‘A lot of empathy’ for fired UNC coach Hubert Davis :: WRAL.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Jon Scheyer, perhaps more than any other coach in the country, can relate to the position that former North Carolina coach Hubert Davis held.

Davis played at North Carolina, returned to the school as an assistant coach under a multi-time national title-winning legend and then was tapped to run the program himself in 2021. Scheyer played at Duke, returned to the school as an assistant coach under a multi-time national title-winning coach and then was tapped to run the program himself in 2022.

Davis, who went 125-54 in five seasons at North Carolina, was fired Tuesday after the Tar Heels’ second consecutive first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament.

“I’ve got a lot of empathy for other coaches, for Hubert, not just the fact of him coaching at the school down the road, but the fact that he played there as well,” Scheyer said Saturday. “So there’s the meaning behind it. I understand that obviously well in this position myself.”

Scheyer, who replaced Mike Krzyzewski in 2022, has led the Blue Devils to three ACC titles in four seasons and is making his third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight. 

No. 1 Duke (35-2) takes on UConn (32-5) on Sunday for a berth in the Final Four. Duke is looking to return to the Final Four for the second straight year.

“Coaching is a big blessing, but it’s also what you sign up for in this business unfortunately,” Scheyer said. “So I think this thing is really delicate. I think it’s really fragile. I think this week has been an example of that. I try to just, always this time of year, appreciate being in these moments for that reason because it’s fragile and delicate. I have a lot of empathy for other coaches being in different positions.”

Davis’ biggest wins at North Carolina came against Duke. Davis handed Krzyzewski a loss in Coach K’s final home game and then, in the 2022 Final Four, his final game overall. North Carolina gave Duke one of its two losses this season on a game-winning 3-pointer in the final second by Seth Trimble in Chapel Hill.

Davis was 5-7 against the Blue Devils. Scheyer was 6-3 against Davis.