The reaction to Hubert Davis getting fired at North Carolina has been interesting across the college basketball world, and former Tar Heel great Kenny Smith had a lot to say about the situation.
Smith not only questioned the decision but also backed up Davis. It doesn't come as much of a surprise, considering there's a friendship there, but North Carolina is expected to win every single time it steps on the court, and Smith certainly understands that.
“But that vacancy — I thought that was honestly disrespectful. 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.
“But I also think this is a precarious position for North Carolina and for us as Tar Heels. Because what makes us special, when you fire one person, that’s Hubert Davis. But when you have Coach Brad Frederick, you have Sean May, you have Jeff Lebo, you have Marcus Paige, you have Pat Sullivan.
“What that is, is you have a lineage to every era of basketball that’s Carolina that was on that staff, including Hubert Davis. Every era was connected.”
There have been some strange rumors suggesting that Smith could eventually get the job, but it wouldn't make a whole lot of sense, and he even went as far as to say that he doesn't want it. Going from being a TV analyst to a head coach at one of the biggest schools in the world would be no easy task.
“That’s what makes us special. Forget all that ‘blue blood.’ What makes Carolina family is the connection of all of those eras were in one building at one time. That’s what makes people pay attention and have some animosity or some love for us.”
It's an unfortunate situation regarding what happened, but this is the harsh reality of college basketball nowadays. If coaches want to be the head man at a program like North Carolina, they have to win. Davis found that out the hard way, and North Carolina will now be searching for its next head coach.