What comes next for Carolina basketball?

[gauchoheel]

I've had a hard time having much interest in the team since June (or whenever it was it became clear we weren't adding any meaningful bigs). It's a highly flawed roster, and that was foreseeable from a mile away. Of Withers/Lubin/Washington/Tyson, I'm not sure any of them even make the rotation on some previous Carolina teams.

If we make the tournament it'll be as a bubble-ish team, which isn't very exciting. And with 2025 recruiting fairly middling/bleak so far, what exactly are we building towards? It almost seems illogical to say only a few months removed from being a #1 seed, but I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel for the squad or Hubert at the moment.

 

[DaveChapelle]

As long as our NIL stinks, more losses.

Next year's team will be worse than this year's team. We'll lose some very talented perimeter players and we won't come close to replacing them with our recruiting class. You've already seen what type of talent we can afford from the portal (Lubin, Tyson, Claude.)

UNC sports as a whole are heading towards a dark place for the foreseeable future. That won't get better until the millionaire and billionaire boosters start buying talent for UNC.

 

[CarolinaMagic]

Someone in Chapel Hill better find a head coach and pocketbook full of money in March or April or this thing is going to get even uglier.

 

[Spaceytoyz]

You can beat this team with transfers that are the appropriate size position wise so they won’t be worse

 

[DaveChapelle]

Someone in Chapel Hill better find a head coach and pocketbook full of money in March or April or this thing is going to get even uglier.

Not a single head coach is going to win at a Blue Blood level without a good NIL fund to buy talent.

Either the millionaire and billionaire boosters start writing checks or we might as well just shut down the athletic department. MJ alone could personally buy UNC's way into championship contention every year and he wouldn't even notice the money missing.

 

[Kool1234567]

As long as our NIL stinks, more losses.

Next year's team will be worse than this year's team. We'll lose some very talented perimeter players and we won't come close to replacing them with our recruiting class. You've already seen what type of talent we can afford from the portal (Lubin, Tyson, Claude.)

UNC sports as a whole are heading towards a dark place for the foreseeable future. That won't get better until the millionaire and billionaire boosters start buying talent for UNC.

Stop it….Its not NIL…Coaching Matters…Everyone talking about the bigs…Our Guards can’t stay in front of anyone….

Also who is the Big Man coach on this team….We never block out….

It’s still early December but make no mistake this team will have to win the ACC Regular Season again…

 

[notashelbyfan]

What's next is an NIT bid that we will politely decline!

 

[DaveChapelle]

Washington, Lubin, and Tyson will all be in the transfer portal.

 

[sctarheel30]

Stop it….Its not NIL…Coaching Matters…Everyone talking about the bigs…Our Guards can’t stay in front of anyone….

Also who is the Big Man coach on this team….We never block out….

It’s still early December but make no mistake this team will have to win the ACC Regular Season again…

Yeah but a good NIL helps cover up some bad coaching

 

[TarHeelFanWV]

Everyone talking about the bigs.. is 6'8, 6'9, and 6'10 not tall enough? Last time I checked the 6'8 below the rim dude from Clemson had 20 rebounds against Kentucky last night.

Our dudes just don't have the hunger or fight. Don't know if it's coaching or what but stop blaming size.. it ain't size!!! It's no effort.

 

[GoNtheDistance]

NIL is a cop out for Hubert. can we do better with NIL? absolutely no doubt. but the man can’t coach his way out of a paper bag. he’s given us nothing but avg 10 loss seasons and we are damn near half way there already this year and December just started. there are tons of coaches doing far more with a lot less talent. until Hubcaps is gone, this is a sinking ship.

 

[DaveChapelle]

Everyone talking about the bigs.. is 6'8, 6'9, and 6'10 not tall enough? Last time I checked the 6'8 below the rim dude from Clemson had 20 rebounds against Kentucky last night.

Our dudes just don't have the hunger or fight. Don't know if it's coaching or what but stop blaming size.. it ain't size!!! It's no effort.

Lubin isn't 6'8". He's closer to 6'6" and he's just absolutely terrible at defending the most basic move in basketball, the ball screen. Our defense breaks down every time you put Lubin in a ball screen.

Washington is 6'10" but he has no athleticism, lateral mobility, or strength. Even with a 7'4" wingspan he can't win jump balls or even influence most shots. He fumbles passes and rebounds when he's bumped. He's soft.

