Hall of Fame basketball coach Tommy Penders slammed the University of North Carolina Sunday night for its decision to decline an invitation to the NIT.
Penders also took a shot at Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis, tweeting that the team “rarely played hard and together” and blamed that on “the coaching staff.” The 77-year-old Penders also referenced the late UNC legend Dean Smith, opining that the Hall of Famer “never would have turned down an NIT bid.”
Coming off of last year’s runner-up finish in the national title game, Davis and the Tar Heels became the first team to miss the NCAA Tournament after being ranked No. 1 in the preseason rankings since the field expanded in 1985.
A former 12-year NBA pro, two-time member of the All-ACC Tournament First Team and one-time member of the All-ACC Second Team, Davis just wrapped up his second season at the helm at Chapel Hill. Davis took over for Hall of Famer Roy Williams following the 2020-2021 campaign.
Penders went 649-437 (including tournament games) across his 33 seasons as a Division I coach, with stops that included Columbia, Fordham, Rhode Island, Texas, George Washington and Houston.
