Tommy Lloyd signed a new deal.

So did Nate Oats.

Dusty May is a “no” as well.

So where does North Carolina turn now for its open men’s basketball coach position? Here are 10 names to consider:

Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls

Donovan is the big fish still swimming in the pond. Can UNC hook him? Donovan has been linked since the Tar Heels fired Hubert Davis on March 24. The Bulls’ season ends April 12, and they won’t be in the playoffs. Is UNC willing to wait and miss out on the first week of the transfer portal? For the right fit, why not? Plus, the Bulls are reportedly set for a front office shakeup, so it may be time to jump ship.

After 11 years away from college basketball, is Donovan ready for a return to campus? College ball is basically pro ball, anyway now. He’d be the candidate most UNC fans are pinning their hopes on after other high-profile rejections.

Mark Byington, Vanderbilt

Byington, 49, played at UNC Wilmington and was an assistant at Virginia and Virginia Tech, so he’s got some familiarity with the state and ACC. He may not have the name recognition as some of the other coaches linked to the job, but he’s averaged 25 wins across his past four seasons as a head coach, including 27 victories this season in his second year at Vanderbilt

He’s never made a Sweet 16, but he’s never been at a program like North Carolina, either.

Todd Golden and Nate Oats had never been to a Sweet 16 before coaching at Florida and Alabama, respectively. Now, they’re two of the best coaches in the sport.

Sean Miller, Texas

Miller is a winner. He’s coached in 14 NCAA tournaments, reached the Sweet 16 nine times and the Elite Eight four times.

Miller spent five seasons on Herb Sendek’s NC State staff, so knows the state. His firing at Arizona will raise some red flags with his involvement in 2017 Adidas FBI probe, but if Rick Pitino, Will Wade and Bill Self (among others involved) can still coach at the top level, why shouldn’t Miller?

He just finished his first season at Texas, going 21-15, taking the Longhorns from the First Four to the Sweet 16, and a last-second tip-in away from the Elite Eight.

Ben McCollum, Iowa

McCollum is a proven winner at multiple levels and a program builder. The 44-year-old coach won four Division II national championships before jumping to the Division I level. He’s won more than 80% of his games, leading Drake to 31 wins before making the move to Iowa and taking the Hawkeyes to the NCAA Tournament this season. Imagine what he could do with a blue-blood program?

Scott Drew, Baylor

Two years ago, Drew claimed a spot near the top of Kentucky’s wish list. He turned down the Wildcats, a humbling blow to UK. Two years later, you must wonder whether Drew would benefit from a restart. His Baylor team went 16-16 and got trampled within the Big 12. Drew last reached a Sweet 16 in 2021, when he produced a national title.

Take the macro view, and Drew’s Baylor accomplishments are phenomenal. He rescued from the trash bin a program that had been rocked by a deadly scandal. He took the Bears up, up, up, until they reached the top of the sport.

Zoom in, and you realize Drew’s best days at Baylor are behind him. He’s still widely respected, and if Drew, 55, is ever going to leave Baylor, right now is likely his last best chance.

Josh Schertz, Saint Louis

Schertz was in the mix for the NC State job before saying he was staying with SLU. Would UNC make him reconsider?

Like McCollum, Schertz cut his teeth coaching in Division II, reaching four Final Fours at Lincoln Memorial. His 2024 Indiana State team was electric — and an NCAA Tournament snub before reaching the NIT final. He’s rebuilt Saint Louis in just two seasons and plays a brand of basketball that’s easy on the eye.

Grant McCasland, Texas Tech

All but one of his 12 seasons as a head coach have been in Texas. It’ll likely be hard to pry him East, especially with the deep pockets in Lubbock.

But he’d be an interesting option. Another former Division II and JUCO head coach, McCasland’s teams win. He won the NIT at North Texas in 2023 and led Texas Tech to the Elite Eight in 2025. Had JT Toppin not gotten hurt this year, who knows how far the Red Raiders could have advanced.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A woman and a man are facing child abuse charges after a Friday afternoon report that a little girl was held upside down with her face under the surf beneath a Sunset Beach pier along the North Carolina coast, police said.

The incident was reported just after 6:30 p.m. Friday along the beach under the Sunset Beach Pier, according to a Saturday evening news release from the Sunset Beach Police Department.

Police on the Brunswick County island, located at the South Carolina line, said there were “social media posts and videos” of the incident.

“The safety and well-being of every child in our community remains our highest priority,” police said.

Police said they were asking for witnesses in the case or anyone who has additional information.

“The charges stem from a 911 call reporting that a male was intentionally holding a child upside down by her legs, with her face submerged in the water against her will while she was screaming and crying,” the news release said.

Christopher Maurice Lee, 38, of Arcadia at Grande Dunes near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Lesley Suzanne McClam, 26, of nearby Calabash, each charged with a count of misdemeanor child abuse, according to arrest warrants and the news release.

Police and a warrant said Lee was the “primary suspect” and that he is dating the girl’s mother.

The arrest warrant for Lee said he was “repeatedly placing (the) child’s head under water/attempting to while (the) child screamed and stated ‘stop.’ Did so again once child was out of water.”

Police said the charge is “the most serious level of misdemeanor offenses.”

Lee was released on a $1,000 secured bond.

The North Carolina Department of Social Services has been notified and is conducting an investigation in coordination with the Sunset Beach Police Department, officers said.

Police added that anyone with information should contact Sunset Beach Police Detective Sergeant Miloszar at (910) 880-8512.

The New York Giants have scheduled a top-30 pre-draft visit with North Carolina cornerback Thaddeus Dixon, reports NFL draft analyst Easton Butler.

Dixon, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior from Los Angeles, began his career at Long Beach City College before transferring to Washington. In 2024 with the Huskies, he earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors, starting 12 games and leading the team with 10 passes defensed while recording 43 tackles.

He transferred to North Carolina for the 2025 season, where he started seven games and posted 20 tackles and six passes defensed before a hamstring injury limited his availability.

Scouts praise Dixon’s size, length, and athleticism, noting smooth mirroring in press coverage and effective use of his frame to contest passes. However, concerns remain about his top-end speed, consistency in short zones, and occasional upright posture in off coverage.

NFL analysts project him as an average backup or special teams contributor with a grade in the low-to-mid 70s range. He is widely viewed as a late-round prospect, often slotted around the sixth or seventh round.

The Giants enter the draft without a seventh-round selection unless they acquire additional picks through trade, making the visit notable for a player whose projection may not align with premium resources. Still, such meetings allow teams to assess character, scheme fit, and potential upside for depth roles in a rebuilding secondary.

Dixon’s combination of production at the Power conference level and physical tools could appeal to a Giants defense seeking versatile perimeter options and special teams assets.