Heel Tough Blog: Former Tar Heel Emerges as Favorite for GM Position

Tar Heel Times

On Monday night, Hubert Davis made it known on his radio show that changes are coming to the Carolina Basketball off the court, in an effort to keep up on the court. At 13-10, and in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament for a second time in four years, it became apparent that Carolina needed to start doing things differently, to ensure that the program competes at the level it’s expected to on an annual basis. Davis said, "I am going to increase the staff. It's needed. I never would've thought four years ago when I took the job that 100 percent what is needed is a general manager...There is so much on the plate that will take you away from doing the most important thing: coaching basketball. We're going to hire a GM. "We need a director of marketing and fundraising for NIL for program needs, there needs to be a video coordinator with graphics and recruiting coordinator. All those different types of stuff that have to be built out, whether it's from specific hires or grad students. The old model for Carolina Basketball (in terms of staff size) is not sustainable. It has to build out because there are so many things in play with NIL, agents, international players. You need a bigger staff to maintain things and so I can coach basketball."

As you know, every member of Hubert Davis’s current staff is a UNC alum, and it appears that the first potential GM, will be a UNC alum as well. Per Joe Tipton, of On3 Sports, former Tar Heel, Buzz Peterson has emerged as a legitimate candidate to be the program’s GM. Peterson is 61 years old and was a member of the 1982 national championship team. He most recently served as the assistant GM for the Charlotte Hornets, working for Mitch Kupchak, who also is a UNC alum. In addition to his time in the NBA, Peterson has ties to the college game, serving as a head coach at App State, Tulsa, Tennesse, Coastal Carolina, and UNC-Wilmington. Across his five stops, Peterson compiled a 267-229 record, with a winning record at four of the five schools, all while making just one NCAA Tournament. 

With the GM role new to college athletics, there isn’t a blueprint for how to do it the right way, for instance, St. Bonaventure hired a former NBA Insider to be the program’s GM. It appears that the University wants the GM to be someone who has experience in the type of role that they’ll be fulfilling at the college level, as evidence of the Michael Lombardi hire for Bill Belichick’s football staff, and Buzz Peterson emerging as a potential candidate for the basketball staff. 

For full coverage of the remainder of the Carolina Basketball season, as well as the Tar Heel Football off-season, stay locked into the Heel Tough Blog, and make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. 

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