The University of North Carolina has suspended discussions about the future of the Smith Center until the Tar Heels hire their next men’s basketball coach and that coach has had time to develop his program, potentially pushing any decision on a basketball arena decision into the future.

That suspension will "allow Bubba Cunningham and Steve Newmark to focus on identifying and selecting a new head basketball coach" and it will continue "until a new coach has had time to develop their program and focus on the long-term success" of the basketball program, the university's vice chancellor for communications Dean Stoyer told WRAL.

Other WRAL Top Stories

North Carolina fired Hubert Davis on Tuesday, days after the Tar Heels were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in the first round for the second consecutive season. UNC is targeting some of the biggest names in the sport to replace Davis and doesn’t want the contentious arena debate hanging over the search or the new coach, Stoyer said, citing a need to remove any potential distractions during a critical time for the program.

“We must move forward in a way that allows our team to compete more consistently at an elite level,” Cunningham, the school's outgoing athletics director, said in a statement when Davis was fired.

During the basketball season, the debate over a new arena erupted into public view. It created a divide between the administration, who preferred to build new at Carolina North, and some supporters of the program, who favor renovating the Smith Center at its current location. Former UNC coach Roy Williams and former star player Tyler Hansbrough released videos in support of renovation, part of an effort from a prominent group to engage students and fans to back renovation.

As a result of the pushback, the administration announced two new committees to look at the issue – one composed of former players through the decades and one for students. Both of those committees will be suspended.

The Smith Center, named after former UNC coach Dean E. Smith, has been the Tar Heels’ home since 1986. UNC has won more than 500 games in the venue, including memorable games like UNC’s last-second win over Duke this season, but the building lacks revenue-generating amenities like luxury boxes, club seats or suites. And even things like its single concourse and bathrooms are out-dated by comparison to modern arenas.

Simply keeping the arena operational for the next 20 years would cost more than $150 million, school officials said citing studies it has conducted over the last two years. Repair was one of seven options that athletic department officials have considered. They outlined the cost and expected revenue from each of them. 

A new arena is projected to cost nearly $800 million, while a massive renovation at the Smith Center could cost about $600 million, including associated costs. Officials said a new arena could generate as much as $20 million more annually, a top consideration in the revenue-sharing era of college athletics.

A large part of the debate centers around what to do about roughly 4,300 legacy seat holders, those who received rights in perpetuity to seats in the Smith Center in exchange for their contributions to the building’s construction 40 years ago.

UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts said there are three main considerations for him in the arena debate, including what helps the Tar Heels win and win big.

It would be a lot for any new coach to walk into, especially one without ties to the UNC program. For the first time since Frank McGuire was hired in the 1950s, UNC is expected to hire a coach without previous coaching or playing experience at the school.

Davis, a former UNC player and assistant coach, was 125-54 in five seasons as head coach and reached the NCAA Tournament national title game in his first season. But the Tar Heels earned better than a No. 6 seed in the tournament just once in his tenure and either missed the tournament or lost in the first round three times. He had four years remaining on his contract.

Contact Murphy at bmurphy@wral.com or @murphsturph on X.