North Carolina has reportedly found its next head coach after an almost three-week search. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the Tar Heels are expected to hire former Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone.
“North Carolina intends to hire longtime NBA coach Michael Malone as the school’s next basketball coach,” Thamel wrote Monday on X. “He’s an NBA Championship coach with the Denver Nuggets from the 2022-23 season and has won 510 games as an NBA head coach.”
With Malone apparently heading to Chapel Hill, everyone will be eager to find out what North Carolina’s biggest rival, Duke, thinks about this hiring decision.
Mike Krzyzewski Likes North Carolina’s Decision
Fortunately for everyone, Duke’s legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski was on ESPN’s Pat McAfee show just as the news broke about North Carolina’s interest in hiring Malone. The five-time national championship-winning head coach expressed his support for the decision.
“Mike is a terrific coach and a terrific guy,” Krzyzewski said.
Malone is highly regarded in the basketball world as a great coach and someone players aspire to play for. This is likely a significant reason why North Carolina wanted him to lead its program.
Krzyzewski Thinks Other Schools Should Follow The Same Approach
One of the reasons the Tar Heels were excited about the prospect of Malone was the shift happening in their athletic program. In the winter of 2024, North Carolina’s football team welcomed six-time Super Bowl champion head coach Bill Belichick, and now it is aiming for the same success by pursuing an NBA championship-winning coach like Malone.
North Carolina seems to be shifting its program toward a more professional approach, and Krzyzewski believes every school should follow suit.
“Whatever the reason is, maybe there’s a chance that they now have two pro coaches coaching at a college,” Krzyzewski added. “The structure of their athletic program is going to focus more on a pro organization, which I believe everyone should be doing more of.”
Krzyzewski Took a Playful Jab at Belichick
Hopefully, Malone will have better success than Belichick did in his first year at North Carolina. Belichick ended up with a 4-8 record during his time with the Tar Heels, and even Krzyzewski couldn’t resist taking a playful jab at him.
“Well, they had an NFL champion hired as the coach, and Duke beat Carolina in football last year, that doesn’t mean coach Belichick isn’t a great coach. There is time for adjustments,” Krzyzewski said.
Duke indeed defeated North Carolina on the football field and clinched the ACC title, a feat many Blue Devil fans didn’t expect. The only thing Duke didn’t do was make the College Football Playoffs, but it should’ve likely been in the field.
North Carolina is making a significant splash with its recent coaching hires in both football and basketball. Naturally, the focus will be even more intense on the basketball program, especially given the spotlight on its size.
The biggest challenge for Malone and the Tar Heels next season is how they will handle Duke, which has claimed back-to-back ACC championships and is one of the top programs in college basketball.
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