While he reached the national championship game in Year 1, Hubert Davis did not do enough winning over his five years at the helm in Chapel Hill to justify a sixth. So, athletic director Bubba Cunningham and the UNC administration are undergoing an extensive coaching search that will almost certainly lead to the program’s first true outside hire since Frank McGuire left St. John’s to take over the Tar Heels in 1952.Â
That tectonic transition will inevitably bring about a major roster churn that could have the program looking completely different next season. Seth Trimble is out of eligibility, and Caleb Wilson is off to become a top-five pick in the NBA Draft, but they won’t be the only Tar Heels following Davis on his way out the door, in search of a fresh start somewhere else.Â
1. Henri Veesaar, C, Junior
Henri Veesaar may have been off to the NBA either way, but Hubert Davis’s departure will likely make that decision easier, or open up the possibility of another spin in the Transfer Portal after leaving Arizona for UNC last offseason.Â
Veesaar was one of the most valuable players in the country last season, with his ability to protect the rim on defense and space the floor on the offensive end. UNC was essentially helpless without Veesaar on the floor once Caleb Wilson went down with his injury, and that played out against VCU with Davis refusing to put him on the bench for the entire second half and overtime.
After the season he just submitted, Veesaar would command a pretty penny in the Transfer Portal, and his game translates to just about any play-style, so he’d have plenty of suitors. UNC’s next coach may ante up to keep him, but the safer bet is that he’ll be saying goodbye, one way or the other.Â
2. Kyan Evans, G, Junior
Bluntly, bringing in Kyan Evans to be North Carolina’s starting point guard for the 2025-26 season may have been the single decision that most cost Hubert Davis his job. Evans proved to be a capable backcourt shooter in the Mountain West, but he couldn’t match the physicality or the athleticism of the ACC, and by mid-way through conference play, he was relegated to a minor role off the bench.Â
Davis tried to build a roster with one ball-handler, Seth Trimble, who could put any pressure on the paint. Even Evans’ replacement at point guard, Derek Dixon, lived on the perimeter after taking over the role. That’s no way to build a team, especially not with a floor-spacing five like Veesaar, and after a disastrous season, Evans will no doubt head back to the portal and back to the mid-major level.Â
3. Isaiah Denis, G, Freshman
About two weeks after he arrived in Chapel Hill as an intriguing four-star prospect in the 2025 class, Isaiah Denis reinjured the same finger he had injured midway through his senior year. That left him out for 2-3 months and way behind in his development. He appeared in just 10 games and just over 30 total minutes.Â
The Charlotte, North Carolina native may want to stick it out with the program, but after a major setback in his first year, and now a major coaching staff overhaul, he looks like a prime candidate to test the portal waters. A skilled 6-foot-5 guard, Denis was the 79th-ranked recruit in the country, and the No. 4 player in North Carolina by 247Sports Composite rankings.Â
4. James Brown, F, Sophomore
James Brown was a top-100 recruit in the 2024 recruiting class, but two seasons into his college career, the 6-foot-10 forward has only appeared in 27 games and averaged 3.8 minutes. His sophomore season was cut short by a foot injury that required surgery to repair, and in his absence, Zayden High emerged as a viable rotational big while Caleb Wilson missed time down the stretch.