Tar Heels Bet on NBA Champion Michael Malone to Rebuild Storied Program

The University of North Carolina is making a bold move by bringing in Michael Malone, the coach who led the Denver Nuggets to the 2023 NBA championship, to usher in a new era for its men's basketball team. The school parted ways with Hubert Davis after five seasons, during which he succeeded Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams. Now, the 55-year-old Malone is charged with revitalizing a program that has failed to sustain consistent progress under Davis.

UNC is projected to finish fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference, underscoring the challenges ahead. Malone, who spent 10 seasons coaching the Nuggets and also had a two-year head coaching stint with Sacramento in the NBA, becomes the first leader of the program without prior ties as a UNC player or assistant since Frank McGuire, who coached from 1952 to 1961 before Dean Smith took over.

Roster Outlook

The Tar Heels will rely on several key returners and newcomers. Senior forward Jarin Stevenson, a 6-foot-10, 220-pound Alabama transfer, is the team's top returning scorer at 8.1 points per game. He arrived with the ability to stretch the floor, though he connected on just 29.5% of his 3-point attempts last season. Sophomore guard/forward Neo Avdalas, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound transfer from Virginia Tech, brings playmaking potential with size; he averaged 12.1 points and 4.5 assists last year and posted two 30-point games for the Hokies.

Sophomore guard Matt Able, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound transfer from rival N.C. State, averaged 8.8 points and shot 35.5% from beyond the arc off the bench. Able performed well at the NBA combine last summer before withdrawing to take on a leading role with the Tar Heels. Freshman forward Caleb Wilson averaged 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds before injuries cut his season short; he later became the No. 4 overall pick in the NBA draft.

UNC also lost reliable post presence Henri Veesaar, a 7-footer who averaged 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds, and senior guard Seth Trimble, who transferred to Louisville. The Tar Heels have assembled 247Sports' No. 9-ranked transfer class, headlined by Avdalas, Able, and Utah guard Terrence Brown (19.9 points per game last year). The top freshman arrivals are McDonald's All-American forward Maximo Adams and Sayon Keita, a lean 6-foot-11 forward known for his length and athleticism.

Schedule and Recent History

Malone's tenure opens at home against Western Carolina on Nov. 2. The nonconference slate features a game against West Virginia on Nov. 27, a visit from No. 12 Arkansas on Dec. 1, and a neutral-court matchup with No. 23 Kentucky on Dec. 19. League play begins Dec. 30 at home against California, and the ACC schedule includes the annual two-game series with second-ranked rival Duke on Feb. 13 and March 6.

The Tar Heels have lost at least eight games in each of the past seven seasons, a stretch of futility not seen since the 1948-49 through 1954-55 campaigns. They have reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament only once in the last four seasons and dropped their final three games to close out the Davis era.

Originally reported by yourvalley_net.