Why Michigan Should Be The Template For New North Carolina Coach Mike Malone

DENVER, CO - APRIL 6: Head Coach Michael Malone claps on the sidelines during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Ball Arena on April 6, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) Getty Images Mike Malone has never been a college head coach and admitted at his introductory press conference Tuesday at North Carolina that he still has “a lot to learn.

” Malone, who reportedly agreed to a 6-year, $50 million deal to take over the Blue Blood program as his first college head coaching job, was asked about his approach to roster-construction in the era of NIL and the transfer portal. “Obviously there’s a lot to learn and I’m going to surround myself with the best people possible to get a grasp on it so we can attack it,” said the 54-year-old Queens, N. Y.

native. With more than 1,700 players already in the portal as of Tuesday night, Malone and GM Jim Tanner need look no further than newly-minted national champion Michigan as a shining example of what the portal can do for a tradition-rich program. The Wolverines, after all, won the program’s first NCAA championship since 1989 on Monday night while starting five transfers.

“I think they did a really good job of putting five or four transfers, or five players on the court at all times that are really good at passing the ball,” Michigan point guard Elliot Cadeau, who transferred out of North Carolina last year, said ahead of winning Most Outstanding Player honors at the Final Four. "And I think they knew that when they were recruiting all of us. “Just having five people on the court that are all playmakers and also great scorers just helps us have connectivity on the court, for sure.