College Sports

Hubert Davis in ‘great spot’ with Chris Carrawell, Duke staff after handshake drama

The handshakes that didn’t take place are no longer a thing between North Carolina coach Hubert Davis and Duke assistant coach Chris Carrawell.

Davis put to rest any notion of beef with Carrawell on Tuesday saying they talked it out on Monday.

“I had a conversation with (coach in waiting) Jon Scheyer yesterday and also Chris Carrawell and we had two great conversations with both of them,” Davis said. “My relationship with Coach K and the rest of the coaching staff before the game was in a great spot. And it’s in a great spot right now.”

From left associate head coach Chris Carrawell, associate head coach Jon Scheyer, assistant head coach Nolan Smith and director of player development Amile Jefferson watch during the second half of Duke’s 76-74 victory over Wake Forest at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022.
From left associate head coach Chris Carrawell, associate head coach Jon Scheyer, assistant head coach Nolan Smith and director of player development Amile Jefferson watch during the second half of Duke’s 76-74 victory over Wake Forest at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com

Carrawell was seen on the broadcast after Carolina’s 94-81 win over the Blue Devils last Saturday intentionally not shaking Davis’ extended hand and Davis having a look of surprise.

Carrawell said Davis did not shake hands with the Duke assistants before the game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

With nearly 100 former Duke players from the past 42 seasons under coach Mike Krzyzewski trying to file into the bleachers from the court, Davis said his path was obstructed.

The handshake slight caused social media to explode with takes from both fan bases over who was wrong and who was right.

All of that can end now.

Davis said he’s on good terms with Krzyzewski and the entire staff.

North Carolina coach Hubert Davis takes a seat on the scorers table at Cameron Indoor Stadium as he waits for play to resume following a time-out on Saturday, March 5, 2022 in Durham, N.C.
North Carolina coach Hubert Davis takes a seat on the scorers table at Cameron Indoor Stadium as he waits for play to resume following a time-out on Saturday, March 5, 2022 in Durham, N.C. Robert Willett rwillett@newsobserver.com

The Carolina-Duke rivalry has generally been defined by respect between the programs, but Saturday showed it’s not above getting a little spicy. Just don’t expect that to carry over into the ACC tournament in Brooklyn.

“I really enjoyed my conversations with Jon and also Chris,” Davis said. “And at the end of our conversations, we both wished each other luck for the remainder of the season.”

The only way the No. 1 seed Blue Devils would face the No. 3 seed Tar Heels is if they meet in the championship game on Saturday night.

This story was originally published March 8, 2022 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Hubert Davis in ‘great spot’ with Chris Carrawell, Duke staff after handshake drama."

C.L. Brown
The News & Observer
C.L. Brown covers the University of North Carolina for The News & Observer. Brown brings more than two decades of reporting experience including stints as the beat writer on Indiana University and the University of Louisville. After a long stay at the Louisville Courier-Journal, where he earned an APSE award, he’s had stops at ESPN.com, The Athletic and even tried his hand at running his own website, clbrownhoops.com.
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