By R.L. Bynum
Can North Carolina make a splashy hire and lure two-time national championship coach Billy Donovan away from the Chicago Bulls with the help of another recent high-profile hire?
There are many factors at play, but with UNC reportedly turning its focus to Donovan, it could be helpful that he is a longtime friend of Tar Heels football coach Bill Belichick.
Belichick showed up at Chicago’s United Center in late January 2025 for a Bulls game with General Manager Mike Lombardi, less than two months after taking the UNC job.
Donovan, who won back-to-back national championships at Florida in 2006 and 2007, is finishing his sixth season as Chicago Bulls coach and 11th in the NBA.
“We just maintained contact for a pretty long period of time, so he just texted me that he was going to be in town and wanted to come by and say hello,” Donovan said at the time in a Boston.com story. “So, he came by before the game and waited until after the game to talk for a little bit.”
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They first crossed paths during offseason coaching clinics and charity events. Both men had reputations for detail-oriented systems, and both valued adaptability in ways that often went unnoticed by casual observers.
Donovan said Belichick spoke to “several of our teams” during the Florida years, and he mentioned the way Belichick’s scouting calendar brought him around Gainesville, Fla., during pro day, during a busy time for the Patriots and for Florida’s basketball program.
Over time, what began as professional respect grew into something closer to friendship, sustained through phone calls, text messages and the occasional visit when schedules allowed.
Donovan has repeatedly described Belichick as a close and longstanding presence in his professional life, dating back to his years at Florida.
“He was really gracious with his time with me when I was at Florida,” Donovan told the Chicago Sun-Times. “We’ve maintained contact for a long time. He’s been a good friend.”
Belichick’s transition into a new phase of his career has also drawn public comments from Donovan, who emphasized the independence and clarity Belichick brings to his decision-making.
“I’m sure he knows very well what he wants to do and how he wants to do it,” Donovan told Boston.com.
Donovan has also pointed to the value of their conversations over the years, particularly in sustaining success across different environments.
“I was fortunate,” Donovan said. “We got a chance to spend a lot of time talking about that.”
Belichick has offered respect from his side, too, and he did it years before any conversation about Donovan returning to college was rumored.
In 2014, while watching Florida in the NCAA tournament, Belichick told Yahoo Sports that he and Donovan talked “a lot,” and he praised Donovan’s ability to motivate, teach fundamentals and build teams with coherence.
“He’s a great motivator, a great fundamental coach,” Belichick said, adding that Donovan was “great with scheme and team stuff.”
While Donovan has not publicly addressed the North Carolina opening directly, his history in college basketball and his continued connection to one of the most accomplished coaches in professional sports, who is now at UNC, provide context as speculation continues.
For now, Donovan has kept his focus on the Bulls as Carolina’s search continues.
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| No./ Stars | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 star | Freshman | Maximo Adams | SF | 6–7 | 205 |
| 3 star | Freshman | Malloy Smith | CG | 6–5 | 190 |
| 5 star | Freshman | Sayon Keita | C | 7–0 | 215 |
| 4 star | Freshman | Kevin Thomas | W | 6–7 | 190 |
| Freshman | Alexandros Samodurov | C | 6–11 | 212 | |
| RS freshman | Cade Bennerman — W | C | 7–0 | 205 | |
| Sophomore | Neoklis Avdalas — X | G | 6–9 | 215 | |
| Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 180 | |
| Sophomore | Matt Able — Y | G | 6–5 | 196 | |
| 1 | Senior | Terrence Brown — Z | G | 6–3 | 174 |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson | 4 | 6–10 | 215 |
| Graduate | Angelo Brizzi — ZZ | 2 | 6–3 | 193 | |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 25 | Junior | John Holbrook — SA | 4 | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | 2 | 6–1 | 195 |
W — Northwestern transfer; X — Virginia Tech transfer; Y — ZZ N.C. State transfer; Z — Utah transfer; ZZ — Buffalo transfer; SA — Holbrook is a designated student-athlete, so he doesn’t count against UNC’s 15-player limit.
Michael Malone’s coaching staff: Chuck Martin, Bryan Tibaldi, Sean May and Pat Sullivan; Deon Thompson will be a graduate assistant, and Brandon Robinson will reportedly have a support staff position.
Players who left for the transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Bogavac | Senior | W | 6–6 | 215 | Oklahoma State |
| James Brown | Senior | C | 6–10 | 240 | Howard |
| Derek Dixon | Sophomore | G | 6–5 | 200 | Arizona |
| Kyan Evans | Senior | G | 6–2 | 175 | Minnesota |
| Zayden High | Junior | C | 6–10 | 230 | South Florida |
| Jonathan Powell | Junior | G | 6–6 | 190 | Pittsburgh |
| Ivan Matlekovic | Junior | C | 7–0 | 255 |
Schedule revealed so far
| Date | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| October | ||
| 18 | Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis (exhibition) |
| November | ||
| 2 | Monday | vs. Western Carolina |
| 6 | Friday | vs. Wofford |
| 10 | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming |
| 13 | Friday | vs. Georgia |
| 20 | Friday | vs. Marshall |
| 27 | Friday | vs. West Virginia in Charlotte |
| December | ||
| 1 | Tuesday | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas |
| 6 | Sunday | vs. Butler |
| 12 | Saturday | at Georgetown |
| 15 | Tuesday (date tentative) | vs. N.C. State in Greensboro |
| 19 | 2:30 Saturday | CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York |
| 21 | Monday | vs. The Citadel |
| January | ||
| 30 | Saturday | vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. |
ACC games
Home and away: Duke and Louisville
Home only: California, Georgia Tech, Miami, N.C. State, SMU, Stanford and Virginia
Away only: Boston College, Florida State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest
Photo via nba.com
