistant under Coach K, while UNC all-time great Sean May has spent 11 years within various administrative/coaching roles for the Tar Heels.
May was an All-American, national champion, and the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player in a Tar Heels jersey, so his name carries weight in Chapel Hill. At 41 years old, he would also, theoretically, better relate to the 18- to 22-year-olds he would coach, unlike the 55-year-old Davis.
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