During his introductory press conference on Tuesday, Michael Malone admitted he is an “outsider” who is coming into the Carolina Family with his hire to lead the men’s basketball program. But in a sense, there are some family ties to the program going back decades.
Long before his daughter Bridget joined the Tar Heels volleyball team – and was the reason he spent so much time watching her practice over the last three months – Malone has another generational connection through his father: the late Brendan Malone. Brendan was a great basketball coach in his own right. He likely followed the late Frank McGuire’s St. John’s teams in Queens during the 1950s before taking up coaching himself in New York City after finishing college.
McGuire’s own love affair in Chapel Hill began at the Navy Flight School in the 1940s where he served with the likes of the great Ted Williams and Otto Graham. While point-shaving scandals were ravaging high school and college basketball in New York City, doctors were already treating Frank’s disabled son Frankie and suggested they find a better climate as opposed to a boarding school. The McGuires settled in Chapel Hill.
Malone’s father was an assistant coach for (nee) Lew Alcindor at Memorial Academy who later earned international fame as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with UCLA and eventually in the NBA. After watching Dean Smith’s Tar Heels play in college, he went on to coach a few in the pros – including Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison in Toronto. Michael then crossed paths with Jamison again in Cleveland as an assistant coach in the 2010s, where he also coached LeBron James.
Those Carolina connections seemed to create more of an affinity than a lifelong passion for UNC, based on Michael Malone’s comments made in October to the Carolina Insider Podcast. But with Bridget on campus, Malone and his wife Jocelyn watched Dean Smith’s and Roy Williams’ games from their homes across the country, including jumping up and down in their living room when Seth Trimble hit the big shot against Duke in February.
Michael Malone address the crowd during his introductory press conference on Tuesday, Apr. 7, 2026. (Photo by Todd Melet/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
Beyond his professional coaching acumen, Malone’s toughness immediately stands out as a departure from the demeanors of Carolina’s prior coaches. Not to say that Dean Smith or Roy Williams weren’t tough. Williams was known for having animated moments on the sidelines to motivate his players, with his famous squatted pose while yelling “Come on!” Smith, meanwhile, rarely raised his voice except at practice. Not only were they often committed to playing four years at UNC, but the modern basketball icon earned their fear and respect before he even barked out a play.
Perhaps the best comparison is McGuire, Malone’s fellow New Yorker, who was himself as a villain and motivated his players by saying “it’s us against the world.” That phrase and sentiment is overused now, but it’s rarely heard at Carolina. Perhaps Malone can bring that resolve back to the program.
Comparisons to the father of the UNC program’s modern success likely won’t matter much to college players today. And how Malone decides to balance being a mentor or a disciplinarian is a major question as he transitions to leading a college program for the first time. Malone has met with most of his returning players, with positive reports – but, like every program, he will likely see major turnover from the last roster Hubert Davis coached in Chapel Hill.
“Somebody asked me earlier, when I look at players, what am I looking for,” Malone said during this week’s press conference. “Before you get into percentages and stats, I love guys that have a motor, that play hard, that you don’t have to wind up and motivate. So, I love self-motivated players that play hard.
“You can’t put a dollar sign on toughness,” he added. “Then an is IQ. Those are things that jump out regardless of position, one through five, what you shoot from the foul line, what you shoot from the three-point line. If you have a motor, you’re tough and you have an IQ, you have a chance to be a hell of a player.”
Malone went on to say he wants to surround himself with players that have his kind of high work ethic and wants to build a culture that outworks other programs. He also cited how a team that is “completely selfless” can accomplish more collectively than individually. It sounds very much like the type of message Williams would deliver to open the first official practice of each season.
From left to right: Bubba Cunningham, Michael Malone, Lee Roberts and Steve Newmark pose for a photo at the introductory press conference for Malone. (Photo by Todd Melet/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
Even with how much basketball and its players have changed, Malone must be a discipline-first coach who awards minutes based on those expectation and performance (especially on defense) and not just contractual promises. If guys don’t measure up, there is always the transfer portal and maybe more money at another school.
To some alumni and fans, Malone’s package and perks are exorbitant, with four times the salary that Davis was making. But bringing in a bonafide NBA champion steps up the expectations – both for the program as a whole and for Malone to produce winning basketball.
Whether the Dean Dome gets replaced or rebuilt, UNC’s hire of Malone is an investment rivaling any ever made with Carolina basketball. It will probably be a few years before he can properly prove he is worth it.
Hopefully by then, it will be also clear what ways Malone belongs in the Carolina Family. He already seems, at least, like an extended relative.
Featured photo via AP Photo/David Zalubowski.
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
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