Mike Krzyzewski reacts to North Carolina firing Hubert Davis
By David Wasson
Published:
North Carolina’s firing of Hubert Davis earlier this week continues to send shockwaves around college basketball, and Duke legend Mike Krzyzewski has joined the list of coaches talking about the position in Chapel Hill.
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN, Krzyzewski jokingly rebuffed McAfee’s question about whether he would coach the Tar Heels before talking about Davis – who was let go by North Carolina after five seasons with a 125-54 overall record.
“They would not want me to coach them. The second thing is, I am through with coaching,” Krzyzewski said with a slight chuckle. “Hubert Davis is a good friend… and I think Hubert is one of the great guys. I am sad that it happened. Every coach in the county has sympathy for him.”
Davis coached the Tar Heels to five straight 20-win seasons, the 2022 Final Four and the 2023-24 ACC title. But despite his .698 overall winning rate and .694 conference winning rate (68-30), this season’s 24-9 finish was enough for North Carolina to want to move on.
“I have a lot of empathy for Hubert and a lot of respect for him,” Krzyzewski said. “(North Carolina) is one of the great programs of all time in any sport, and I am sure they will get a coach that is worthy of that position. It is one of the big-time positions in sport.”
Who will be the next Carolina head coach? Here’s the latest at prediction market Kalshi:
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
