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Hubert Davis hired as assistant coach at UNC

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ESPN Gameday will look a little different next season.

Hubert Davis, who has been an analyst for ESPN since 2008, has been hired by Roy Williams to replace Jerod Haase on UNC’s coaching staff. Haase took the head-coaching job at UAB. Davis, who graduated from UNC in 1992, will join CB McGrath and Steve Robinson as Williams’ assistants.

“I am very excited, thankful and honored to re-join the Carolina basketball program as an assistant to Coach Williams,” said Davis. “I loved being a part of college basketball during my time at ESPN by attending practices and games and developing relationships with players and coaches. Now I will have the opportunity to do this on a more personal level at a university and with a basketball program that I have loved my entire life.”

While coaching at UNC seems like a dream job, it’s not absurd to say that Davis’ ESPN gig was better. He had the best seat in the house for the best games of the year and got made many thousands of dollars to talk about basketball. While the may as an assistant with the Heels may be comparable or better, the grind of being a coach -- watching film during the season, preparing practice schedules, in-season recruiting, the hell that is July’s recruiting period, hours upon hours upon hours of bad high school and AAU basketball in gyms that are too hot and bleachers that are too uncomfortable -- is not for everyone.

The other question that needs to be asked: is Davis trying to line himself up to be Williams’ successor? UNC likes to keep it in the family, so to speak, and Davis is a UNC grad. Personally, I think that UNC-Greensboro’s Wes Miller -- a UNC grad -- may be the best option once he gets more experience under his belt.

Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @robdauster.