UNC’s new head basketball coach just ascended to sports royalty. Here’s what you need to know.
Some of the most sought-after speakers in our industry are involved in sports. You’re probably well aware of the way sports bring people together and promote valuable characteristics like teamwork, determination, and sportsmanship. That’s why these legendary sports speakers tend to be so popular, whether they be athletes, sportscasters, or coaches.
Hubert Davis has been all three of those, and his latest career move has placed him in one of the most visible roles in all of sports and made him someone you should definitely be paying attention to as an event pro. He recently stepped into the role of head coach of one of the premier franchises in college basketball: the Tar Heels of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Why you should familiarize yourself with Coach Davis:
Suddenly, the eyes of millions of fans are now glued to Hubert Davis and his every move. Not just UNC basketball fans hoping for his success and watching, but also fan bases of the many teams hoping to knock the Tar Heels off of their long-held seat among college basketball’s top teams.
And if that wasn’t enough buzz, Davis’s immediate predecessor happens to be Coach Roy Williams, who just wrapped up an 18 season career with the Tar Heels that included three national championships. To put it mildly, there is a lot of interest in the basketball world — and in athletics as a whole — in Davis’s head coaching gig.
Just this summer, the NCAA rolled out a bombshell announcement: college athletes can now earn endorsement money from their name, image, and likeness. As the coach of one of the most visible teams in all of college athletics, Davis will be at the center of the public discourse around this new part of the college game.
Hubert Davis: From Player to Head Coach
Davis was a star basketball player at his high school, Lake Braddock Secondary School in Virginia, averaging 28 points per game his senior year. He went on to play college hoops for none other than the University of North Carolina, where he still holds the record for highest three-point percentage in school history (which means he was super accurate shooting the ball from long range for you basketball newbies).
In 1992, Davis took his career as a basketball player to the next level when the New York Knicks selected him in the NBA Draft. He played for numerous teams throughout the league, ending his NBA career with the third-highest three-point percentage of all time. Following his time as a pro, Davis put his knowledge and experience of the game to use for ESPN as a college basketball analyst.
In 2012, he came back “home” to UNC, joining then-head coach Roy Williams’ team as an assistant, serving diligently for nearly a decade and earning the coach of the all-time great coach. When Williams retired in April 2021, Davis was announced as the next head coach four days later, which notably makes him the first African American to lead the program.
Get Early Access to Book Coach Davis
Life experience, subject knowledge, and topic relevance all play a key role in determining whether your audience will have an interest in a particular speaker. Getting ahead of the curve when it comes to identifying potential breakout stars in the speaking world can give you a big leg up on your competition.
If you’d like to book Coach Davis or other speakers who, like him, are stepping into new levels of influence, AAE is here for you. We can help you identify these great opportunities to book emerging stars across all speaking topics. Contact us to get started.