'Place for Him.' Inside UNC’s Process of Hiring Michael Malone

The North Carolina Tar Heels are entering the 2026-27 college basketball season with a revamped roster and a new-look coaching staff.

Hiring Michael Malone as head coach could be a monumental turning point for the program following five years of underwhelming results under Hubert Davis. This week, athletic director Steve Newmark provided insight on the process of bringing Malone to Chapel Hill.

Newmark's Thoughts

Mar 27, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; The North Carolina Tar Heels logo on the video board during practice prior to NCAA Tournament at West Regional at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

"One of the things that drew us to Coach Malone is he's a basketball encyclopedia, but in particular, he knows everything about Carolina Basketball," Newmark said. "And that's kind of rare for somebody who was not in the family."

"He can tell you all the names of the New York pipeline of players that came down here, starting with the Frank McGuire years. And that's just part of who he is, and he really has immersed himself. And I think one of the reasons we thought Coach Malone was such an ideal fit was because he exemplified a lot of the same traits and characteristics that Coach [Dean] Smith, Coach [Bill] Guthridge, and Coach [Roy] Williams did."

"I've said to him that I wish that he had just seen the light in our first two conversations and said, 'This is right for me.' It took a little more time to for him to kind of get adjusted to the idea of coming to college sports, because it wasn't on his radar screen. He had many NBA opportunities."

"But over that week-and-a-half period when there was the media frenzy about where we were headed, I think he realized that this was the right place for him. He would text me and say, 'I just can't get Carolina out of my mind.'"

Overall Thoughts

Jan 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of the North Carolina Tar Heels logo on the shorts of forward Caleb Wilson (8) during the second half against the SMU Mustangs at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I've explained multiple times this offseason that I believe that the Tar Heels' landing Malone could end up being a blessing in disguise. Remember, North Carolina had originally circled Tommy Lloyd as the top option, and for several days, it appeared the Arizona head coach was leaning towards Chapel Hill after multiple cryptic comments leading up to the Final Four.

However, the Tar Heels' brass did not panic when all other options were left off the table and were seemingly unavailable. Coming from the NBA, with little collegiate experience, there were several question marks surrounding Malone and North Carolina. The main question was whether the 54-year-old head coach could construct a competitive roster on short notice, predominantly through the transfer portal. That concern leaked into overall recruiting and signing incoming freshman talent.

It's safe to say that Malone passed both tests with flying colors, and acknowledging that he is not a master in the department, hiring Chuck Martin as his lead assistant coach paid dividends. Martin, who served under John Calipari at Kentucky and Arkansas, compiled top-five recruiting classes in each of the last two seasons.

Poaching Martin from Calipari's staff and expediting the re-tooling process was apparent, as the Tar Heels landed Terrence Brown, Matt Able, Neoklis Avdalas, Angelo Brizzi, and Cade Bennerman through the transfer portal. Additionally, North Carolina landed Sayon Keita, Alexandros Samodurov, and Kevin Thomas in the recruiting class. The Tar Heels' roster is littered with newcomers, but there is no better coach to lead this group than Malone.

Add us as a preferred source on Google