Bogavac enters transfer portal after only one season at UNC

Luka Bogavac is entering the transfer portal after only one season at Carolina, according to multiple reports. The 6–6 Montenegrin made the decision on Saturday, just days after telling TarHeel247 that he was staying. The UNC players had meetings with Coach Michael Malone later in the week, though, and that could explain the change.

Former Notre Dame guard Haralson has UNC on his final three list

Former Notre Dame combo guard Jalen Haralson has drawn plenty of interest since announcing on April 2 that he would enter the transfer portal. CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported Saturday that Haralson has cut his list to North Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio State in a race for one of the most productive freshmen to hit the portal this cycle.

Versatile former Oklahoma State post player Akot commits to Carolina

After a breakout junior season at Oklahoma State, forward Achol Akot committed to North Carolina on Friday during a visit to Chapel Hill. Akot, who played her first two seasons at UCF, announced the decision on her Instagram account late Friday night. The versatile 6–1 forward will help fill the void left by the loss of senior forward Nyla Harris.

Shot-blocking Alabama center Sherrell one UNC transfer portal target

One of North Carolina’s first transfer-portal swings under Coach Michael Malone has taken aim at a shot-blocker with SEC production and an already familiar face in Carolina blue. Multiple reports have indicated that UNC has been in contact with Alabama sophomore center Aiden Sherrell, a 6–11 big man who emerged as one of the league’s most disruptive interior defenders while averaging 11.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.

Malone was on path to being Secret Service agent before Gillen offered him coaching job

Michael Malone was on track to become a Secret Service agent when a low-paying, entry-level college job set him on the path to coaching stardom. That’s one of the interesting stories from a 2020 NBA.com interview with his late father, Brendan Malone, an accomplished coach who was instrumental in developing the “Jordan rules” during his days on the Detroit Pistons coaching staff.

Former UNC guard Lanie Grant commits to TCU

Eight days after announcing that she would enter the transfer portal, former UNC guard Lanie Grant has committed to TCU. She made the announcement Thursday night in an X post, saying she was going, “Where the West begins.” Grant nearly entered the portal last offseason but changed her mind.

Nuggets fans celebrate date of Malone’s bold move in 2016 to start Jokić as ‘Jokmas’

Nikola Jokić’s rise to stardom began with what seemed like a bold coaching move at the time by Michael Malone. Jokić was a second-round pick and was playing behind first-round pick Jusuf Nurkić when the Denver Nuggets’ coach went against conventional NBA logic in a decision that reshaped the franchise and Jokić’s career.

Malone expected to make Chuck Martin, noted as excellent recruiter, his associate head coach

Michael Malone’s first North Carolina staff move is a familiar one for anyone who has tracked John Calipari’s recruiting machine over the past two decades. Arkansas assistant Chuck Martin, the Razorbacks’ recruiting coordinator and one of Calipari’s long-trusted lieutenants, is expected to join Malone in Chapel Hill as UNC’s associate head coach, according to multiple reports on Wednesday.

Five reasons why Michael Malone isn’t ‘Bill Belichick 2.0’

With North Carolina introducing Michael Malone as its head basketball coach, the parallels to football coach Bill Belichick are obvious: both arrived in Chapel Hill as professional champions with zero college head-coaching experience. While the comparison is tempting, it’s ultimately inaccurate. With Malone now in place and having “won” his introductory press conference, it’s increasingly clear that, despite surface-level similarities, these two hires are fundamentally different. Here are five reasons why: