The North Carolina Tar Heels are in the middle of one of the biggest coaching searches in college basketball. After letting go of Hubert Davis following a brutal first-round collapse against VCU in the NCAA Tournament, UNC needs someone who can restore the program to its place among the sport’s elite.
Draymond Green Names His Top Candidate for the UNC Head Coaching Job
On “The Draymond Green Show,” the Golden State Warriors forward gave his take on the coaching search. He ran through the big names circulating, including Boston Celtics president Brad Stevens, Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan, and several top college coaches, and explained why he does not see most of them making the move.
“University of North Carolina job is open, and there are a lot of big names being thrown around. I’ve seen Brad Stevens. I’ve seen Billy Donovan. Quite honestly, I don’t think either one of those guys are going back to college. We can cross those names off. I’ve seen Dusty May pop up. I don’t think Dusty May is leaving the University of Michigan.”
Green kept going through the list, dismissing Tommy Lloyd at Arizona, Todd Golden at Florida, and a handful of others before shifting to a different type of candidate.
His answer, if the big names do not pan out? Go back to a Tar Heel. Specifically, former UNC star and two-time NBA All-Star Jerry Stackhouse, who played under Dean Smith in Chapel Hill, led the Tar Heels to a Final Four in 1995.
MARCH MADNESS: Fill In Your Bracket Now!
“People that your programme will rally around, that former players will rally around, boosters will rally around. And one name that pops out to me is Jerry Stackhouse. I think Stackhouse should definitely be in the running for this job.”
Green also addressed the optics of the hire directly. “It’ll be interesting to see, give Stackhouse an interview, because they may be a little afraid, like, oh man, we just had a player. We just had an African American. Everybody aren’t the same.”
Not everyone agrees.
Jeff Goodman Pushes Back on Jerry Stackhouse Coaching Idea
College basketball insider Jeff Goodman responded to Green’s X post with a pointed counter.
“Jerry Stackhouse was 70-92 at Vandy in 5 years. He was 28-60 in SEC play in 5 years. He never went to the NCAA tourney. Since he left, they have gone to the tourney both seasons under Mark Byington,” Goodman wrote, adding, “Byington > Stackhouse in college coaching. And it’s not even close.”
Jerry Stackhouse was 70-92 at Vandy in 5 years. He was 28-60 in SEC play in 5 years.
He never went to the NCAA tourney.
Since he left, they have gone to the tourney both seasons under Mark Byington.
Byington > Stackhouse in college coaching. And it’s not even close. https://t.co/5Ol8iPCgP6
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 28, 2026
The record is hard to ignore. Stackhouse was fired at Vanderbilt in March 2024 after going 9-23 in his final season and is currently an assistant with the Warriors. His connection to UNC and name value are real, but so is that résumé.
UNC is expected to take major swings in this search, with Donovan widely seen as a top target, while names like Tommy Lloyd, Dusty May, TJ Otzelberger, and Todd Golden have all been linked to the job. Whether a former Tar Heel gets a real look remains to be seen.
The search is fully underway, and with the NIL era reshaping what it means to land a head coach, UNC’s next hire will say a lot about where the program sees itself going.
