From a national championship run to abrupt departure, Hubert Davis's UNC coaching journey faced a dramatic and swift decline after a promising start. Hubert Davis is out at North Carolina after five seasons filled with ups and downs.
Hubert Davis was a great player under Dean Smith at North Carolina, and he learned a lot during his nine years as an assistant coach to the legendary Roy Williams.
He was hired as UNC's head coach five years ago, and his reign started with a bang, going all the way to the 2022 national championship game, beating arch-rival Duke in the Final Four semifinals. They lost to Kansas in the title game.
But everything went downhill quickly from there, and Davis paid for it on Tuesday night, when it was announced that he would not return as the Tar Heels' head coach.
Here's the story from Tar Heels Roundtable writer Will Dalton
The past four years have been a struggle. In 2023, UNC finished 20-13 and didn't get invited to the NCAA Tournament. They won a regular season ACC title in 2024, but were upset in the Sweet 16 by Alabama despite being a No. 1 seed.
Davis' team lost first-round games the past two years, and this year's loss was especially ugly. North Carolina blew a 19-point lead against VCU to get run out of the tournament early.
Davis finished with a 125-54 record, and was 68-30 in ACC games. That's good enough at a lot of school, but not at North Carolina.
"This opportunity has truly been such a blessing," Davis said in the statement on Instagram after he was 'let go' by UNC. "I thank Jesus literally every day for giving me the opportunity, relationships and experiences with the kids and my staff. I am very proud of what we were able to accomplish together.
"My goal is to coach again in the very near future."