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After Michael Malone became UNC’s coach in April, he quickly began work to retain recruits and scrape together a 2026-27 roster.
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In the process, he dazzled folks in the basketball industry with his recruiting persona, developing a reputation as a “worker.”
Representing the UNC brand while coaching in college for the first time in about 25 years, Malone has learned to never sell his team short.
“My whole mindset is, this is North Carolina,” Malone told CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein. “We are going to get the best players in the country. We are not going to settle. We are not going to take a backseat to anybody.”
In an over-15-minute conversation with Rothstein for the Inside College Basketball Now Podcast, Malone shed light on why he took the UNC job, his recruiting style and his aspirations for the Tar Heels.
Malone arrived in Chapel Hill right at the beginning of the April transfer period, describing his first few months in the job as “chaos.” On his first day, he held a press conference, met with donors, and browsed a list of possible transfers he knew nothing about.
Malone was able to land Terrence Brown, Matt Able and Neoklis Avdalas, who project to be focal points of UNC’s 2026 roster, among other talents. He also picked up fifth-year center Cameron Fens last week to fill out a team that possesses a mix of high school recruits and senior players.
All in all, Malone seemingly managed to put together a competitive roster despite having less time to focus on courting players than other coaches.
“Guys are excited,” Malone said. “You can feel the energy.”
Malone acknowledged that he will make mistakes as a college coach, since he’s long removed from his time as an assistant for four different universities over seven years in the late 1990s and early 2000s. But he’s learning quickly.
Malone said he will be prepared for the transfer portal next season after experiencing it for the first time this offseason during his first few days as coach.
Malone has also been building his 2027 and 2028 high school classes. He said he doesn’t play golf during lulls, as other coaches might, but he spends his free time in gyms looking for ways to improve his team.
While fewer programs now invest in high school prospects in favor of transfers, Malone said he is willing to bring in players of any age if he believes they can contribute immediately.
As Malone sells UNC to them, he said he can pitch his NBA experience telling them about the 2023 NBA championship he won with the Denver Nuggets, the numerous All-Stars he has coached, and the experience of teaching MVP Nikola Jokić. He can sell them on a concrete vision for reaching the NBA in a way other coaches cannot.
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“I’ve walked that walk,” he said.
Malone is UNC’s first coaching hire without previous ties to the university since Frank McGuire became the Tar Heels’ coach in 1952.
Despite the lack of previous familiarity with the program, Malone said he has bridged the gap by intently assembling a staff to maintain the university’s tradition of “excellence.” He mentioned how he retained Sean May (a 2005 NCAA championship player at UNC), Pat Sullivan (who played under program legend Dean Smith and won the 1993 NCAA title) and Eric Hoots (who’s been in Chapel Hill for over 20 years).
But Malone also added his own flavor, bringing in Chuck Martin (a close friend and former Arkansas assistant), Bryan Tibaldi (who was last at Providence) and Jorge Sanz (who arrives from Mark Few’s staff at Gonzaga with international ties as a Spanish native).
“We’ve done a really good job, as I’ve put together this staff, of connecting with the past,” Malone said, “but also bringing in new ideas from people on the outside as well.”
With his new group, Malone said he’s preached a culture of selflessness. Before keying in on winning titles, he wants fans to recognize UNC as a hard-working team, night in and day out.
Malone told his players they have to leave their NIL deals at the door and focus on improving their process each day. So far, he has felt that buy-in from players who practiced in Chapel Hill over the summer.
“This is Carolina basketball,” Malone said. “No one is bigger than the program here.”
Ultimately, Malone ultimately made the move from the NBA to college basketball because he felt his team could compete for the NCAA title every year.
After turning down the job three times, he spoke with legendary coach Roy Williams, whose passion for the Tar Heels was unmistakable.
Malone plans to keep Williams close to the program during his tenure. He hopes to build on Williams’s legacy and that of the many other iconic Tar Heels coaches.
“I love and embrace a challenge,” Malone said. “And North Carolina basketball presented an opportunity that very few people even have the chance to consider.”
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