NBA veteran Michael Malone secures a top-six portal class, blending professional expertise with elite additions as the North Carolina Tar Heels strive to outpace ACC rivals and chase a title.
New North Carolina head coach Michael Malone was hired right before the opening of the spring transfer portal.
The former NBA coach has proven he can develop winners at the professional level. However, he's never been a head coach at the college level and must learn how to navigate recruiting high school athletes and adding elite talent in the transfer portal to keep up with Duke in the ACC.
Malone had a solid start in the transfer portal.
Per 247Sports, UNC is ranked No. 6 for transfer additions this offseason. The Tar Heels added four players in the portal, including three 3-star athletes.
Terrence Brown, Matt Able, Neoklis Avdalas, and Cade Bennerman transferred to the Tar Heels.
UNC ranks behind only two ACC teams in the transfer portal. Miami is ranked No. 5. However, Louisville looks primed to be a contender in the conference after locking down the No. 1 class in the transfer portal, including five-star athlete Flory Bigunga.
During his introductory news conference, Malone understood he needed to add assistant coaches that could help land elite talent for the Tar Heels, knowing that's how great college basketball teams are made.
"I'm going to surround myself with the best people possible to help me get a better grasp [on college basketball] so we can attack it," Malone said, via ESPN.
"And as I hire my staff, I want to hire guys that have great contacts, not only in the country, but around the world. So we can continue to bring the best players here and help them develop, so we can field the best team."
Malone is off to a solid start with the transfer portal class he brought in during the spring, but there is certainly more work to be done if the Tar Heels are to compete for a national championship next season.
With that being said, UNC brought Malone in knowing that he had more to offer than recruiting. Malone has the expertise to develop the talent on the roster into a contender.
North Carolina should have buy-in from the roster, knowing Malone has helped NBA players win a championship.