On Monday night, Hubert Davis made it known that Carolina Basketball was going to hire a general manager, as it overhauls its entire basketball operation off the basketball court. Last night, Joe Tipton from on3 Sports, reported that former Tar Heel, and 1982 national champion, Buzz Peterson was a candidate for the position with the program, after spending several seasons on the college sidelines, in addition to working alongside Mitch Kupchak, in the front office of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. That’s not the only name that Tipton is reporting as a candidate, as earlier today, he reported that Jim Tanner, a 1990 graduate from UNC is also a candidate as well for the position.Â
Tanner is an agent, who owns his company, Tandem Sports + Entertainment, representing many current NBA players, and former NBA Hall of Famers, including Ray Allen, Tim Duncan, and Dominique Wilkins, among others. Given his ties to UNC, he has represented former UNC players in the past, including Marvin Williams, John Henson, Tyler Hansbrough, John Henson, Raymond Felton, and others.Â
In the last decade or so, agents like JIm Tanner have landed GM-type roles in the NBA, as Rob Pelinka, and Niko Harrison, the two GMs behind the Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis trade that rocked the NBA world over the weekend, are both GM, after being agents, or high ranking CEOs previously. Not that Carolina is in the business of comparing themselves to the Duke program, but Duke has had a GM since before Jon Scheyer took over for Coach K, and her background in basketball was more from the agent/CEO side, as opposed to a former player, scout, etc. Tanner’s name has been more popular among UNC fans online, in favor of potentially hiring Buzz Peterson for the position. No matter who Carolina hires, it will be a learning process, given how new the position is to college athletics.Â
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