Michael Malone is set to complete his first North Carolina coaching staff with the addition of longtime Gonzaga assistant Jorge Sanz, who brings extensive experience in analytics and international recruiting to Chapel Hill.
According to multiple sources, Michael Malone has put the finishing touches on his first North Carolina basketball coaching staff.
The Tar Heels are set to hire longtime Gonzaga staff member Jorge Sanz, adding an experienced basketball mind with a strong background in advanced analytics and international recruiting to Malone's staff in Chapel Hill.
Sanz publicly announced his departure from Gonzaga on Thursday, July 23, after spending eight years with Mark Few's program. He joined the Bulldogs' staff in 2018 before being promoted to Director of Basketball Operations in 2019 and elevated to Assistant Coach alongside his DOBO role in 2023.
North Carolina has not yet officially announced the hire.
The addition of Sanz gives Malone another assistant with a unique skill set.
According to his Gonzaga bio, Sanz became an important figure in the program's incorporation of advanced analytics into its strategy and training. His work included using advanced metrics to help inform scouting, coaching strategy and player development while turning complicated data into practical information that could be used by the coaching staff.
That expertise could be particularly valuable for a North Carolina program entering a new era under Malone, who arrived in Chapel Hill after more than two decades of NBA coaching experience and a 2023 NBA championship with the Denver Nuggets.
Sanz's impact could extend well beyond analytics.
A native of Zaragoza, Spain, Sanz played a significant role in Gonzaga's international recruiting efforts during his time with the Bulldogs. That experience should provide another valuable resource for a North Carolina program that has increasingly looked outside the United States while building its roster.
Sanz completes a five-man group of assistant coaches for Malone's first staff at UNC. Sean May and Pat Sullivan were retained from former head coach Hubert Davis' staff, while Chuck Martin came to Chapel Hill after coaching at Arkansas and Bryan Tibaldi joined the Tar Heels after working at Providence.
Former Tar Heels Deon Thompson and Brandon Robinson are also part of Malone's staff, giving the new UNC head coach an important collection of people with direct ties to the program's history and culture.
In fact, Malone's staff includes a player from each of North Carolina's last four national championship teams. Sullivan was part of the 1993 title team, May starred for the 2005 national champions, Thompson played on the 2009 championship team and Robinson was a member of the 2017 squad.
The makeup of the staff reflects the balance Malone has pursued since taking over the program: maintaining a connection to Carolina's past while incorporating outside perspectives and new areas of expertise.
Former Providence head coach Kim English was initially expected to join Malone's staff before ultimately changing course. Sanz now fills out the group, and his background makes him a particularly intriguing final piece.
Malone already has surrounded himself with coaches carrying Carolina connections, college recruiting experience and extensive backgrounds at the highest levels of basketball. In Sanz, the Tar Heels are adding another element — a coach whose strengths in analytics and international recruiting could become increasingly valuable as UNC attempts to build a championship-caliber program in the modern era of college basketball.
