UNC Head Coach Calls His Job ‘Missionary Work’: ‘I’m on an Assignment’

Published: March 23, 2026

By Mallory Mattingly

University of North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis sees his job as more than just a basketball coach; he calls it “missionary work.”

“I’ve said this a number of times that I’ve been put, placed, purposed and planned to be in this position at such a time as this,” Davis said on “The Drive with Will Dalton Show.” “I’m on assignment. It is missionary work. It’s an act of service…it’s a position of great honor, and I love being in [it].”

While changes to college athletics’ transfer portal and NIL (name, image and likeness) rules result in “heavy roster turnover,” per Sports Spectrum, Davis has embraced the updates, even though it’s meant loosing Tar Heels like Caleb Love and Elliott Cadeau.

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“Obviously, there are differences, but I think it’s been really exciting to maneuver through the differences in college athletics,” the coach told Dalton.

“But again, with all the changes, my mission and my assignment haven’t changed at all. It’s to be in these kids’ lives and be able to serve them and give back to them,” he emphasized.

“Regardless of how many changes happen, my assignment has stayed the same. I love this assignment. I enjoy it. As I’ve said before, it’s a privilege to be in this position, having a front-row seat to be able to do it on a daily basis,” he added.

Before he became a coach at UNC in 2012, Davis was at ESPN as a college basketball analyst.

“The reason why I made this decision [leaving ESPN to return to North Carolina as an assistant], No. 1, is this is where I felt like Christ wanted me and my family to go,” he said on the “UNPACKIN’ It” podcast. “Wherever He wants us to go, I’m following Him. I’m not going any other direction…This is not a job; it feels like a mission field, a ministry opportunity.

“I’m here to serve and shed light on and be an example for Christ,” he said.

He actually played for UNC in college, which is when his faith took off.

“During that time, I was really struggling,” Davis said on Dalton’s show. “I was going to a number of churches, and the reason being I was looking for answers. I was looking for answers in regards to why my best friend, my mom, passed away two years earlier of cancer. That’s the only reason I was going to church.”

He soon accepted Christ.

“I was going to church looking for answers, and obviously I never found that answer. But I did find out and was able to see the things that my mom told me — how much Jesus loved me and the plan and purpose that He had for me.”

Unfortunately, the UNC men’s basketball team lost to VCU last week, which ended their NCAA tournament run. However, Coach Davis will remain focused on using his position as an opportunity to share the Gospel and lead young men to Christ.

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