Michael Malone to UNC: How Tar Heels got here, what he’ll need to do to succeed

Potential candidates to replace Hubert Davis at North Carolina had slowly come off the board in the 13 days after he was fired by the Tar Heels — and finally, on the eve of the transfer portal opening after the national championship game, Chapel Hill has its new coach.

UNC is set to hire Michael Malone, who was fired almost one year ago to the day by the Denver Nuggets, the team he guided to an NBA title in 2023. Malone spent 25 years as an NBA assistant or head coach, though he hasn’t coached college basketball since 2001. This will be his first head coaching job at this level, though he has familiarity with UNC’s athletic department: His daughter plays volleyball for the Tar Heels.

What should Malone’s top priorities be once the ink dries? What pitfalls does he need to avoid? ESPN’s college basketball reporters Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf answer the biggest questions.

How did North Carolina land on Malone?

North Carolina made it clear from the outset it was taking big swings in its search for Davis’ replacement. Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens removed his name from consideration early in the process, which opened the door for the Tar Heels to zoom in on arguably the two best coaches in college basketball this season: Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd and Michigan’s Dusty May.

The Lloyd pursuit was fairly public, and he refused to end the speculation at multiple news conferences during the NCAA tournament. But on the eve of the Wildcats’ Final Four game against the Wolverines, Lloyd announced that he had agreed to a lucrative new contract to stay in Tucson. May was available as a possible pivot, but he informed Michigan officials in recent days that he had no plans to pursue any college jobs.

As recently as Sunday night, the biggest topic in college basketball was where Carolina would turn next. Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan appeared to be next on the list, but he informed all parties he would not leave until at least the end of the NBA season, which is still nearly a week away (April 12). With the transfer portal opening Tuesday morning, it wasn’t viable for North Carolina to wait. Iowa’s Ben McCollum and Baylor’s Scott Drew were the next college names on the list, but the Tar Heels pulled a stunner and opted for Malone. — Borzello

How will coaching at the college level be different from the NBA?

In the NBA, every team has a salary cap and limitations that are intended to balance each roster. There is also a clear hierarchy of power between each team’s ownership, front office and head coach. All of that is murkier at the college level.

Though college basketball aficionados love to call the current transfer portal market “free agency,” in truth this version of roster construction and management lacks the same structure NBA coaches enjoy. It creates a more complicated task, as the market for talent is more fluid. Malone’s goal here should be to establish an identity for his program — quickly.

With the Nuggets, Malone had a three-time NBA MVP in Nikola Jokic to build a championship roster around. The Tar Heels don’t have the same level of brand power they once had to attract the best players, and it’s also unclear whether they’ll have the budget. Those are the constraints Malone could face when he takes this job. — Medcalf

What will Malone have to do differently from past NBA coaches and players who have made this transition?

To avoid the fate of other NBA coaches and players who have struggled when trying to lead at the college level, Malone’s first task will be to add a seasoned Division I coach to his staff. He should be scouring the mid-major ranks right now, looking for a sitting head coach who can get him up to speed on the current landscape in college basketball. From there, he’ll need to identify assistants who have been successful in the portal and the high school recruiting landscape in recent years. Finally, he’ll need a general manager who can manage the fiscal responsibilities the NIL world demands. Crucially, those hires should all come from outside the North Carolina coaching and player trees. Malone needs a fresh start with fresh faces and new perspectives to turn a storied program into a modern powerhouse.

Malone will have to be a coach who quickly learns the ropes of the collegiate landscape and builds the relationships necessary to thrive. At this level, his NBA ties will take him only so far. Even Davis played in the NBA for more than a decade, but his playing career didn’t guarantee an endless pipeline of talent in Chapel Hill. — Medcalf ⁠

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Why Sean Farnham likes Michael Malone’s fit with UNC

Sean Farnham reacts to North Carolina hiring Michael Malone as its head coach.

What is the state of the roster Malone is inheriting?

On paper, North Carolina has the roster of a top-15 team — if Malone can keep it together.

The transfer portal opens in a matter of hours, so the first priority will be to meet with the current players and see whom he can retain. Malone’s first focus should be Henri Veesaar, who would be the top returnee and a potential All-American if he is back in Chapel Hill next season. Outside of Veesaar, there are three key potential returnees: Jarin Stevenson, Luka Bogavac and Derek Dixon. Stevenson and Dixon enjoyed expanded roles as the season progressed, while Bogavac brings experience and shooting.

Prior to Davis’ firing, he had also secured a top-10 recruiting class led by No. 9 prospect Dylan Mingo, one of the best two-way guards in the 2026 class. Mingo didn’t commit until mid-February, though, ultimately picking Carolina over Baylor, Penn State and Washington. Mingo is potentially a higher risk to reopen his recruitment than the No. 21-ranked Maximo Adams, who picked Carolina over Kentucky, Michigan State and Texas, and would still have ample options should he choose to go back into the pool. — Borzello

What will Malone have to do differently from Hubert Davis?

Malone has to get the best players in America to commit to UNC again, whether they’re in the portal or the high school ranks. That didn’t happen often enough for Davis, leading to a turbulent run after reaching the national title game in 2022. And even when he did have that talent, he just didn’t win often enough.

Malone will have to prove that he’s at UNC for the long haul and be willing to admit what he doesn’t know. Not doing that was one of Davis’ flaws; he didn’t hire a general manager to run the personnel component of his team until February 2025, putting him years behind the other blue bloods. Malone, who has spent time on TV since he was fired by the Nuggets last year, will have to be the forward-facing leader of a program that embraces the new era of college basketball while still acknowledging UNC’s past. He can’t live by it, though.

Davis struggled to establish the next chapter for the Tar Heels, whose staff included only former players with UNC ties. But Malone can’t give that history up completely — the next chapter in Chapel Hill should still include bonds with former players. If Malone can get Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Vince Carter and other past UNC greats to show up to games and events — get them to rally behind him — he’ll have a head start on his mission to restore UNC basketball. — Medcalf