Kenny Smith says next UNC basketball coach should 'want to retire a Tar Heel'
Basketball analyst Kenny Smith, whose UNC jersey hangs from the Smith Center rafters, is the latest to offer his thoughts on the coaching search.
Kenny Smith, a basketball analyst and former UNC player under Dean Smith, says the Tar Heels' next men's basketball coach should "want to retire a Tar Heel. " In his first TV appearance since former coach Hubert Davis was fired by UNC on Tuesday, March 24, Smith discussed the university's decision to move on from Davis after five seasons and UNC's current coaching search . "First of all, Coach Hubert Davis, thank you," Smith said at halftime of the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game between Purdue and Texas.
"Your service and what you did for North Carolina basketball as a player and as a coach, you moved it forward. And I think people forget that because of one game here and there. " A first-team All-America guard from Queens, N.
Y. , Smith has his No. 30 jersey hanging from the rafters inside the Smith Center.
“The Jet” played in Chapel Hill from 1983-87, Smith ended his career as UNC’s all-time leader in assists (768) and steals (195). As a member of the "Carolina Family," Smith says UNC's latest move puts the university in a "precarious position" moving forward. “I also think that this is a precarious position for North Carolina and for us as Tar Heels," Smith said, proceeding to mention assistant coaches Brad Frederick, Sean May, Jeff Lebo, Marcus Paige and Pat Sullivan.