Hubert Davis firing: Stephen A. Smith claims Jon Scheyer success at Duke led to UNC’s decision

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith claims it was Jon Scheyer’s success at Duke that led to Hubert Davis getting fired at UNC. North Carolina pulled the trigger after its Round of 64 exit in the NCAA Tournament.

Davis went 125-54 in five seasons, making the NCAA Tournament four times while declining an NIT bid in 2023. He led the Tar Heels to the national championship game in his first season but has not advanced past the Sweet 16 since.

“But in the end, what it comes down to is this, Doggie, some people can put it in a variety of ways. Here’s the way that I’m going to put it for you, the person that fired Hubert Davis is Jon Scheyer at Duke,” Smith said on First Take. “Jon Scheyer got him fired because this man is doing such an outstanding job at Duke. Something had to be done. You were getting left behind. I will remind everybody that you know, when Dean Smith departed, Guthridge was a considerably older man and a lot of people’s eyes, but still took over the helm. Had some success, was there at North Carolina for three years before the baton was passed … 

“And Roy Williams initially turned down a job at Kansas before Matt Doherty was accepted. Matt Doherty did a horrible job over his three years in North Carolina. They finally convinced Roy Williams to depart from Kansas and come back to his old stomping grounds, his roots, because he was a longtime assistant under Dean Smith for where he went to Kansas. And what does Roy Williams do? He wins three national championships, and he goes to five Final Fours. That is what we’re talking about.”

Basically, the shadow of Scheyer taking over for Mike Krzyzewski and being highly successful over the top of UNC was not good for Davis. The administration decided it was time for a change, despite a mostly successful five years for Davis.

“You can’t have Duke as the number one team in the nation, and North Carolina hovering around 17 or 20,” Smith said. “You know, North Carolina gets bounced out in the first round, and Duke going to Sweet 16s and Final Fours, that cannot happen. And it was supposed to be a precipitous drop off once Mike Krzyzewski left. 

“The fact that Jon Scheyer has come in at Duke and here you’re waiting for the national championship, but everything else he’s done, you talk about 27 wins, 27 wins, 32 wins, 33 wins. The man is an exceptional coach, and he’s had the top recruiting class in four of his five years at Duke. You can’t have that going on eight miles up the road and then in Chapel Hill, you’re struggling.”