After blowing a 19-point lead to VCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last month, North Carolina made the move to part ways with men's basketball coach Hubert Davis. It was a move that the fanbase was calling for.
However, when you make a move like that, you want to make sure that you have an idea of where you're going to turn to for his replacement. That wasn't the case. Tommy Lloyd of Arizona and Dusty May of Michigan, two coaches in the Final Four, were often linked to the job. Instead, both are staying at their current schools, and truth be told, UNC got a lot of other coaches across the country paid. Similar to what Penn State did in the fall with the football coach after they fired James Franklin.
North Carolina hires Michael Malone as head coach
The Transfer Portal opens on Tuesday officially, and not having someone in place would set the program behind in terms of recruiting through the portal. There was some thought that Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan was a candidate for the job after the success he had at Florida. Instead, on Monday, North Carolina hired former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone in a stunning move, according to Pete Thame of ESPN.
Malone has been doing studio work for ESPN since being fired in Denver and he won a championship with the Nuggets. He is a very good coach, and he should make the transition to the college game easier than it would have been a few years ago.
In the current state of college sports with NIL and the portal, it'll be interesting to see how he handles a program GM and recruiting. It is like free agency in professional sports, but it is different in some areas. This feels like a desperate hire with the portal opening, but a big one for the ACC and North Carolina.