In his first year as head coach, [autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag] took the UNC basketball program to the national championship game. Even though they fell to Kansas, it was an impressive feat to be there, especially where the team was in February.
Davis managed to get his team off the bubble and into the tournament, securing two wins over Duke, a win over Baylor, and a win over UCLA along the way. Now, going into his second season Davis and the team has high expectations and the coach is being praised.
Isaac Trotter of 247Sports released his rankings of the top coaches in college basketball and not only did Davis crack the Top 10 but he beat out new head coach Jon Scheyer as well. Here is what 247Sports said about Davis and the No. 9 ranking he received:
This is a big swing, but we’re buying high on Hubert Davis. Stepping in for an all-timer like Roy Williams is no easy task, but Davis steadied the ship for North Carolina. He never got too low when the Tar Heels scuffled. Davis then engineered one of the all-time, late-season resurgences, guiding North Carolina all the way to the national championship game as a No. 8 seed. Davis had Kansas in a 15-point hole at halftime and was 20 minutes away from winning it all in Year 1 before the Jayhawks came alive in the second half. But we do not believe that Year 1 was a fluke for Davis. His guys absolutely love him. He has the perfect temperament for the ever-changing collegiate game. Davis has helped North Carolina recruit at a super high level, so it’s obvious college basketball’s next studs are buying into his mission. Davis could skyrocket up this list if North Carolina runs it back in 2022-23.
The ranking is well-deserved for Davis who proved he is the right man for the job and overcame adversity in his first year.
But as for Scheyer, a top 10 ranking before even coaching a game seems like a stretch, right?
Bill Self took the top spot followed by John Calipari (who lost to Saint Peters in the first round), Scott Drew (Baylor), Mark Few (Gonzaga) and Tom Izzo (Michigan State).
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