How does UNC replace Roy Williams? Tar Heels AD shares what he wants in his next coach
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The end of an era: Roy Williams announces retirement
Read more coverage about Roy Williams’ retirement as coach of the UNC men’s basketball team.
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North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said on a Thursday call with reporters the next men’s basketball coach does not have to have ties with the Carolina family. But he had placed a high value in seeking the input of former UNC players who helped build the program.
“The history and tradition here is winning; we’ve had it in the family for a long period of time and that is important, but it’s not the only factor in trying to make a decision like this,” Cunningham said.
The search did not began in earnest until Thursday morning, despite Roy Williams informing Cunningham last week of his decision to retire after 18 seasons in Chapel Hill.
Cunningham, who had been in the NCAA tournament bubble in Indianapolis since March 9, said he didn’t even tell his wife until Wednesday, because Williams wanted the chance to tell his staff and players first. It’s also why Cunningham said he delayed reaching out to anyone about the job until Thursday.
Cunningham said he believed it was “the best job in college basketball” and that the hiring decision will be made by himself and UNC chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz. They will not hire a search firm, but he reiterated the value he puts in speaking with former players because the network is so vast.
That would likely include people like Eddie Fogler, who played for Dean Smith and served as an assistant coach on the 1982 national championship team before being a head coach for 15 years at Wichita State, Vanderbilt and South Carolina. Fogler now runs his own coaching search firm.
The first input Cunningham received was from Roy Williams himself.
“He gave us his thoughts, we continue to have an exchange and I’ll continue to ask for his help along the way,” Cunningham said. “He’s one of the many Carolina alums that’s in the business and understands the importance of this job. So certainly, we’ll use him.”
Cunningham said he didn’t have a timeline for when he wanted to make a hire other than “quickly.” He pointed to how fast things moved between football coach Larry Fedora being fired and Mack Brown being announced as the new coach. Cunningham said he’d like to give the new coach the opportunity to wade into the transfer portal and to shore up the current roster to prevent players from leaving.
“With the transfer portal being wide open with over 1,200 people in it right now, Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) coming down the path, it’s going to be a very different environment, in coaching, recruiting and retaining students to plan the team,” he said. “And, quite frankly, college basketball is better when North Carolina is good. And we need to be good and we’re committed to being good. And we have to find the right leader that can maintain the standards that we’ve become accustomed to.”
Cunningham noted he’d like a coach who doesn’t just seek potential one-and-done talents, but someone who will build a roster that will include players who develop and stay four years.
He didn’t mention any potential coach by name, but said there was no hiding who the coaches who will likely be discussed. That list could include coaches like Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens, Gonzaga’s Mark Few, and Villanova’s Jay Wright outside of the Carolina family. And current assistant coach Hubert Davis, UNC Greensboro head coach Wes Miller, Vanderbilt’s Jerry Stackhouse and Stanford’s Jerod Haase, who all either played at UNC or coached under Williams.
Cunningham said he’d like to hire a head coach who already has proven credentials, but, as with being in the Carolina family, it is not a prerequisite for the job. He has kept a mental list of potential candidates, and he’s not trying to trick anyone into believing there’s a sleeper candidate outside the box.
“I actually paid attention a lot more probably when I was at Tulsa and Ball State because we turned over coaches all the time,” Cunningham said. “Coaches don’t turn over at Carolina, so you get plenty of time to think about it. You got a lot of time to think and less time to act. So I better start acting pretty quickly here.”
This story was originally published April 1, 2021 at 7:34 PM with the headline "How does UNC replace Roy Williams? Tar Heels AD shares what he wants in his next coach."
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