PHILADELPHIA – One of the beautiful things about Hubert Davis, as we’ve gotten to sort of know him over the last year, is that he never hides his faith.
He is a man who operates daily by it, and part of that is his service to the players he coaches. If streaks matter here, the rookie North Carolina coach is probably approaching something Cal Ripken-esque with respect to articulating in press conferences how none of this is about him, that his every fiber is driven to help the players achieve the North Carolina basketball experience and their personal goals.
Some of that came to fruition Sunday night at Wells Fargo Center when the Tar Heels beat St. Peter’s, 69-49, to win the East Region championship of the NCAA Tournament and advance to the Final Four.
Davis’ endeavor with his players is noble, and it’s very real. But there is another part of Davis’ mission, one perhaps a bit more personal, but absolutely is woven into his own fabric. And this isn’t just a hoops thing here, this is real-life who-he-is-as-a-man stuff.
In addition to his responsibility to each kid on his roster, Davis has an obligation to the program. And this is why UNC hired from within the family because only family members can truly understand. And only family members can speak like the emotional coach did at the dais Sunday night.
He was asked about the other part of his service, the one to the program that Dean Smith built with Bill Guthridge aiding at almost every turn, and that Roy Williams saved and elevated to even more greatness. All three men have been paramount in Davis’ life.
Smith gave him a chance, partly at the urging of Guthridge. And Williams also gave him an opportunity, not once but twice. First, he hired Davis from ESPN to work on his staff, something he did for nine years. Then he asked Davis to replace him last March.
Sometimes, long quotes are okay.
“My foundation is giving an opportunity and a chance,” said Davis, who nearly didn’t get an offer from Smith, but eventually did and made the most of it. “Like I don't play at Carolina, I don't play in the NBA, (work at) ESPN, assistant coach, anything like that without someone giving me a chance and opportunity. That's what I tell the guys, whoever plays with me is going to get a chance and opportunity because that's the foundation piece for me.
“I'm not sitting up here right now without Coach Williams. He gave me a chance and an opportunity to be the next head coach, to lead this program, to be a part of this team. And it's very important that we give everything to the players, but you know, you're right.
“It's very important for Coach Smith and Coach Guthridge and Coach Williams, I really want them to be proud. Just really important to me. And I want every player that played for Coach Smith, Coach Guthridge and Coach Williams, I want them, whether it's in person, TV, highlights, I want them to be able to identify and go, that's the Carolina I went to.
“It's really important for me that this program, with my own personality in my own shoes, looks exactly like the program that Coach Smith, Coach Guthridge, and Coach Williams ran.”
There was no BS there, and there’s never really been any BS from Davis since he took the job nearly one year ago.
He sometimes has come off as corny and even old fashioned. He still refers to taping something on TV as using TiVo. He isn’t much of a social media guy, can’t dance, and truly believes all of his players will 24/7 care about the name on the front of the jersey more than the ones on the back at ALL times.
Yet, there is something so damn wholesome about Davis and his approach. It’s clean, it’s pure, and it’s proving to be quite effective.
And in many respects, it kind of makes sense. Look who he learned from. That is how Smith was. It’s how Guthridge was. And it’s how Williams was and still is. Ol’ Roy embraced being idealistic, sentimental, and ever-so slightly out of touch. He wore on his sleeve he didn’t know “what the crap tweeter is.”
But all three men propped up this massive thing called Carolina Basketball. They helped shape it, they helped maintain it, and they passed on the torch.
When Smith retired, he did so right before the season in part so Guthridge would get the job. Gut took Carolina to two Final Fours in his three seasons. And when Smith asked Williams a second time in 2003 to come back and save this culture, he did. All he did was win three national championships and more NCAA Tournament games than any program for 18 years.
So, when Williams told Davis he was retiring last March, and asked him to take over, Davis did. He hadn’t exactly thought about one day being a head coach, and certainly not at UNC. But Williams asked him to serve the program. Not just the kids in it, but Smith and Guthridge, too.
And that’s exactly what Davis is doing.