Withers has the best physical tools of any big on the roster. But his awful basketball IQ wrecks it. 6 years in college and the dude still makes freshmen mistakes.

 

[strummingram]

Send your letters of concern- and literally beg and grovel- to a Mr. Michael Jordan. Beg Mr. Jordan to come off of some of that 2 billion that he couldn't spend in his lifetime if he tried, and put it in the NIL kitty of his alma mater... and, all the problems disappear.

Find MJ and start campaigning to get his $$$ in the deal.

 

[gauchoheel]

Everyone talking about the bigs.. is 6'8, 6'9, and 6'10 not tall enough? Last time I checked the 6'8 below the rim dude from Clemson had 20 rebounds against Kentucky last night.

Our dudes just don't have the hunger or fight. Don't know if it's coaching or what but stop blaming size.. it ain't size!!! It's no effort.

It's that they aren't good at the game of basketball (for this level of course). Washington is plenty tall enough, but height alone doesn't make you a good basketball player. He's slow, weak, and doesn't have any inside game. Has nothing to do with his effort levels, I'm sure he's trying hard.

That's a recruiting problem. Anyone that thought Washington or Lubin was going to play to Carolina's standards as a starting center shouldn't be scouting players. It was obvious a year ago we needed someone better than that.

 

[notashelbyfan]

If the plain when we couldn't land a quality big was to go with Washington then why have we not seen any improvement from him from last season?

He should have been in the gym working to be a better post player! Maybe we was in the gym working, but it obvious he was not being coached to be a better post player, or maybe he is better in the post but he can't show it because there is never an entry pass into the post.

No one can't tell me it wouldn't be an easier game for him if he got the ball on the block with his back to the basket. He would never be doubled or helped down on so there would be some options.

IDK if it would work but it couldn't hurt to try it.

 

[bleeduncblue]

NIL is a cop out for Hubert. can we do better with NIL? absolutely no doubt. but the man can’t coach his way out of a paper bag. he’s given us nothing but avg 10 loss seasons and we are damn near half way there already this year and December just started. there are tons of coaches doing far more with a lot less talent. until Hubcaps is gone, this is a sinking ship.

Yup, nailed it. Hubert Bunting ain't the answer.

 

[TarHeelFanWV]

It's that they aren't good at the game of basketball (for this level of course). Washington is plenty tall enough, but height alone doesn't make you a good basketball player. He's slow, weak, and doesn't have any inside game. Has nothing to do with his effort levels, I'm sure he's trying hard.

That's a recruiting problem. Anyone that thought Washington or Lubin was going to play to Carolina's standards as a starting center shouldn't be scouting players. It was obvious a year ago we needed someone better than that.

Well then lets stop saying its size.. Its not size.. its skill! Our bigs have ZERO SKILL!

 

[Archer2]

As long as our NIL stinks, more losses.

Next year's team will be worse than this year's team. We'll lose some very talented perimeter players and we won't come close to replacing them with our recruiting class. You've already seen what type of talent we can afford from the portal (Lubin, Tyson, Claude.)

UNC sports as a whole are heading towards a dark place for the foreseeable future. That won't get better until the millionaire and billionaire boosters start buying talent for UNC.

Not a single head coach is going to win at a Blue Blood level without a good NIL fund to buy talent.

Either the millionaire and billionaire boosters start writing checks or we might as well just shut down the athletic department. MJ alone could personally buy UNC's way into championship contention every year and he wouldn't even notice the money missing.

You’re great at proposing how other people should spend their money.

 

[GoNtheDistance]

all the issues or excuses point back to Hubert. 4 different seasons with various mixes of personnel and it’s equated to losing an average of 10 games a season. stop the BS. in what world is it and has it ever been ok to consistently lose 10 games a year at UNC? the answer is never. never has it been OK. time to move on.

 

[tarheels0015]

Guess the team needs to sign more balls & sell .. while dook etc players get multi million dollar homes for a yr plus probably new cars plus 2 million per bench players !

 

[NCAAUCoach]

all the issues or excuses point back to Hubert. 4 different seasons with various mixes of personnel and it’s equated to losing an average of 10 games a season. stop the BS. in what world is it and has it ever been ok to consistently lose 10 games a year at UNC? the answer is never. never has it been OK. time to move on.

