Now that UNC has hired former NBA coach Michael Malone to take the helm of the men’s basketball program, the real work of rallying the troops and building back the program has begun. The university officially introduced him at the Smith Center Tuesday evening, where Malone talked about the championship he won for the Denver Nuggets in 2023.
“We had great success in Denver, and I have the utmost confidence that the same success is going to follow here to Carolina,” he said.
The last time Malone coached in the NCAA was back in 2001 with Manhattan College before he began his 24 year NBA career. That was long before college basketball had a transfer portal and a system where players profit from their name, image, and likeness.
“When I coached in college many years ago this wasn’t a thing,” he said. “So, I’m going to surround myself with the best people possible to help me get a better grasp on it so we can attack it.”
Most of last season’s Tar Heel players won’t be returning, leaving behind a nearly empty roster Malone will have to fill. And after a first-round loss to Virginia Commonwealth in the NCAA tournament, Carolina fans are hoping for better things.
Can Malone deliver? ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas is here to help answer that question.
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