Tar Heel With Legendary Ties Backs Malone as Head Coach

The Tar Heels' newly hired head coach has support from legendary player's son.

Mar 15, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone following a timeout in the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The North Carolina Tar Heels are entering a new era with Michael Malone taking over as the head coach.

North Carolina legend Kenny Smith's son, Mallory, signed with the program on Wednesday, and despite the coaching change, he still has confidence in the 54-year-old.

Mallory Smith's Thoughts

Mar 26, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone in the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

• “I trusted North Carolina to make the right decision and find the right coach,” Smith said. "Coach Malone is going to be amazing and do a great job, I know it. I’m so excited to be there and be coached by him.”

• “I just feel like I’m excited to be a part of the Carolina family,” Smith continued. “I’m not taking anything for granted, and I’m working hard to help keep this university what it is and help us deliver all things everyone expects of it. I feel like Coach Malone is going to do a great job with that, and all the coaches are great, and we’re going to build a great program and tradition.”

Mar 9, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone talks to guard Jamal Murray (27) during a break in the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

These comments follow Kenny Smith's assessment of the Tar Heels' hiring of Malone last week, who went into great depth about his analysis.

Kenny Smith's Thoughts

Feb 16, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Kennyís Young Stars general manager Kenny Smith during introductions before the 2025 NBA All Star Game at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

• “There’s four points I’d like to make on that,” Smith said before the National Championship game on April 6. “I didn’t like the fact that we would’ve had to poach from someone else – I had actually expressed that. I didn’t feel that, ‘Oh, let’s go get this coach from somewhere else.’"

• "The other thing is, Michael Malone’s daughter is a volleyball player at the University of North Carolina. When we were doing ESPN together in LA this year, he was walking around with a Tar Heels shirt on and I didn’t understand it. So he is a member of the Tar Heel family. He’s been drafted in by his daughter playing volleyball."

Apr 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

• “The other part of it is, I just think that he’s a winner," Smith continued. "Right away, he has a resume that no other person in college basketball has: he’s an NBA champion. And a reminder, he had the Joker [Jokic], who is the No. 1 player in basketball, but was drafted 41st. … He helped develop Joker into the Joker. Now, that is what’s big in college basketball, development, as well.”

Main Takeaways

Mar 24, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone gestures in the third quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

North Carolina's faithful should feel the same way and put their full trust in the longtime NBA head coach. While the start of the transfer portal has been lackluster, the Tar Heels are in a better position compared to the last five years.