CHAPEL HILL – Hubert Davis’ coaching staff has a deep Carolina connection.
The first-year North Carolina coach said during his introductory press conference in April he would only hire coaches that played at UNC. They must be able to understand the basketball experience in this fabled program to better relate to what the current players are going through, Davis said.
Nearly five months later, Davis’ staff is fully ensconced in their roles as the season is a mere month away. In fact, the Tar Heels formally begin practice Sept. 28, but did hold several organized practices in July, as allowed by the NCAA, in addition to individual workouts.
Davis, Jeff Lebo, Brad Frederick, and Pat Sullivan all played for UNC legend Dean Smith. Frederick also played for Smith's successor, Bill Guthrudge. Sean May and Jackie Manuel played for Roy Williams. Sullivan, May, and Manuel won national championships at Carolina. Sullivan played in three Final Fours. They each had accomplsihed UNC playing careers.
Davis, Lebo, and May played in the NBA. May and Manuel played professionally overseas.
So, Davis met with the media Tuesday morning for the first time since his introductory press conference April 6, and one of the topics that arose was about his staff.
“One of the things I love about our assistants is they can do a number of things,” Davis said, before noting which coaches can hit the recruiting trail. “Coach May and Coach Lebo and Coach Frederick, obviously those guys, in terms of recruiting, those are the guys that are going to be on the road and be able to actively recruit off campus alongside myself.”
Lebo is the only assistant with head coaching experience, running programs for 20 years at Tennessee Tech, UT-Chattanooga, Auburn, and East Carolina. His record is 327-248, winning 20-plus games five times. He led Auburn to 24 wins in 2009.
First and foremost, Davis needed someone who understands what it’s like sitting in the head man’s seat, so Lebo topped his list.
“I had to have him,” Davis said. “He was the first person that I called when I got the job. Jeff was a senior my freshman year, so we’ve been friends for a long time. I’ve always admired Jeff, even as a teammate, as a friend, and as a coach. He’s been in the (head coaching) position for a number of years of constantly making decisions.
“And I’ve always believed that you have to have diversity in your staff, but you also have to have people on your staff that have been there before. So, to be able to bounce things off of Coach Lebo, and he brings things to me that I don’t see. And the reason why he can do that is because there’s a huge difference in just moving over one seat."
Frederick is in his ninth year as an assistant on UNC’s staff. The first four of his eight seasons under Williams was as director of basketball operations and the last four seasons he was an assistant coach. Frederick was a walk-on with the Tar Heels graduating in 1999. He played three seasons at UNC and was part of two Final Four teams. He spent 12 seasons at Vanderbilt before returning to Carolina.
May’s jersey number 42 hangs in the rafters in the Smith Center. He led the Tar Heels to the national championship in 2005, earning Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four and National Player of the Year by multiple services. He spent the last six seasons at UNC under Williams, serving the last four as the director of basketball operations, and is now an assistant coach for the first time. May played in the NBA for five seasons.
Manuel and Sullivan aren’t technically assistant coaches, but they play key roles in the program; Manuel as the director of player and team development and Sullivan as UNC’s director of recruiting.
“Coach Manuel and Coach Sullivan have been absolutely fantastic,” Davis said. “Their role is a number of different things: relationships with the players; game prep; they’ve been terrific in terms of aiding me and talking to me about how we’re going to play on both ends of the floor.”
Manuel spent last season on Courtney Banghart’s staff with the UNC women’s program, and has spent time at UNC-Greensboro, Valparaiso, and UNC-Wilmington. His first job in coaching was as Carolina's strength and conditioning coach for the 2011-12 season.
Sullivan coached at UNC under Bill Guthridge for three years before spending two seasons on the UNC-Wilmington women’s staff and the last 18 years in the NBA working for the Detroit Pistons, New Jersey Nets, Washington Wizards, New York Knicks, and Minnesota Timberwolves.
“We have so many former North Carolina NBA players that come back in the summer and train here and prepare for the upcoming season, and all of them want to work out with Coach Sullivan,” Davis said.
A major focus for Davis and his staff has been skills development. As an example, Armando Bacot tested the NBA draft waters but returned for his junior season. A point of emphasis this offseason for Bacot has been expanding his game to make him a more viable prospect for the next level.
Davis and the staff openly embrace the understanding that while kids are at UNC to win and hang banners, they also have NBA dreams, and it’s the staff’s obligation to help them get as close as possible to making that happen.
Having former Carolina players in the pros around in the summer helps fuel this, especially with Sullivan bringing so much pro experience to the Smith Center.
“We’re relentlessly on the floor skill development with our guys, then we’ve got Coach Manuel and Coach Sullivan relentlessly on the court skill development with our NBA guys,” Davis said. “It’s a really cool partnership out there, everybody’s on the floor and it’s just a lot of fun.”
Davis embraces the old that has made Carolina Basketball an international brand, but he also welcomes the new, the game’s changes and what fuels modern players. And he believes this staff, with its breadth of experiences, can check all necessary boxes.
