One Big Problem Awaits UNC After Hubert Davis Era

The Kansas City Star’s Sam McDowell reported Self’s stance after meeting with him in a postgame interview:

Bill Self said he will talk with his family before making a decision on whether he returns for another season. “I love what I do, but I’d like to feel good while doing it.”

If Self does indeed step down and retire, it could open up another premier head coaching position in college basketball that would directly clash with North Carolina for the best opening in the sport. 

Of course, the Kansas job has yet to officially open, but with the news out of Chapel Hill that Hubert Davis will not be returning, it makes for an interesting clash in the hiring process if he does not return.

The question then becomes: Does this complicate things in the coaching search for North Carolina, and is Kansas a more attractive job? 

Both the Kansas and Carolina head coaching positions are the cream of the crop in the college basketball world, and you have to understand that both of these programs would almost certainly be targeting the same candidates if both looked outward for filling the position.

Successor in Place?

The thing is, Kansas may not need to look outward at all. For longtime college basketball coaches, there is usually a successor already in place at the university, especially at a blue-blooded college like Kansas. Take Jon Scheyer and Hubert Davis, for example, both were successors for their alma maters, and both of whom took over for legendary coaches in Coach K and Roy Williams. 

So the question becomes: Does Kansas already have someone in line to take over for one of the greatest head coaches in college basketball history? You would have to think so. 

Could Kansas Complicate Head Coaching Search?

If that is not the case, then yes, it could complicate things for North Carolina and the search for the ideal candidate. Not only do they have to compete with whatever school they choose to poach the coach from, but they also have to compete with a major contender in Kansas.

Again, with so many unknowns still in play regarding Self,  it’s difficult to predict what will actually happen. But if Self is no longer the coach at Kansas, things could certainly get interesting.