North Carolina knew what it was getting when it brought in Michael Malone: a proven winner, a former NBA head coach, and a name that can open doors in recruiting. What the Tar Heels also get is a crash course in just how different college basketball really is.
That difference is the challenge staring Malone in the face now. In the NBA, coaching is the job.
In college, coaching is only part of the job, and sometimes not even the biggest part. Malone has already pointed to that shift as the biggest thing he has had to adjust to since taking over at UNC.
“I’ve been asked that question many times in the last four or five months, and the easiest way I could answer that would be in the NBA all you do is coach. It’s all basketball.
In college, the last thing you get to do is coach. You’re doing so many other things to kind of build your program.
“I understood that. You know, I’d coached in college many years ago before going to the NBA, but that’s one thing I’ve realized the last five months from recruiting to fundraising, to relationships, and then when you get the hours on the court with guys like Jarin and Neo to pour into them and help them develop and get to practice and now we have a game on Friday night, our first exhibition game, that is my happy place, when you finally get a chance to do what you love and teach and develop and help pour into these guys,” Malone said, per FanSided.
That quote gets right to the heart of the job. North Carolina can sell Malone’s championship pedigree, and it can lean on the resources the program has put toward the roster and other avenues. That should give the Tar Heels a real shot in recruiting battles.
But landing players is only the start. The expectation around UNC is that plenty of the newcomers will be ready to contribute right away, yet development still matters. Even the most polished players need refinement, and that part of the process can’t disappear just because a roster is built with instant impact in mind.
Malone is not walking into this blindly. He’s been around college before, and unlike Bill Belichick, whose struggles with the football program are familiar to many North Carolina fans, Malone brings a different personality to the role. He’s described as a no-drama coach, the kind of guy focused on winning and not much else.
That’s a promising fit on paper. Still, as Malone has already learned, the college game asks for far more than the NBA ever did.
In Other News...
UNC Faces A Defining Final Road Test Before Coming Home
Carolina field hockey is nearing the end of a three-week road trip, and the last stop away from home brings a useful measuring stick before the team heads back to Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels will see Saint Josephs first, then No. 17 Liberty, with the trip giving them one more chance to sharpen things after a recent 3-0 win over No. 16 Louisville showed how dangerous they can look against ranked opposition.
The timing matters because these final road games also fold into a stretch that has already featured familiar history and a chance to stack results before the schedule turns again. Carolina has leaned on players like Charly Bruder, whose career scoring total has become part of the teams offensive backbone, and now the question is whether that balance can carry over one more weekend before the Tar Heels finally come home. [Read more 🡒]
UNC May Have Found A Passing Weapon Defenses Cant Ignore
Jelani Thurmans first month at North Carolina has given the Tar Heels something they can build on in the passing game. After arriving from Ohio State this season, the tight end has quickly settled in as a steady presence for quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., averaging four catches per game through four games and already topping his career receiving yardage from his time with the Buckeyes.
For a North Carolina offense looking for reliable options, Thurmans early chemistry with Edwards has stood out. He has become the kind of consistent target defenses have to account for, and his role gives the Tar Heels a flexible weapon at tight end as they keep sorting out where the passing game can gain the most traction. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Freshman Sayon Keita Is Forcing His Way Into A Bigger Role
Sayon Keita did not arrive in Chapel Hill with much time to settle in, but the 7-foot freshman center has already made himself hard to ignore. The Mali native came over from FC Barcelonas system in Spain shortly before the semester started, then quickly began showing the kind of size and skill package that can change a frontcourt conversation for North Carolina.
Michael Malone has been encouraged enough by Keitas transition to a new country and a new college game to believe he can push for meaningful minutes right away. Keita reclassified to join the Tar Heels this season after committing on April 28, and the only real question now is how quickly his game translates once the competition for playing time tightens. [Read more 🡒]