Infomastaro

By Matt Audilet

Contributing Sports Writer

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The University of North Carolina is hiring longtime NBA coach Michael Malone as the Tar Heels' new program leader, according to multiple reports on Monday.

While Malone is not part of the "Carolina Family," he does have a strong personal tie to the university.

Malone's daughter, Bridget Malone, is a rising sophomore on the UNC volleyball team. The 54-year-old coach made an appearance with the "Carolina Insider" podcast back in October, where he discussed his interactions with Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels' basketball program.

Davis invited Malone to attend a practice session with a front row seat at the Dean E. Smith Center. Malone said he attended five or six practices before UNC tipped off its 2025-26 college basketball season.

Malone said he roots for all UNC sports teams and has "fallen in love with Chapel Hill." He also piled some heavy praise on Davis and the way he ran the program.

"The amount of love and passion he's pouring into his players every practice has really been incredible to watch," Malone said, via WRAL's Brian Murphy.

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North Carolina fired Davis after the Tar Heels' blew a 19-point, second-half lead against the No. 11 seed VCU Rams in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. That loss marked UNC's second consecutive first-round exit of the Hubert Davis coaching era.

During the same podcast appearance, Malone discussed his desire to get back into coaching.

“Next year, obviously, in my heart, in my soul, I’m a coach, I’m a teacher,” Malone, who spent part of this past NBA season as a television analyst for ESPN, said. “I would love to get back to coaching again, as long as it’s the right opportunity with the right people.”

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More Basketball: UNC’s New Coach Michael Malone Has a Strong Personal Tie to the Tar Heels

While Malone is an outside hire for North Carolina, he clearly understands the weight that comes with leading the historic program.

“My father was a high school coach in New York City. The amount of times I heard him talk about Dean Smith and Carolina, from when I was a little kid – I’ve always been a Carolina fan,” Malone added. “When [Bridget] decided to come here, that made it even that much more special, because now I’m ‘Go Heels!’ for everything."

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