Kenny Smith says next UNC basketball coach should 'want to retire a Tar Heel'

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Kenny Smith, a basketball analyst and former UNC player under Dean Smith, says the Tar Heels' next men's basketball coach should "want to retire a Tar Heel."

In his first TV appearance since former coach Hubert Davis was fired by UNC on Tuesday, March 24, Smith discussed the university's decision to move on from Davis after five seasons and UNC's current coaching search.

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"First of all, Coach Hubert Davis, thank you," Smith said at halftime of the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game between Purdue and Texas. "Your service and what you did for North Carolina basketball as a player and as a coach, you moved it forward. 
And I think people forget that because of one game here and there."

A first-team All-America guard from Queens, N.Y., Smith has his No. 30 jersey hanging from the rafters inside the Smith Center. “The Jet” played in Chapel Hill from 1983-87, Smith ended his career as UNC’s all-time leader in assists (768) and steals (195). As a member of the "Carolina Family," Smith says UNC's latest move puts the university in a "precarious position" moving forward.

“I also think that this is a precarious position for North Carolina and for us as Tar Heels," Smith said, proceeding to mention assistant coaches Brad Frederick, Sean May, Jeff Lebo, Marcus Paige and Pat Sullivan.

". ... What that is, you have a lineage to every era of basketball that's Carolina, that was on that staff, including Hubert Davis. 
Every era was connected. So that's what makes us special. Forget all that blue-blood (stuff). What makes Carolina family is the connection of all of those eras within one building, at one time.

"And that makes everyone pay attention and have some animosity or some love for us. And so the other part of that is the secretaries. They've been there for 10 years. The equipment managers, the strength and conditioning staff."

With Davis out, it seems likely UNC will be looking beyond its tree of Tar Heel branches to find its next coach. Arizona's Tommy Lloyd, Michigan's Dusty May, Iowa State's T.J. Otzelberger and Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan are among the candidates in consideration.

“Dean Smith retired as a Tar Heel. Roy Williams retired as a Tar Heel. Hubert Davis was going to retire a Tar Heel," Smith said. "Whoever we (get to) come in, they have to want to retire a Tar Heel. … Retire a Tar Heel, the next person."

Smith played 11 years in the NBA, winning back-to-back championships as a member of the Houston Rockets in 1994-95. He’s currently a studio analyst on “Inside the NBA” and continues to pitch in for analysis during March Madness. 

Following UNC’s announcement that Davis was fired, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said that Kenny Smith should be a candidate. Kenny Smith said he felt that take was "disrespectful." He scored more than 9,300 points, dished out more than 4,000 assists and grabbed more than 1,400 rebounds in the NBA, but he’s never been a coach at the professional or college level. 

K.J. Smith, Kenny’s son, played for Roy Williams from 2018-21. Malloy Smith, Kenny’s youngest son, was recruited by Hubert Davis and committed to the Tar Heels on March 6, the day before UNC’s regular-season finale at Duke. It’s unclear if the coaching change will affect Malloy Smith’s status as a Tar Heel recruit. 

Rodd Baxley covers North Carolina Tar Heels athletics for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding UNC? Send them to [email protected].

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: What Kenny Smith said about UNC coaching search, Hubert Davis being fired

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