8:00 AM
In October, a bus pulled up to a hotel in Florida and members of the North Carolina men's college basketball team began to stream aboard. Cole Anthony and the Magic played the New York Knicks the previous night, and the Tar Heels were traveling out of the city to play the Florida Gators. The spot in the front of the bus for head coaches was reserved for Hubert Davis.
Since he became head coach six months ago, Davis has not felt any pressure. He was the program's first ever black head coach. Roy Williams retired in April. He had been Williams' assistant for nearly a decade and believed he understood the gravity of his new role. He had earned a reputation as a cool-headed sharpshooter who had never seemed rattled or nervous, and he had so far stayed that way in his coaching career.
The bus hit him when he sat down.
"That's the only time and the first time I was like, wow, this is different," Davis said. I called my wife and said it was the strangest thing. The practices, the press conferences, and the media had not affected me. When I sat at the front of the bus, I had no idea that I was the head coach for the University of North Carolina.
The role and all the feelings that accompany it are starting to sink in for Davis.
Davis' first year has been marked by genuine progress after a shaky start that included narrow wins over Brown and College of Charleston. The Tar Heels are riding a five-game winning streak heading into Saturday's game against Kentucky at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. They beat Michigan in front of their fans in Chapel Hill and then beat Georgia Tech in the opener. They're on the verge of the top 25 while playing a style that Davis prefers.
Play.
R.J. Davis hit a 3-pointer late in the second half to help UNC stave off Brown.
Davis knows that Chapel Hill isn't going to be enough for a long time. North Carolina is still looking for a consistent stretch of good basketball. With the next two-game losing streak, he knows his style will be heavily scrutinized.
Davis said it took time during a media Zoom. We have two kids. There are three transfers. They have a new coach. We've played 10 games. It takes time to build bonds. It takes a long time to figure it out.
With the expectations placed on a historic program that used to be among the college basketball elites, Davis may not have the time he wants. The difficult part of Davis' mission begins now.
Former UNC head coach Matt Doherty knows how Davis feels in his first season. When he was offered the job at North Carolina, he was already the head coach at Notre Dame, where he'd played on the 1982 national title team that featured Michael Jordan, James Worthy and Sam Perkins.
I felt like I couldn't breathe all day when I first started working at North Carolina, said the coach. I felt some pressure on my chest. I just felt like I couldn't breathe. It was basketball when the ball went up. I think that was a relief.
The Tar Heels finished with a 26-7 record. They ended the 2001-02 campaign with an 8-20 mark, an unspeakably poor season by the standards of the program. The pitchforks were out in a state that bleeds Carolina Blue, where Dean Smith was hung in effigy once upon a time. His last season would be a 19-16 finish. His firing paved the way for Williams' return and the second golden era of Tar Heels hoops.
The responsibilities of the head coaching role at North Carolina were never anticipated by him. He said that only 15% of his job was coaching.
"It's all the other stuff," he said. You have 20 to 30 media after a game at North Carolina. If you go on a losing streak, how do you manage all the calls and people who aren't happy with playing time? People wouldn't be happy with their parking passes. I was responsible for at least 300 tickets. There are 150 parking passes. Every game.
The demands on a head coach at UNC are still significant.
When Roy Williams asked Davis to succeed him as the Tar Heels head coach, he was surprised.
For the past nine years, Williams has handled the role up close and personal, which has helped Davis. He is close to Williams, who chose Davis to be his successor.
"There's not much I can tell him," Williams said. We talk about a lot of different things. I would tell him to be himself. You don't have to be like Dean Smith or Roy Williams. You can get it done. You can be a great coach and have a successful career for a long time.
Davis did not try to be Williams as a coach.
UNC dominated the offensive glass under Williams. The Tar Heels feature more versatile bigs and are 41% from the 3-point line. It's not uncommon to see a 6-9 Brady Manek on the 3-point line for a school with a tradition of dominance in the paint.
Davis likes versatile bigs. I like bigs that can score around the basket and run the floor. I like bigs that can handle the ball, shoot from the perimeter, and make plays beyond the 3-point line.
There was a question about whether Davis' preferences were suited to his personnel. The game against Brown started with all five players on the perimeter. There were seven passes on the trip and only one to the post. The Tar Heels had to fight hard to get the win. The UNC allowed 83 points or more in four straight games.
