Written by MICHAEL KOH
UNC’s hiring of Michael Malone came completely out of left field. Or did it?
When looking closer at the next Carolina head men’s basketball coach, there are a few factors which likely contributed to his candidacy. The first, which is of paramount importance in this era of college hoops, is that UNC does not have to pay a buyout to land Malone. He hasn’t coached since the Denver Nuggets dismissed him late in the 2024-25 season. If the Tar Heels had landed their top choice, Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd, they’d have been $9 million in the hole. That’s $9 million more that can go toward hiring staff and building a roster for next season.
Second, Malone has more familiarity than you might think with Chapel Hill. His daughter, Bridget, recently completed her freshman season as a member of the UNC volleyball team. Malone hung around town to support his daughter, and even observed several of Hubert Davis’ practices at the Smith Center. In an interview with the Carolina Insider Podcast from October, Malone remembered speaking to the team and praising their improvement. Players who were eyeing the transfer portal might be more willing to stay with a somewhat familiar face coming into the program.
And of course, the winning helps. Malone and superstar Nikola Jokic helped rebuild the Denver Nuggets into a perennial title contender, and the franchise took home its first ever NBA championship in 2023. Malone’s experience coaching up one talented seven-footer might help in attracting Henri Veesaar back to Chapel Hill and away from the pros.
But it all comes down to money, and that’s likely the most critical piece here. We’ve already mentioned the lack of a buyout, but Malone also likely won’t command a massive annual salary due to his being out of work for a year and his lack of collegiate head coaching experience. If things don’t work out, his salary certainly won’t turn into the albatross of a contract which has seemingly kept Bill Belichick in town for another year.
Speaking of Belichick, those comparisons are easy to make. Pro coach, no college experience, etc. But Malone showed up to his Carolina Insider interview clad in UNC gear and gushed about his love of all things Carolina. This was six months before his hiring. Compare that to Belichick, who couldn’t be bothered to wear a UNC shirt and instead wore a tattered Naval Academy sweater on his disastrous CBS Sunday Morning interview last summer, well after he joined the Tar Heels.
I am not predicting one way or another whether Malone will be a success. I am simply saying his hiring makes sense the more you think about it.
Michael Koh is filling in for Art Chansky today, as Art is temporarily out on a medical leave recovering from an accident.
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Featured image via Associated Press/Godofredo A. Vásquez
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