CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Saturday’s 500th victory inside the Dean E. Smith Center came at a crossroads for the North Carolina basketball program.

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As previously reported by Inside Carolina, the UNC administration is in the final stages of making a decision about the future of the 40-year-old facility, following a years-long study that included six options for consideration: renovation of the current facility, replacement at the current site, Bowles parking lot, Odum Village, Friday Center and Carolina North.

As Hubert Davis addressed the media Friday afternoon on the eve of what would become a landmark win in North Carolina basketball history, Inside Carolina asked the head coach for his thoughts on the future of the building he once played in:

Have you been kept in the know and involved in the conversations for what may be down the line with the Smith Center? 

Hubert Davis: “I’ve had conversations with it, but you know, one of the things that I always say to you guys, say to the team, is keep your eyes straight ahead and focus on the things that are real. 

“And the things that are real are those 16 guys in this locker room this season and coaching this team and trying to see how good this year’s team can become.”

You were a player here, an assistant coach here, the head coach here, as this building is on the brink of experiencing the 500 win mark, how much is this place a part of who you are? 

Davis: “How much? Completely. When I look at the Smith Center, it’s not just about the experiences as a player, as a coach, this is home plate for me. 

“I think I’ve told you guys this before. The most significant things that have happened in my life have been because of this place. So it’s not just basketball. 

“This is where I fell in love with my wife, we got married, where I became a Christian, where we bought our first house after I retired from the NBA, we decided to raise our kids here, and so the Smith Center is home plate for all of that. 

“And so when I come into this building, yeah, I think about a number of different experiences on the court, as a player, as a coach. But I can also, automatically every day that I come into work, I can remember every conversation that I had with Coach Smith, Coach Guthridge and Coach Williams in every room in this place. 

“And so I think my comments are pretty much consistent with any former player. And so that’s just the way I feel about this place here.”

Following Saturday’s historic win, Inside Carolina asked Davis for his thoughts on the future plans for the home of Carolina basketball:

500th win in the Smith Center tonight — you talked yesterday about how this is home plate for you, with the school about to make a pivotal decision about the future of this building, of the options on the table, what is your preference?

Davis: “Well look, I love the Smith Center. As I said before, I said home plate? This is home. You know, the first place that I saw my first Carolina game was Carmichael when I got to see my uncle play. But I knew I always wanted to be here and I wanted to be a part of this place. 

“I talked about that, and I mentioned this to the team before the game. I said that you have to find joy and enjoyment of how hard and difficult it is to be successful individually and as a team. And I said, where do you find that joy and enjoyment? A lot of times, people look at the destination or getting to the destination, and I told them, that’s the wrong place to look. I said, where you find the joy and enjoyment is in the journey. 

“And I talked specifically about — you said 500 wins — I don’t know the stats. I don’t really know the stats of really this game. I couldn’t tell you what was game number one, game number 250, but I can tell you, I can tell you more than 500 memories that I have here personally, conversations with Coach Smith and Coach Guthridge, bringing my wife here, taking them to Coach Smith, my best friends of my life started here. 

“And so it’s more than just wins, and it’s about the relationships, the experiences that all of us, as former players, have had here that bind us to this place, to this university and to the Smith Center.”