North Carolina's Davis signs 2-year extension, hires basketball agent Jim Tanner as GM

North Carolina coach Hubert Davis has signed a two-year extension running through the 2029-30 season, and hired basketball agent Jim Tanner as the men's basketball program's executive director and general manager.

The school announced Tanner’s hiring Tuesday, roughly three weeks after Davis talked about plans to hire a GM in the era of players being able to profit from their athletic fame with their name, image and likeness. UNC also has posted an updated contract for Davis on its official athletics site, with that deal reached in July and signed in December.

The latest deal includes a raise and pays Davis an average of $3.2 million in base salary and supplemental pay, up from about $2 million on the previous deal reached in July 2022 that ran through the 2027-28 season.

Davis has had wild swings in his tenure at his alma mater as a former player under Dean Smith and assistant under Roy Williams. He guided UNC to a wild and unexpected ride to the NCAA title game in his first season, but his second season ended with the Tar Heels becoming the first preseason No. 1-ranked team to miss the NCAA Tournament.

Last year, the Tar Heels won the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season race and claimed a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They're battling to secure an NCAA bid this season with 18 wins.

Tanner's hiring follows through on Davis' plan to update the infrastructure of the program, with this move bringing on a UNC alumnus who has represented more than 70 NBA players in a 28-year career.

“Both of my kids and I went to Carolina and we owe so much as a family to this university,” Tanner said in a statement. “This is such an exciting opportunity, and I couldn’t be more thrilled.”

Tanner, the founder and president of Tandem Sports + Entertainment, will have duties that include assisting in roster construction and contract negotiations. He will also identify and hire new scouting and analytics staff.

“Jim’s experience and knowledge is needed in helping us navigate contracts, the transfer portal and the advancement of this program," Davis said in a statement. "His resumé speaks for itself and his commitment to this university and community make him a great addition to the Carolina men’s basketball program.”

Tanner, a 1990 graduate and former Morehead-Cain Scholar at UNC, has represented 40 NBA first-round draft picks and six inductees into the Naismith Hall of Fame: former UNC star Vince Carter, Ray Allen, Tamika Catchings, Tim Duncan, Grant Hill and Dominique Wilkins.

Davis took over in 2021 amid a changing era in college athletics, notably with NIL and freer player movement through the transfer portal.

Schools have responded by expanding staffs in both football and basketball while taking on the look of mini-professional front offices. It's a sign of how the job of running major college programs in today's changing era is more than merely a coaching staff can handle.

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