UNC Tar Heels Head Coach Hubert Davis Reveals Roster Plans For 2021-22 Season

NCAA basketball is famous for its coaching legacies. Most of the top colleges keep their coaches for decades, and so when they depart, it leaves a huge void.

The UNC Tar Heels recently had a similar situation after coach Roy Williams retired. He served as Head Coach for 18 years, while winning three NCAA Tournaments.

His replacement Hubert Davis was his assistant for 9 years, and now he has got the reins. He has a tough task on his hand, not only because he is in charge of a legendary team but also because of their recent struggles.

During a recent podcast, Davis talked about how the roster will look for the upcoming season. It is important for them to have a competent team to improve from last year’s performance.

Davis said, “Everybody on the roster right now is coming back. We spent a lot of time with the guys on the current roster and their families.

“I know Armando Bacot wants to go through the process and workout with teams. But he’s been here every day, and he has every intention of coming back.

“I’m really happy about Justin McKoy and Brady Manek. Both of these guys bring something to our team that we desperately needed.”

Can the UNC Tar Heels bounce back next season?

The Tar Heels made back-to-back NCAA tournament final appearances just a few years ago. They lost the first time, in 2015-16, but came back stronger next season and won the title in 2016-17. A key element in those rosters were the experienced players they had.

Since then, they have had comparatively younger teams and lesser success. Last year’s 1st-round exit in the NCAA tournament pushed Davis and the Tar Heels to bring in more experience and retain their best players.

They are changing their approach to building the team and are going back to their winning formula.

Brady Manek’s arrival is exciting since he adds valuable experience as a 5th-year player. Justin McKoy barely got playing time in his two seasons at Virginia so he will be itching to prove himself.

Also joining the team are 4-star prospects Dontrez Styles and D’Marco Dunn, and the Tar Heels have two more spots left for prospects.

So with the existing squad and these new arrivals, UNC will be expected to have a much better season. Coach Davis will be under pressure to emulate Williams’ success, but he has a talented roster at hand to help him begin his coaching journey.