What’s Next for North Carolina Basketball After Hiring Michael Malone

North Carolina’s shock hiring of former NBA championship-winning head coach Michael Malone as its next head coach and first venture outside the North Carolina family in over a half-century was a surprise to much of the industry. And while North Carolina was heavily rumored to be pursuing another NBA head coach in Billy Donovan, there’s a pretty sizable gap in college experience and connections between a two-time NCAA title winner in Donovan and Malone, who has been out of college basketball for 25 years.

What will be the critical early steps and questions Malone has to answer to succeed right away in Chapel Hill, N.C.? Here’s a look at four pressing questions that will shape his first few weeks on the job.

Will general manager Jim Tanner return?

North Carolina was one of the first major programs to hire a general manager, bringing in Jim Tanner after a long career in the agency world to help lead in roster construction for the Tar Heels. Tanner is believed to have a guaranteed contract that would make cleaning house a costly move, but alignment between Malone, the GM and new athletic director Steve Newmark will be critical especially with Malone’s lack of college background. Results of Tanner’s early work have been mixed. At the end of the day, being a significant roster-building figure and that first roster leading to a head coach being fired is not a ringing endorsement.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

That said, it could be valuable to have continuity, especially with the timing at play here with the transfer portal set to open Tuesday. Tanner, who already has a good lay of the land of not just the college landscape but North Carolina’s standing generally, could be a valuable asset in that regard.

What does the rest of Malone’s staff look like?

Malone’s last college stop was a stint as an assistant at Manhattan that ended in 2001. The college game is largely unrecognizable from where it was at that point, and it will be critical that he is able to surround himself with people who have both the knowledge and connections to succeed in 2026 college basketball. You’d think North Carolina would be well-resourced to attract a strong pool of assistant coaching candidates, but it’s harder to build a staff essentially from scratch rather than having a few staffers to bring with you from your previous stop. Even with recruiting having changed so much with money being such a significant factor, having people with existing relationships with grassroots coaches, agents and even current players is going to be essential for Malone if he wants to play catch-up this spring and beyond.

How will the roster react?

This is not a full rebuild Malone is walking into in Chapel Hill if he can keep key parts of this roster together. It’s also critical to note that Malone has spent time around the North Carolina program, in part because his daughter is an athlete at the school. He has a degree of familiarity with the pieces in place.

The biggest name to watch is the status of star center Henri Veesaar, who exploded in his first year in Chapel Hill after transferring in from Arizona. He’s viewed as a potential late first- or early second-round pick should he enter this year’s NBA draft, but could return to school and be one of the highest-paid players in college basketball next season. The skilled 7-footer shot 68% from two and 43% from three this season. If he’s back in college, Malone and North Carolina need to find a way to make sure it’s in Chapel Hill. While certainly not the same level of player as Nikola Jokić, you have to imagine the ways Malone used his former MVP in Denver will be a big part of the pitch beyond the financial component.

North Carolina center Henri Veesaar will be the key player to watch after the Tar Heels’ hired Michael Malone. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Others on the roster with eligibility that could be priorities:

Rising sophomore point guard Derek Dixon announced he will enter the transfer portal.
Rising senior forward Jarin Stevenson is a Chapel Hill native who transferred home after two years at Alabama. He emerged as a starter late and played some of his best basketball down the stretch.
Montenegrin guard Luka Bogavac didn’t have quite the year some expected, but he did still average 9.8 points per game. He could take a leap in his second year of college.

Can Malone hit the ground running?

Time is of the absolute essence here with the portal opening Tuesday and the shorter two-week window. North Carolina is already behind: So much work is done behind the scenes laying the groundwork to recruit top portal players in the weeks and months before they officially enter their names in the portal. Malone will have to bet on the North Carolina brand being strong enough to help them play catch-up, but will need the right people around him (and quickly) who can help him bridge some of those gaps.

This is a bold, unexpected hire by the North Carolina administration, and one that could go very wrong if it fails. The upside is real if it hits though and Malone takes quickly to the college game.

More College Basketball From Sports Illustrated

Listen to SI’s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on the SI College YouTube channel.