King Rice admits hurt feelings kept him away from UNC during the Hubert Davis era

Even the strongest families experience difficult moments.

That even includes the Carolina basketball family, a tight-knit unit that features generations of Tar Heels. While we like to think everything is always perfect in Chapel Hill, the truth of the matter is that isn't the case, and it's not just a UNC-specific type of ordeal.

Former Tar Heel and current Monmouth head coach King Rice made it a habit of bringing his team to Chapel Hill on a yearly basis. However, that hasn't happened over the last five seasons, but the tradition is set to return in just a few weeks.

With Rice preparing to bring his Monmouth squad to UNC this season, the former Tar Heel point guard opened up about why his return to the Dean Smith Center carries more significance than a typical nonconference matchup.

Rice's explanation included a rather surprising revelation about the previous coaching regime.

"This one means a lot because I haven't been back there to play in a long time," Rice said. "Unfortunately I didn't go down the five years that my former teammate was the coach. Some hard feelings - my feelings got hurt on a couple of things, so I would not go down there."

Rice was referring to the five seasons during which his former teammate, Hubert Davis, served as UNC's head coach.

While he didn't elaborate on exactly what caused those feelings (nor mention Davis by name), Rice acknowledged that his own reaction played a role in keeping him away from Chapel Hill.

"That wasn't their fault, it was me for being immature," Rice admitted.

It's a remarkably candid admission from someone like Rice, who has spent decades around the college basketball world.

Michael Malone's arrival helped bring King Rice back to Chapel Hill

While Rice's comments about the previous coaching era will undoubtedly attract attention, the more encouraging part of his remarks involved the people who helped welcome him back.

According to Rice, the hiring of Michael Malone created an opportunity to reconnect with the program.

" Michael (Malone) got the job, and Pat Sullivan and Sean May called me," Rice explained. "I always watch (UNC) and supported the kids, I just couldn't do it at that time."

The outreach from Sullivan and May, both former Tar Heels who remain on Malone's coaching staff, helped reopen a relationship that Rice clearly values. Rice also expressed excitement about Malone taking over the program, noting that the two have known each other for years.

For Rice, this upcoming matchup represents much more than an opportunity to test his Monmouth squad against one of college basketball's most prestigious programs (along with a nice bonus check that UNC will be paying Monmouth to make the trip to Chapel Hill): it's a chance for him to return to a place that helped shape him as both a player and a person.

There's certainly an interesting storyline surrounding Rice's comments, particularly given his connection to Davis and his decision to avoid bringing his team to Chapel Hill during that five-year period.

However, Rice never identified the specific circumstances that caused his hurt feelings, nor did he directly blame Davis for what happened. In fact, his willingness to take responsibility for his own reaction suggests that he's more interested in moving forward than reopening old wounds.

You can speculate all you want about the specific reason(s), but at this point, Rice seems ready to move on from the past and return home, where he belongs.

That's what makes his team's upcoming trip to Chapel Hill even more meaningful.

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