UNC Basketball Possible coaches - UNC hires ex-Nuggets HC Michael Malone

Daaaaaaaaaaaaang...

The University of North Carolina and Michael Malone have finalized a six-year deal that will pay the NBA Champion head coach an average of $ 8.3 million dollars per year, according to a source. That will make Malone the second-highest paid college basketball coach in the country behind Kansas’ Bill Self. Malone’s salary for the 2026-27 basketball season will be $7.5 million.


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Daaaaaaaaaaaaang...

The University of North Carolina and Michael Malone have finalized a six-year deal that will pay the NBA Champion head coach an average of $ 8.3 million dollars per year, according to a source. That will make Malone the second-highest paid college basketball coach in the country behind Kansas’ Bill Self. Malone’s salary for the 2026-27 basketball season will be $7.5 million.


Make It Rain Money GIF
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I have to confess that even since my post this morning calling myself a "hopeful/optimistic skeptic" I'm starting to get more and more excited and less and less skeptical. The Belichick thing being such a spectacular embarrassment is the cause of most of my skepticism, which I think is totally warranted, but the fact that Malone seems like he is going to actually target and fill out his staff with collegiate experience is making me a lot more hopeful and a bit less skeptical.
 
It’s certainly not an initially exciting hire, but I’m willing to give him a chance. If he’s smart, he will fill out the staff with experienced college assistants who have excelled in the NIL era with recruiting and teaching, along with at least one Carolina guy to make sure he understands the culture here and doesn’t make Doherty-type mistakes.
 
How likely is it that Malone lands the recruiting guru from Calipari’s staff? I think I remember Belichick going hard after someone like that from an SEC staff in his first offseason, everyone getting all excited about it, then the guy ended up staying at his current school lol.
 
i have January 15th penciled in right now for my early commentary. That should take us through the selection of coaches and players, practice, early games and about two weeks of the ACC. I hate being any hastier than I need to be but there's a limit to how long I can wait.
 
I have to confess that even since my post this morning calling myself a "hopeful/optimistic skeptic" I'm starting to get more and more excited and less and less skeptical. The Belichick thing being such a spectacular embarrassment is the cause of most of my skepticism, which I think is totally warranted, but the fact that Malone seems like he is going to actually target and fill out his staff with collegiate experience is making me a lot more hopeful and a bit less skeptical.
My sociology theory is proving correct.
 
Daaaaaaaaaaaaang...

The University of North Carolina and Michael Malone have finalized a six-year deal that will pay the NBA Champion head coach an average of $ 8.3 million dollars per year, according to a source. That will make Malone the second-highest paid college basketball coach in the country behind Kansas’ Bill Self. Malone’s salary for the 2026-27 basketball season will be $7.5 million.

Daaaaaaaaaaaaang...

The University of North Carolina and Michael Malone have finalized a six-year deal that will pay the NBA Champion head coach an average of $ 8.3 million dollars per year, according to a source. That will make Malone the second-highest paid college basketball coach in the country behind Kansas’ Bill Self. Malone’s salary for the 2026-27 basketball season will be $7.5 million.


Make It Rain Money GIF
surely this is a joke...please tell me this is a joke

no wait... this is uncle Bill redux. I just hope MM will have a winning season in his 1st year unlike uncle Bill
 
My sociology theory is proving correct.
Hey, I still maintain SOME healthy skepticism! I'm actually a bit perplexed that we are paying another yet another ball coach a $50 million contract, making him the second highest paid coach in the sport, when he has exactly zero experience coaching this particular sport of college basketball. Wake Forest hired a former Denver Nuggets head coach and it went poorly and they had to fire him. Indiana hired a former New York Knicks head coach and it went poorly and they had to fire him. I desperately hope UNC doesn't find itself in the same position in a few years.

But definitely excited to see this new era of Carolina basketball unfold and will hope for the best until given reason otherwise.
 

Agree. Really the two hires have very little in common. They both come from professional coaching with little to no experience coaching college. But that's where it ends. Big age difference, Malone doesn't bring the baggage with him, and he already seems to be taking an approach, understanding he needs to figure out how to integrate himself into the college coaching environment. And he's not an obvious splash hire, based on name recognition. Very different hires.
 
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