Source: Hubert Davis fired as North Carolina hoops coach

North Carolina men’s basketball head coach Hubert Davis has been fired by the school, a source close to Davis told ESPN’s Rece Davis, ending a tumultuous week following the Tar Heels’ stunning loss to VCU in the first round of the men’s NCAA tournament.

The school did not specify the nature of Davis’ departure in its statement Tuesday evening, calling it simply a change in leadership. Davis has nearly $5.3 million in guaranteed money remaining on his contract and the university said in its release that it will “honor the terms” of his contract.

Davis informed his team of his departure Tuesday evening, according to sources. His exit weighs heavily on a historic program that has long relied on alumni and the so-called Carolina Way, and opens up one of the most coveted positions in all of basketball. A national search for his replacement is underway.

Thursday’s loss to 11th-seeded VCU sparked an emotional response from UNC fans and donors as Davis’ Tar Heels exited in the first round of the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row. The Tar Heels led the Rams by 19 in the second half, but collapsed down the stretch in an 82-78 overtime loss. This is the biggest comeback in the NCAA tournament since 2018.

Davis appeared sour and agitated during a postgame press conference, refusing to go into details of the collapse and responded to a benign question about his in-game rotations by saying, “Because it was my decision.”

North Carolina went 24-9 this season despite top NBA draft pick Caleb Wilson missing the last nine games with hand and thumb injuries. North Carolina beat Duke on Feb. 7 to improve to 19-4, but went just 5-5 the rest of the way.

Last season, North Carolina lost to Ole Miss in the Round of 32 after beating San Diego State in the First Four. The Tar Heels were one of the last at-large teams selected for last year’s tournament, earning a bid despite going 1-12 against Quadrant 1 opponents.

Davis was promoted to head coach when Roy Williams retired in 2021, after spending nine seasons as an assistant coach on Williams’ staff.

“We appreciate everything Hubert did for Carolina as a player, assistant coach, head coach and community leader – he helped create special memories we will never forget,” athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement. “This was not an easy decision because of Hubert’s tremendous character and everything he has given to the program, but we must move forward in a way that allows our team to compete more consistently at the elite level.”

Hubert’s first three seasons were marked by a mixture of ups and downs. Davis led Carolina to the national championship game as an 8 seed in 2022, beating Duke in the Final Four in Mike Krzyzewski’s final game as head coach of the Blue Devils. The Tar Heels led Kansas by 15 points at halftime of the title game before allowing the Jayhawks to come back and win 72-69.

North Carolina entered the following season as the preseason No. 1 team in the country – before becoming the first preseason No. 1 team to miss the NCAA Tournament.

They rebounded in 2023-24, beating Duke twice en route to the ACC regular season title and a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, victories that proved to be the highest moments of Davis’ tenure. UNC beat Wagner and Michigan State in the first two rounds before suffering an upset against Alabama in the Sweet 16, finishing 29-8 overall. Davis won ACC Coach of the Year this season.

In five seasons at the helm, Davis is 125-54. This represents a winning percentage of just under 70%.

Davis is a longtime Tar Heel, playing his college ball under Dean Smith at Chapel Hill from 1988 to 1992, earning All-ACC honors as a senior. He was a first-round draft pick of the New York Knicks and played 12 seasons for six NBA franchises before moving to television as a college basketball analyst for ESPN.

His departure opens the possibility of North Carolina moving out of the family for the first time since Bill Guthridge’s three-season tenure ended in 1999-2000. Matt Doherty, Roy Williams and Davis are all UNC alumni.