After his team gave up 93 points in a loss to the Boilermakers, Davis was quick to point out his team's poor defensive effort. He said there had to be a competitive fire and nature to guard his guy and keep him out of the lane.
Play.
UNC's two double-doubles were by Dawson and Bacot.
A switch has changed. North Carolina dominated its next two opponents, Michigan and Georgia Tech, in the post. The Michigan team scored their lowest point in a regular season game during the Juwan Howard era. Georgia Tech never got comfortable in the loss. On Tuesday, the Tar Heels took the best shot of the game for a half before flexing their defensive muscles in a 74-61 win over a quality Paladins team.
Questions about the identity of the University of North Carolina have subsided for now.
"We can change, we can adjust, and we can pivot in order for us to be better out there on the floor," Davis said. I'm hopeful that there's a game where we don't have to and we play great the entire game.
Davis' mother died of oral cancer at the age of 16. Davis said that he was bitter and lost in the years that followed.
He said she was his best friend. I was hardened by that horrible experience.
He used his grief as an opportunity to excel in sports and become like his uncle, Walter Davis, who was a star for the Tar Heels in the 1970s. Dean Smith wasn't sold on Hubert's ability and told him he might have to redshirt or struggle to crack the rotation.
"I was always told 'No' throughout my entire life, and when I'm told 'No' or 'You can't' that adds another couple of logs to the fire," Davis said. It does. You can't play for me if you don't have a fire inside of you to be the best that you can be. You can't. I've had to fight for everything.
"I think he's very competitive, but he's the sweetest person I've ever met in my life," Williams said of Davis.
Davis would go on to play 137 games for the Tar Heels and become a first-round NBA draft pick in 1992.
Davis played 137 games for the Tar Heels, and averaged 21.7 points per game as a senior. His selection as a first-round pick in the 1992 NBA draft featured future Hall of Fame players, and it was due to his success.
He played in the NBA for 12 seasons and began his pro career with the Knicks. His 44.1% clip from the 3-point line is the second best in NBA history, behind Steve Kerr. He had a longer career than most of the players who were drafted before him.
He retired after the 2003-04 season and joined the North Carolina coaching staff in 2012 as an analyst. For the next nine years, Davis helped Williams mold some of the top North Carolina players of the past decade and contributed to the team's national title run.
Williams invited Davis and his wife to dinner after the UNC win over Duke.
He wanted me to be the next head coach, so I told him how much he was best for this team and this program. That's all I said. We had to go to the NCAA tournament, but I never talked about it. I didn't talk to him about it.
After the season, Williams made a formal request for Davis to succeed him at North Carolina.
"I would love to," Davis said at that point.
Davis was selected by the New York Knicks in the first round of the 1992 NBA draft and enjoyed a successful career as a sharpshooter.
Davis challenged his team during a preseason practice.
He told his players that they would lose shoes if he made a 3-pointer. They would get some extra shoes if he missed.
"Davis missed the shot," said guardCaleb Love. The team went crazy.
Davis reminded his players that he can still score.
"He's still got that jump shot," Bacot said. He's trying to let us know that he's still got it as he's making his shots.
On Monday through Friday, host Pablo Torre brings you an inside look at the most interesting stories at ESPN, as told by the top reporters and Insiders on the planet. Listen.
The Tar Heels have built chemistry with the help of the lighthearted vibe created by Davis and the additions of two freshmen and three key transfers. Davis has made every facet of the program UNC's own.
The assistant coach went to North Carolina. The players on the current roster say that the hiring of Davis and the familiarity with the staff helped them stay.
"After Coach Davis got the job, it was a no-brainer," Love said. I knew I was staying. We were thinking about going somewhere else. The head coach kept us together.
Every player on the roster has to visit the coaches' offices three times a week. They can't talk about basketball. Davis said it was an effort to get to know his players. He doesn't know about their social media habits or the chatter they see on a daily basis. Davis will never join the social networking site.
In a season where he and his players can't afford it, Davis doesn't like the idea of using social media. He knows that this season will be crucial to the program's future.
The pressure is on and will stay on even if Davis wins against the Cats on Saturday and becomes the fourth Tar Heels coach to win a national title. Davis said he will not lose his cool.
Davis said that he didn't feel pressure. I don't compare myself to people. Coach Smith and Coach Williams were my coaches. The only thing I have to worry about is doing the best job I can. I don't ever compare myself to anyone. I try to be the best I can be.
