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Thursday was love at first sight: Roy Williams’ retirement in North Carolina opened, in my opinion, the best job in college basketball.
So who will take it? Who should call North Carolina? If you were to list qualified candidates who, at the very least, would pick up the phone … well, that list would have over three dozen names. But let’s narrow the scope here. Biggest factor not yet known: Will North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham choose to hire a “guy from Carolina” or will he broaden his search to give him the best pool of candidates?
The choice should be the last one, clearly, which isn’t to say that someone in the Tar Heel family won’t ultimately get the gig. But when college hoop royalty has a job offer, the best practice is to look very far in order to allow the best possible candidates to come to you.
Replacing Williams is not an enviable task, but the only feeling that can get past that pressure is to have the opportunity to be awarded this title: Head Coach, North Carolina Men’s Basketball.
Let’s look at the candidates.
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Two UNC names that will have a look
Hubert Davis, North Carolina Assistant – The former UNC star cared so much about training at his alma mater that he left a cushy ESPN gig in 2012 to join the Williams staff. Davis, 50, would have as much of an advantage in the job as any candidate who had served at Chapel Hill for nearly a decade. A question some sources asked me out loud earlier today: Did Williams quietly push Davis over the past two days, when he made it known he was retiring? Even if he did, Cunningham owes it to the program and his base to search by far for the best candidate. But Davis is already considered one of the early leaders of the post.
Wes Miller, UNC Greensboro Coach – The most important factor in its favor is having a decade of experience in managing a program. Miller has been the coach of UNC Greensboro since 2011 and amassed a record 182-134 with two NCAA tournament appearances. UNCG has finished in the top three at SoCon for five consecutive years. Miller played for Williams – he was part of the 2005 national championship winning team – and has long been seen as an ideal potential successor. He is 38 and probably one of the top five under-45 coaches in the sport. His younger half-brother, Walker Miller, is on the UNC list, quite by accident. UNC fans would likely applaud this rental.
Six targets outside the family
Mark little, Gonzaga – The only job MAYBE could get is little from Spokane. The timing here is incredible. Few Bulldogs have two wins far from athletic immortality. He has turned down many prominent opportunities over the years. If there was one where he picked up the phone and at least listened to it, this is it. Few people and Williams are very close friends. The 58-year-old has the best winning percentage in college men’s basketball history. North Carolina needs to call him and at least ask him. If he’s interested, the question becomes, would winning a national title at Gonzaga make it more likely or less likely that he would want to take on the challenge at Chapel Hill?
Tony Bennett, Virginia – As good a trainer as you will find in college basketball. Bennett has a national championship to his name and has been the CCA’s winningest coach for seven consecutive seasons. UNC and Duke will always be the top two programs at this conference from a national standpoint, but the reality of the past seven years is that Virginia has passed them both on the field and become the team to beat. Would Bennett be ready to shoot a Chris Beard and stay in the league while skipping jobs? He’s made to be successful there … if he wants to think about it.
Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan – Sources have told me for a while now that Donovan has long held Caroline’s position in high esteem. A source even told me on Thursday that if the Tar Heels position had been opened at the same time he was ready for the Bulls concert, it would have been something he would consider (if offered). Donovan is unlikely to leave the NBA for college, not when he’s in his first season in Chicago and is still highly respected in the league. But if the UNC is to aim high and seek an NBA coach, Donovan seems more likely than Brad Stevens – and Donovan is the only candidate on this list to have won multiple national championships.
Scott Drew, Baylor – The Bears are in their first Final Four in 71 years. He did the unthinkable coaching Baylor Men’s Basketball. Drew is only 50 years old, yet has 390 wins and at least 20 years on the bench in front of him if he wants to. His behavior is designed to handle a job like this. Would the UNC be interested enough? Would winning a national title this year make a difference? Keep in mind that UNC AD Bubba Cunningham is on the selection committee and saw it all up close and in person as he was hosted by the NCAA in Indianapolis for weeks.
Chris Holtmann, State of Ohio – Here is the stage where I think, if it happens even at this point, a coach who gets a call says yes. Sources confirmed to CBS Sports that Holtmann’s camp had been contacted by Indiana to gauge interest, but talks did not escalate. North Carolina is another level above the IU position, and I believe he would accept if offered. Holtmann holds a record of 201-128. But the UNC will need to get a no from at least four or five other applicants outside the UNC family before it reaches this stage.
Painter Matt, Purdue – It would be a great location if North Carolina wanted to take a peek into the Big Ten beyond Holtmann. Overall, Painter has a record and resume as good as any coach yet to make a Final Four. Five Sweet 16 runs, 2019 being the high water mark that included a push to the Elite Eight before losing a classic in overtime to eventual champion Virginia. The painter’s career record is 380-189.
Two unlisted names that I’ll mention at the bottom here: Oats Nate and Jay wright. While Wright should get a phone call, the fact that he turned down NBA interest and won multiple national titles while making Villanova a top 10 national program, I don’t think he would leave. Villanova isn’t a better job than North Carolina, but the Villanova program is in a better position than UNC right now. Wright is not going anywhere. As far as Oats goes, as fun as it would be for the media to have a coach at Chapel Hill who was already on the case and polished Mike Krzyzewski, the reality is that the Oats buyout is about $ 10 million. dollars and that it will be non-starter when you can practically have your choice for the job.
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