One month ago today, UNC was at a pivotal point in the 2025-26 season. They were preparing for the ACC Tournament in hopes of not only padding their NCAA Tournament resume, but to win the ACC Tournament Championship. It was going to be a tough task considering the fact that Duke was playing as well as they were, and Caleb Wilson was not walking through the door to save them when their backs were against the wall. Still, this team was capable of doing more than they did in both the ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournaments,
but after getting immediately bounced from both events, Hubert Davis was relieved of his head coaching duties.
There were a lot of feelings about what happened following the loss against VCU. There were a number of fans that were over it and was relieved that UNC decided to make the decision that they felt like needed to be made. There were also fans that felt like Davis did not deserve to lose his job, and that perhaps more money or better talent management would’ve helped improve the 2026-27 roster. Regardless of where you may fall on the spectrum, ultimately Davis was out, and the head coaching search that lasted roughly two weeks.
There were a lot of reports that Tommy Lloyd, Dusty May, and Billy Donovan were the primary candidates in UNC’s search. While there was probably some truth to that, ultimately what happened is that Arizona gave Lloyd everything he wanted to get him to stay, May decided he was staying in Michigan without having to be incentivized to do so, and Donovan’s loyalty to finish his job in Chicago meant that UNC was not going to have any idea of what he had planned for his future until the NBA regular season was over. Fans began to stress out. Former UNC player Antawn Jamison admitted that former players were texting him freaking out about the guys that the school missed out on. Things looked a bit bleak, but then it was announced that the Tar Heels were hiring former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone to take over.
During Malone’s press conference, he said all the right things to fans, faculty, and current/former players. His passion for the game is undeniable, and he has the kind of coaching philosophy that whether intentional or not resembles Roy Williams’ as far as what he expects out of his players. Most importantly, it feels like he gets it. His father was a huge Carolina fan, his daughter plays volleyball for the school, Malone himself has followed the basketball team, and he has stayed connected with Carolina players that he coached over the years. He admitted he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know, but he wants to learn and be a part of the Carolina culture. He wants to be a part of the Carolina family.
Then there was the hire from yesterday — it was announced that Malone is bringing in former Arkansas assistant coach Chuck Martin, who spent the last two seasons working with John Calipari. It’s the only move we’re aware of so far by Malone, but it is also a really good move. Far better than bringing in several NBA guys like someone else we know from the football side of things would’ve done. It feels like the Michael Malone experiment in theory could work, but seeing how things work in practice will have to wait until November when the regular season begins.
But with all that said, the question of the day is: how are you feeling about the trajectory of the program considering how things played out over the last month? Do you feel optimistic after his presser and hearing so many former players rave about him? Are you concerned that his NBA coaching skills will not translate to the college game? Or more importantly, do you feel like the NIL/transfer portal situation will not be something he will be able to adapt to? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
