After a long coaching search, the University of North Carolina hired a long time NBA coach with championship experience to lead its prestigious basketball program.
The North Carolina Tar Heels just got their guy.
In what is a surprising move, North Carolina hired former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, first reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
There was speculation that UNC was pivoting towards an NBA guy, mainly Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan, who has experience coaching the college ranks.
Malone, who hasn’t been on a college bench since 2001, when he was the assistant coach for the Manhattan Jaspers, will now coach one of college basketball’s most prestigious programs.
This comes on the heels of the program firing Hubert Davis, who spent 14 years with the Tar Heels – nine as an assistant, five as a head coach.
Davis had a ton of success in Chapel Hill, winning an NCAA Championship as an assistant to Roy Williams in 2017, and then taking the Tar Heels to the National Championship in 2022.
UNC ultimately lost to the Kansas Jayhawks, but there was belief that Davis, a Tar Heel alum and member of the Williams coaching tree, was going to take the program to the success his predecessor brought.
But that didn’t happen. Though North Carolina saw some mild success after 2022, it never got to that level, and it was led to believe that Davis lost the room.
Which is why bringing on Malone, who focuses heavily on structure and development, was so important.
It wasn't about if he was returning to coaching. It was when.
Because of his NBA success, he became one of the highest sought-after coaches, and many believed that he would stick with the Association in his next destination.
He had a wildly successful stint with the Nuggets, with a 471-327 record, making the playoffs in six consecutive seasons, including winning the NBA Championship in the 2022-23 season.
But coaching in the college ranks will offer him a fresh perspective on the game. Focus on the fundamentals and developing young minds rather than attempting to manage egos.
Not only that, being on the recruiting trail can be an arduous process for a coach. The good thing he has going for him though is the UNC brand.
UNC's basketball program carries an immense amount of weight given the championships won in the past, and the alumni like Michael Jordan, Vince Carter, and Jerry Stackhouse.
It'll be a new experience for everyone involved, but North Carolina just hired one of basketball's best minds, with an eye pointed toward reclaiming dominance in the NCAA.
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