Mike Malone excited for ‘special’ opportunity with Tar Heels

Longtime NBA coach Mike Malone has been named as the next head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men’s basketball program following the firing of Hubert Davis after a shocking upset by the VCU Shockers in the round of 64 in the NCAA tournament.

Really thankful for this opportunity,” Malone said at his UNC introductory news conference, per ESPN. “I do not take it lightly. And people keep asking me, ‘Coach, why would you leave a chance of coaching in the NBA? You’re an NBA coach.’ We won a championship in Denver in 2023.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, but what I kept thinking about was, I had a chance to be a part of something special, the history and tradition. Be a part of something much bigger than myself. This was the only college job I ever considered. Any other job, I wouldn’t even answer the phone.”

Malone answered the phone and went on to a sign a six-year, $50 million contract, making him immediaely one of the highest paid coaches in the sport.

“I think his track record, he warrants that type of compensation,” executive associate athletic director Steve Newmark said. “And we also believe this institution and where it sits in the basketball hierarchy should be paying for what we believe is elite.”

For his part, Malone is ready to embrace the “Carolina Way.”

“I am an outsider coming into a really intimate family,” Malone said. “I have to balance — the delicate balance of — being true to the past and honoring tradition, while also having my eyes on the future. The game is always changing. And so if you see us doing things a little bit differently, it’s OK. Embrace that. It’s OK.

“… I have a tremendous amount of respect for what this program and the history that they occupy and NCAA basketball history, but we’re going to do it our way. I’m going to use people like Coach Williams, Coach Eddie Fogler, [assistant coach] Pat Sullivan — all the guys that are here — and learn from them and push forward.”