Going a non-traditional route to find their next head men's basketball coach, the North Carolina Tar Heels landed on longtime NBA boss Michael Malone.
Winning over 500 games during his time with the Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets, including the 2023 NBA Championship, Malone hopes to bring that same success in his first run coaching college ball.
During a Tuesday interview with college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, Malone revealed the differences between evaluating collegiate and NBA talent.
“It was definitely a transition," Malone said via InsideCarolina's Spencer Haskell. "I use the term "I’ve had to train my eyes." "I was in Mishawaka, Indiana, and I’m looking at these players, some of the highest rated players in the country and Chuck
Martin says, "Coach, you gotta remember Jamaal Murray’s not here, Nikola Jokic isn’t here, and you have to get used to that, these kids are 16 or 17 years old." "Once I was able to adjust my eyes and realize I have to take these players for who they are in this moment and evaluate them on that, while also having the ability to look forward, to look at the potential that they have and help them, that’s the one advantage I think I have."
If you watch a lot of pro basketball, you likely recognize the names Jokic and Murray, two NBA All-Stars Malone was crucial in developing. In addition to three NBA MVP awards, Jokic was also the 2023 Finals MVP.
At UNC, Malone's first high school recruiting class includes Maximo Adams, Kevin Thomas Jr. and Malloy Smith. Malone landed a pair of international stars in Sayon Keia and Alexandros Samodurov, plus a loaded transfers portal with experienced starters like Terrence Brown.
"As we recruit players to this program, we want to bring in guys that understand, are truly selfless in everything they do and understand that this is Carolina basketball," Malone continued. "No one is bigger than the program here.”
Tar Heel Nation already knew Malone's strong ability to evaluate NBA talent, which quickly translated over to high school and collegiate prospects. How excited are you for Year One of the Malone era?
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Michael Malone details difference in NBA and collegiate talent evals
