North Carolina men's basketball coach Hubert Davis was fired by the school, bringing a conclusion to a tumultuous week after the Tar Heels' stunning loss to VCU in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The school did not specify the nature of Davis' departure in its statement Tuesday night, simply calling it a change in leadership. But in a post to Instagram, Davis said he was "let go" by the university and that his desire was to continue to coach at Chapel Hill.
"This opportunity has truly been such a blessing," Davis said in the statement. "I thank Jesus literally every day for giving me the opportunity, relationships and experiences with the kids and my staff. I am very proud of what we were able to accomplish together. My goal is to coach again in the very near future."
Davis has nearly $5.3 million of guaranteed money left on his deal, and the university said in its statement that it would "honor the terms" of his contract.
The decision to fire Davis came from a recommendation from current athletic director Bubba Cunningham and executive associate athletic director Steve Newmark, who will take over the AD role on July 1. That recommendation was accepted by chancellor Lee Roberts on Tuesday.
Cunningham, who is moving into a senior adviser role this summer, met with Davis throughout the past few days to discuss Davis' plan for changes to help make the program more successful. After evaluating Davis' plan, Cunningham and Newmark decided to recommend his removal to Roberts. Davis then called a meeting at his house to inform the team on Tuesday.
Davis' exit looms large over a historic program that has long leaned into alumni and the so-called Carolina Way and opens one of the most coveted positions in all of basketball.
