UNC hiring former Nuggets NBA champion as next head coach
The North Carolina Tar Heels have reportedly filled their head coaching vacancy.
UNC hiring former Nuggets NBA champion as next head coach originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . North Carolina’s search for a new head coach following Hubert Davis’ firing is officially over, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Per a tweet from Thamel , the Tar Heels are hiring a former Denver Nuggets NBA champion coach to replace Davis in Chapel Hill. “Sources: North Carolina intends to hire longtime NBA coach Michael Malone as the school’s next basketball coach,” Thamel reported Monday. “He’s an NBA Championship coach with the Denver Nuggets from the 2022-23 season and has won 510 games as an NBA head coach.
” North Carolina’s decision to bring Malone on board is interesting, to say the least. While the 54-year-old began his coaching career at the collegiate ranks, he’s spent the majority of his time in the NBA. Most recently, Malone enjoyed a successful four-year tenure with the Nuggets, which included an impressive NBA Finals victory over the then-Jimmy Butler-led Miami Heat.
Will Malone, who’s never been a college basketball head coach, thrive at a level that’s changing at a rapid pace due to new NIL rules and regulations? Perhaps, but it’s a bit shocking that the Tar Heels didn’t look in a different direction with several high-profile options on the table. The expectations at North Carolina are higher than the average high-major program, forcing Malone to quickly find his footing and lead the Tar Heels back to the promised land.