In 2021, Carolina Basketball flipped upside down. On April 1st, Roy Williams walked away. Days later, Bubba Cunningham announced Hubert Davis as the new head coach. He had been an assistant for a decade, but he was a Dean Smith disciple and a 12-year NBA vet.
Hubert hit the ground running in the portal. He landed Dawson Garcia, who started immediately, and Justin McKoy, who provided valuable minutes off the bench. But the crown jewel was Brady Manek. He was a grad transfer with one year left, and he didn’t even start until Garcia had to leave for family reasons mid-season. That change saved the year.
The 2022 season started with a lot of noise. People wondered if Hubert could keep the “Carolina Way” alive while playing a stretch four. Early on, the answer was a loud “no.” The team got demolished by Kentucky by 29 and suffered embarrassing 20-point road losses to Miami and Wake Forest. It felt like the program was sliding into irrelevance.
Everything changed after a 10-point loss to Pitt. The “Iron Five”—Bacot, Black, Love, Davis, and Manek—finally locked in. They won 11 of their last 13 games. They went into Durham and ruined Coach K’s final home game. In the tournament, they were an 8-seed that played like a 1-seed. They crushed Marquette and then survived a legendary overtime war with Baylor in the Round of 32.
Then came the Final Four. In my opinion, beating Duke to send Coach K into retirement is the greatest win in the history of the rivalry. It was better than a title. “DING DONG, DUKE IS DONE!” will live forever.
The flame never stayed that bright. In 2023, the team returned almost everyone but lost Manek’s elite shooting. Pete Nance couldn’t replicate it, and chemistry issues between Love and Davis tanked the season. They went from preseason #1 to missing the tournament entirely.
The following years were a rollercoaster. We had a great run in 2024 as a 1-seed, but the 2025 season saw us slide into a “Last Four In” situation. The 2026 season was the real heartbreaker. It actually started phenomenal—we beat Kentucky and Kansas and looked elite entering conference play after taking down Duke and Virginia. But then the injuries struck, and the season ended on a three-game skid. After choking that 20-point lead against VCU in the first round, the program decided to fire Hubert Davis.
To Coach Davis: Thank you. Thank you for bringing in high-character guys like Puff Johnson and for opening your home to them for Bible studies. You are a Christ-honoring man who represented the jersey with class. You retired, Coach K. For that alone, the Carolina Family will love you forever. Good luck in whatever comes next.