Without the UNC pedigree, Hubert wouldn't have been on the list if 20 names were on it. The "keep it in the family" days are over in my opinion. The game is vastly different and we need a coach that can actually coach. There was a time last night that Tyson was playing and Powell was sitting....for a while. No coach with any competence should have that happen.

 

[ACokeForRoy]

New Starting 5

EC
RJ
Ian
Drake
Washington (after a successful blanket party)

This gives us energy, more length and better rebounding

Send Trimble back to his 6th man role. may be better for him right now.

 

[NathanFielder]

Without the UNC pedigree, Hubert wouldn't have been on the list if 20 names were on it. The "keep it in the family" days are over in my opinion. The game is vastly different and we need a coach that can actually coach. There was a time last night that Tyson was playing and Powell was sitting....for a while. No coach with any competence should have that happen.

It was an odd selection. First off, Roy has very little equity when it comes to developing head coaches. So they thought that a coach with 0 head coaching experience was the best fit for this job? And as you stated, if this were a real job opening, the chances Hubert's the best candidate is almost 0. The chances that Hubert's the best coach is 0, lol.

University of Nepotism Crap

 

[notashelbyfan]

But yet Carolina people on here was talking shit about the Lakers hiring Redick as their head coach because he didn't have any experience.

 

[alabamaheel]

But yet Carolina people on here was talking shit about the Lakers hiring Redick as their head coach because he didn't have any experience.

My beef with that hire is he had zero experience. He played and worked for espn a little. That’s it. Plus I hate the lakers so that helped lol.

 

[notashelbyfan]

My beef with that hire is he had zero experience. He played and worked for espn a little. That’s it. Plus I hate the lakers so that helped lol.

Sounds lot like the Hubert hire. Just because you sit beside a coach don't make you a coach.

You can sit beside a surgeon but that don't mean someone would want me to do a knee replacement.

 

[alabamaheel]

Sounds lot like the Hubert hire. Just because you sit beside a coach don't make you a coach.

You can sit beside a surgeon but that don't mean someone would want me to do a knee replacement.

No doubt but at least hd had the title and was paid for some sort of coaching. I think he’s too nice. Loved Roy but he could bow up and be a tail hole when needed.

 

[Heelicious]

Sounds lot like the Hubert hire. Just because you sit beside a coach don't make you a coach.

You can sit beside a surgeon but that don't mean someone would want me to do a knee replacement.

Or brain surgery. What could go wrong?

 

[DaveChapelle]

You ever wonder why UNC's boosters refuse to support NIL, but will pay $2.8 million to fire Mack Brown?

Look no further than the fans on this site that say "NIL doesn't matter, it's all Hubert's fault."

 

[notashelbyfan]

No doubt but at least hd had the title and was paid for some sort of coaching. I think he’s too nice. Loved Roy but he could bow up and be a tail hole when needed.

Very true but the Carolina job isn't a job for a first time coach, just like the Dook job wasn't. He may do OK at dook because he has crashed Hubert in recuiting since they both arrived and head coaches. Also a mistake for Hubert was not finding a way to keep Robinson on the bench for at least a couple of seasons.

All jokes aside the NBA is a different animal from CBB.

 

[RoseHeel]

You ever wonder why UNC's boosters refuse to support NIL, but will pay $2.8 million to fire Mack Brown?

Look no further than the fans on this site that say "NIL doesn't matter, it's all Hubert's fault."

Because it's random fans on a message board who control the pocketbooks of millionaires and billionaires. Totally sound logic 🤡

If Hubcap can't coach and develop players without elite talent, then they should've hired someone who could.

 

[Kool1234567]

You ever wonder why UNC's boosters refuse to support NIL, but will pay $2.8 million to fire Mack Brown?

Look no further than the fans on this site that say "NIL doesn't matter, it's all Hubert's fault."

Who controls Roster management…Coach Davis and thus far it looks like he did a poor job..

1. He should have sat down with RJ and said look we are not going to be able to pay you what you want this year because of other needs on the team…So test the open market and see what they say….

2…Same thing with Jalen

3..If both wanted to stay it would be simple you have to take a pay cut….Same with Seth….

Moving forward you are going to have to run it like a Professional Team…The old way is long gone…

 

[DaveChapelle]

You guys realize that there isn't a single elite coach who will take the UNC job with our awful NIL right? You're so quick to blame Hubert, want to fire Hubert... but who are you going to replace him with? Even Cincinnati has given Wes Miller enough NIL to land a 5 star in the class of 2025. UNC wouldn't even give Hubert enough NIL to land a top 40 recruit.

You're just like the boosters. You think NIL doesn't matter. You think UNC should just land elite talent because we're UNC. You're down to waste millions of dollars firing coaches because their teams underperform due to lack of talent on the court.

 

[Kool1234567]

You guys realize that there isn't a single elite coach who will take the UNC job with our awful NIL right? You're so quick to blame Hubert, want to fire Hubert... but who are you going to replace him with? Even Cincinnati has given Wes Miller enough NIL to land a 5 star in the class of 2025. UNC wouldn't even give Hubert enough NIL to land a top 40 recruit.

You're just like the boosters. You think NIL doesn't matter. You think UNC should just land elite talent because we're UNC. You're down to waste millions of dollars firing coaches because their teams underperform due to lack of talent on the court.

Hubert is that you????

 

[gauchoheel]

You guys realize that there isn't a single elite coach who will take the UNC job with our awful NIL right? You're so quick to blame Hubert, want to fire Hubert... but who are you going to replace him with? Even Cincinnati has given Wes Miller enough NIL to land a 5 star in the class of 2025. UNC wouldn't even give Hubert enough NIL to land a top 40 recruit.

You're just like the boosters. You think NIL doesn't matter. You think UNC should just land elite talent because we're UNC. You're down to waste millions of dollars firing coaches because their teams underperform due to lack of talent on the court.

There are schools with more NIL than us, but we have plenty to still do well. This year we have:

• Two top 15 HS recruits. Dook and Rutgers are the only other schools to do so. #8 high school class in the country
• Two big money returnees in RJ and Cadeau. And I'd bet RJ is top 5-10 amongst all players in the country
• A big money transfer in Tyson. Oh what could've been if we'd used his money to add to our bids for a center...

Last year we had:

• One of the top 2-3 highest paid players in the country in Bacot
• Another top 15 HS recruit in Cadeau
• One of the top few highest paid transfers in Ingram

More NIL would help, but we're probably in the top 10-20 schools at minimum. The roster is pathetically overweighted to the backcourt, with almost no frontcourt talent. That's just poor roster construction, has little to do with NIL. And the blame falls squarely on the staff for that. It's not as though it's due to some unexpected injury or late departure.

 

[DaveChapelle]

There are schools with more NIL than us, but we have plenty to still do well. This year we have:

• Two top 15 HS recruits. Dook and Rutgers are the only other schools to do so. #8 high school class in the country
• Two big money returnees in RJ and Cadeau. And I'd bet RJ is top 5-10 amongst all players in the country
• A big money transfer in Tyson. Oh what could've been if we'd used his money to add to our bids for a center...

Last year we had:

• One of the top 2-3 highest paid players in the country in Bacot
• Another top 15 HS recruit in Cadeau
• One of the top few highest paid transfers in Ingram

More NIL would help, but we're probably in the top 10-20 schools at minimum. The roster is pathetically overweighted to the backcourt, with almost no frontcourt talent. That's just poor roster construction, has little to do with NIL. And the blame falls squarely on the staff for that. It's not as though it's due to some unexpected injury or late departure.

Tyson was not a big money transfer. RJ turned down better offers from other schools to return to UNC (Jeff Goodman reported a lot of schools tried to lure RJ into the portal.) Bacot was not one of the top 2-3 highest paid players in the country. In fact Bacot got his money the way NIL was originally intended; his agent got him sponsorship deals that made up the majority of his money.

You don't seem to get it. For the past year our NIL collective money has been pitiful. Every UNC sport is feeling it. We didn't land a single big money transfer this summer. We aren't landing a single top 40 recruit in the class of 2025. This isn't about coaching or roster construction. This is about not having the money to get UNC level talent. There isn't a coach in the world who could get Blue Blood level success with midmajor NIL money.

Next season is going to be so, so, so much worse.

 

[notashelbyfan]

Tyson was not a big money transfer. RJ turned down better offers from other schools to return to UNC (Jeff Goodman reported a lot of schools tried to lure RJ into the portal.) Bacot was not one of the top 2-3 highest paid players in the country. In fact Bacot got his money the way NIL was originally intended; his agent got him sponsorship deals that made up the majority of his money.

You don't seem to get it. For the past year our NIL collective money has been pitiful. Every UNC sport is feeling it. We didn't land a single big money transfer this summer. We aren't landing a single top 40 recruit in the class of 2025. This isn't about coaching or roster construction. This is about not having the money to get UNC level talent. There isn't a coach in the world who could get Blue Blood level success with midmajor NIL money.

Next season is going to be so, so, so much worse.

I will bite so let's say NIL is 90% of our issues do you think Hubert is using what he has to the best that they can be used?

 

[DaveChapelle]

I will bite so let's say NIL is 90% of our issues do you think Hubert is using what he has to the best that they can be used?

The NIL has put Hubert is desperation mode. He's tried his damnedest to address the huge flaws in our front court. At every turn he's been denied because of our broke NIL. He tried the transfer portal. He even tried to add Halaifonua when he reclassed, but Georgetown's NIL outbid us. He's tried to raise the confidence of the bigs we do have with public praise about them.

He's been put in a terrible situation, as have all the other coaches at UNC. They are being given a midmajor NIL fund and being told to recruit blue blood talent. Our boosters refuse to play the NIL game and think recruits should commit solely because it's an honor to wear a UNC jersey.

Frankly we're lucky RJ, Ian, and Elliot are even on this roster. Tons of teams came at RJ with big offers this summer to lure him into the portal, and he stayed purely out of loyalty. Ian and Elliot had big NIL endorsement deals they signed in high school, so they weren't as tempted when colleges came at them with big NIL offers. They chose to play for the coach they connected best with, Hubert Davis.

The reoccurring theme I've heard for months is that recruits/transfers love Hubert. The only reason we don't have a loaded front court this season and an elite recruiting class for next year is our terrible NIL.

 

[RoseHeel]

You guys realize that there isn't a single elite coach who will take the UNC job with our awful NIL right? You're so quick to blame Hubert, want to fire Hubert... but who are you going to replace him with? Even Cincinnati has given Wes Miller enough NIL to land a 5 star in the class of 2025. UNC wouldn't even give Hubert enough NIL to land a top 40 recruit.

You're just like the boosters. You think NIL doesn't matter. You think UNC should just land elite talent because we're UNC. You're down to waste millions of dollars firing coaches because their teams underperform due to lack of talent on the court.

You are obsessed with NIL to the point of delusion that you refuse to evaluate Hubert's faults. This is just another scapegoat to excuse his inconsistent coaching results. You forget in his first couple of years, our recruiting was pretty decent. Many were even praising him for it. What was the excuse then? NIL doesn't excuse his inability to develop a bench over 4 years.

On paper, we have a better roster than the top 5 teams in the AP 25:

UNC - 3 Five star recruits, 6 Top 50 Players, 8 Top 100 Players,

Kansas - 1 Five star recruit, 6 Top 50 Players, 7 Top 100 Players
Auburn - 0 Five star recruits, 1 Top 50 Player, 2 Top 100 Players
Tennessee - 0 Five star recruits, 0 Top 50 Players, 5 Top 100 Players
Kentucky - 0 Five star recruits, 1 Top 50 Player, 5 Top 100 Players
Marquette - 0 Five star recruits, 0 Top 50 Players, 3 Top 100 Players

IDK what Boosters are thinking, but I wouldn't blame boosters for being stingy and not wanting to blow millions of dollars on one year rentals for a coach who' might not even make the tournament with them. Same with Mack and winning bowl games.

We could of had our pick of elite coaches the first time around if we had a real coaching search. Instead we held a dog and pony show for a guy who clearly wasn't ready. This situation is entirely the fault of Roy, and to a lesser extent Bubba for picking a guy who still needs training wheels 4 years in. The only question is how many more double digit loss seasons we need for people like you to comprehend this.

EDIT: Forgot to include Elliot Cadeau, so that's actually THREE five star players. SOURCE: Sports Reference.

 

[DaveChapelle]

I wouldn't blame every single coach at UNC for leaving for other jobs. If the donors keep refusing to "play the NIL game" they are effectively telling every UNC coach they will never win anything here.