HOF coach slams UNC’s NIT decision, suggests punishment
from Victor Barbosa, at YardBarker.com/www.yardbarker.com
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.
https://twitter.com/TomPenders/status/1635073075720093699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1635073075720093699%7Ctwgr%5E4a8262dd98f1377b271fa7cc57fc7c6ed3a406c3%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yardbarker.com%2Fcollege_basketball%2Farticles%2Fhof_coach_slams_uncs_nit_decision_suggests_punishment%2Fs1_13132_38573529
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.”
https://twitter.com/TomPenders/status/1635118089154224128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1635118089154224128%7Ctwgr%5E4a8262dd98f1377b271fa7cc57fc7c6ed3a406c3%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yardbarker.com%2Fcollege_basketball%2Farticles%2Fhof_coach_slams_uncs_nit_decision_suggests_punishment%2Fs1_13132_38573529
https://twitter.com/TomPenders/status/1635124837000814595?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1635124837000814595%7Ctwgr%5E4a8262dd98f1377b271fa7cc57fc7c6ed3a406c3%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yardbarker.com%2Fcollege_basketball%2Farticles%2Fhof_coach_slams_uncs_nit_decision_suggests_punishment%2Fs1_13132_38573529
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.