When University of North Carolina head basketball coach Hubert Davis saw what the school\u2019s football program started, he attempted to follow suit. While football remains important, basketball at UNC seems the most crucial sport, with the largest audience and fanbase.<\/p>\n
After a history filled with 39 regular-season and 26 tournament championships, sitting just below their 21 Final Four appearances and six national championships, the time for a bit of changing with the times needed to happen. As a result, the basketball program looks to take a page from its gridiron brethren.<\/p>\n
New UNC GM Hopes to Emulate Aspects of School\u2019s Football Program<\/p>\n
Davis just wants to coach. He played at North Carolina and was a Roy Williams assistant in Chapel Hill. Coaching seems to be what he strives to do first and foremost. That said, he also understands that modern basketball has changed the landscape of high-level basketball and how teams should navigate it.<\/p>\n
When Bill Belichick took over the football program<\/a>, he made sure to hire a general manager to handle player acquisition because it took away from the coaching aspect. Davis followed suit, hiring Jim Tanner as the team\u2019s general manager<\/a>. What does this mean?<\/p>\n \u201cThis is such an exciting opportunity, and I couldn\u2019t be more thrilled. The landscape of college basketball has changed dramatically in a short period of time with NIL, collectives, and the transfer portal.\u201d<\/p>\n Tanner went on to say, \u201cI look forward to using my 28 years of experience recruiting and representing players to help position UNC as strategic, adaptive, and innovative in scouting and attracting top domestic and international talent while staying true to the principles and values that have defined Carolina Basketball over the years. I look forward to working with Coach Davis, the staff, Bubba Cunningham, and the Carolina Athletics family.\u201d<\/p>\n In no uncertain terms, Davis would rather not deal with the transfer portal or NIL. He charged Tanner with procuring elite players who would get UNC back into the national conversation, not just for negative reasons or for losing games they should not.<\/p>\n As he mentioned, Tanner has decades of experience representing basketball players and gaining a general worldview of the game. If you look at UNC\u2019s roster, there seems to be a definite international flair that the program has not seen in decades. So far, Tanner\u2019s efforts appear fruitful<\/a>.<\/p>\n One of the UNC basketball program\u2019s newcomers has earned a spot on Jon Rothstein\u2019s 20 under-the-radar transfer list leading up to the start of the 2025-2026 season.https:\/\/t.co\/tOSsL5YcVF<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Keeping It Heel (@KeepingItHeel) September 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n For example, the squad boasts three players from Eastern Europe. That could open the door for more international players in Chapel Hill. With the addition of a general manager, can UNC parlay this into re-establishing a competitive basketball program for the long haul?<\/p>\n