FlurrySports breaks down three possible North Carolina head coach candidates after UNC fired Hubert Davis.
The Hubert Davis era of North Carolina basketball is officially over. While there were certainly some high moments (beating Duke in Coach K’s last game at Cameron Indoor and beating Coach K in his last game), there were more low moments, relative to the reputation of North Carolina basketball. Since Dean Smith took over North Carolina, the predecessor to the ousted coach has been within the “Carolina family.” North Carolina is now looking outside the so-called family for their next leader. With the current opening being among the best in all of college basketball, a number of big names have been floated around.
Let’s break down three realistic North Carolina basketball head coach candidates to take over as the head man for the Tar Heels.
North Carolina Basketball Head Coach Candidates
Tommy Lloyd, Arizona
The first call that North Carolina basketball needs to make is to Tommy Lloyd. Ever since taking over for Sean Miller, Lloyd has turned Arizona into one of the biggest powerhouses in college basketball. Since he took over in 2021, Lloyd has put together a 146-35 record. When Roy Williams retired from North Carolina, one of the biggest names that was rumored was Gonzaga’s Mark Few. That obviously did not work out, so it seems like the next solution would be Few’s long-time assistant, Lloyd.
As stated before, Lloyd has been incredible leading Arizona, taking the Wildcats to the Big 12 Championship in each of the school’s first two seasons in the best basketball conference in the country. He has also shown a penchant for being one of the better recruiters in the country, being extremely instrumental in bringing Rui Hachimura and Kevin Pangos to Gonzaga, while adding Koa Peat, Carter Bryant and Henri Vesaar to Arizona. After years of learning from Few, Lloyd has proved that he can lead big programs. His next step may be taking over one of the most prestigious college basketball programs of all time.
Mark Byington, Wyoming
If you are North Carolina, Mark Byington is not your first option, but it might be the most plausible. While he certainly does not have the name value that Tommy Lloyd, Nate Oats and Todd Golden carry, looking at what he has turned Vanderbilt into cannot be understated. During the 2023-24 college basketball season, Vanderbilt won nine games, with just four of them coming in the SEC. When Byington took over in 2024, the Commodores jumped up to 20 wins, going 8-10 in the SEC. Finally, in his second season at Vanderbilt, everything came together, as he led the school to as high a ranking as No. 10 before bowing out of the NCAA Tournament in the second round.
Before Vanderbilt, Byington turned Georgia Southern into a contender in the SoCon and led James Madison to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Byington has proven that he is a program builder who has consistently made the NCAA Tournament with lower-tier schools during the NIL era. With a much bigger budget at UNC, Byington has the potential to immediately bring in the top players in the transfer portal and bring the Tar Heels back to prominence.
Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls
One other interesting North Carolina head coach candidate that has had his name thrown around is Billy Donovan. While Donovan has not coached in college basketball in a decade, he was no slouch while in the college ranks, bringing Florida back-to-back national championships in the mid-2000s. While the inter-workings of college basketball have evolved over his absence, it might not be that big of a change for Donovan.
During his time in the NBA, Donovan has become accustomed to spending money to get players, giving him an enormous advantage when it comes to the general manager duties in college basketball. While the NBA is the ultimate level of basketball, Donovan will certainly have more control over North Carolina than the Chicago Bulls. With the Chicago Bulls not looking like they will be a contender anytime soon, the front office may be likely to move on from Donovan and breathe some new life into the team. With the UNC basketball job opening up, this is the perfect opportunity for Chicago and Donovan to amicably split ways in a move that may work out for both parties.
