Sylvia Hatchell has resigned as head coach of North Carolina's women's basketball program amid an investigation into allegations she made racially offensive remarks.

The university announced Hatchell's resignation Thursday night.

"The University commissioned a review of our women's basketball program, which found issues that led us to conclude that the program needed to be taken in a new direction," athletics director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement. "It is in the best interests of our University and student-athletes for us to do so. Coach Hatchell agrees, and she offered her resignation today. I accepted it.

"We appreciate her 33 years of service to Carolina and to the community, and we wish her the best. Our focus now is on conducting a search for a new head coach who will build on our great Carolina traditions and promote a culture of excellence."

North Carolina had placed Hatchell and her three assistants on paid administrative leave earlier this month and was reviewing the program, saying that the review was "due to issues raised by student-athletes and others."

Hatchell, a 2013 Hall of Fame inductee, is the winningest women's basketball coach in Atlantic Coast Conference history. She has a career record of 1,023-405 and is 751-325 in 33 years at UNC with a national title in 1994.