North Carolina athletic director Steve Newmark disclosed that the decision to dismiss men's basketball head coach Hubert Davis in March followed months of evaluation aimed at revitalizing the program, not a reaction to one postseason defeat.
The Tar Heels ended their season on March 19 after blowing a 19-point second-half lead in a first-round NCAA tournament loss to VCU.
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Davis declined an offer to resign, leading the university to pay his $5.3 million contract buyout.
North Carolina then hired Michael Malone as head coach, who added Chuck Martin to his staff to strengthen recruiting and revamp the roster.
Newmark discussed the coaching change during an interview with TarHeel247, emphasizing the difficulty of replacing a head coach.
"The most difficult thing that an athletic director or a president of a sports team has to do is when you feel like you need to make a change," Newmark said.
"Sometimes, you have to make a change because the person isn't the right fit, but often you make a change just because things had probably gotten to the point where bringing in some new blood would help energize and re-invigorate the program."
Newmark praised Davis's character and dedication while noting that the decision was agonized over by team leadership.
"And it has really nothing to do with what the person has done anything wrong. It was tough, and we agonized over it.
And Hubert is as good a person as you're going to meet.
