North Carolina coach Hubert Davis is planning to make changes to the basketball program’s staffing, including hiring a general manager to handle the challenges of the NIL era, where players can profit from their fame.
Davis discussed these plans during his radio show on Monday night. The changes come as the Tar Heels face the possibility of missing the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.
“The old model for Carolina basketball just doesn’t work,” Davis said, referring to previous structures that relied mostly on coaches. “It’s not sustainable. It has to build out because there’s so many things in play with NIL, the transfer portal, agents, international players.”
Davis became the head coach in 2021, taking over during a time when players could move freely through the transfer portal and make money through NIL deals, allowing them to use their name, image, and likeness for endorsements.
In response, many schools have expanded their staffs, making them resemble small professional front offices. This includes hires for roles like “player personnel” or scouting, such as at UNC, where new football coach Bill Belichick and former NFL executive Michael Lombardi were brought in as the program’s GM.
Different schools have different needs, but the trend is clear: the role of running a major college sports program today is too much for just the coaching staff to handle.
Several programs, including Duke, have hired a general manager. After Jon Scheyer took over at Duke in 2022, he brought in former Nike and NBA staffer Rachel Baker. When Davis took over for Roy Williams, he didn’t hire a GM, but after seeing how much has changed, he’s now planning to do so.
“I am going to increase the staff, and it’s needed,” Davis said. “I never would’ve thought in the four years that I took the job that I’m 100% (on) what is needed is a general manager.”
He explained, “There’s just so much stuff out there. I’ve mentioned: owner, GM, fundraiser, basketball coach. It’s so much on the plate that will take you away from doing what the most important thing is, coaching basketball. So yes, we’re going to hire a GM.
We need a director of marketing and fundraising for NIL, for program needs. There needs to be video coordinator with graphics and recruiting coordinator, all those different types of stuff that have to be built out, whether it’s from specific hires or grad students.”
These changes could help stabilize a program that has seen wild swings during Davis’ four years. His first season ended in a surprising run to the NCAA championship game. However, the next season, the Tar Heels became the first No. 1-ranked preseason team to miss the NCAA Tournament.
Last year, UNC won the ACC regular season and earned a No. 1 seed in the tournament. But this year, with a 13-10 record and 6-5 in the ACC, the Tar Heels are once again on the edge of the bubble, having lost four of their last five games before facing Pittsburgh on Saturday.
