By R.L. Bynum
Michael Malone reportedly is about to complete his first coaching staff at North Carolina.
Jorge Sanz, who spent eight seasons at Gonzaga as an assistant coach and director of basketball operations, is leaving the Zags and will join the UNC staff, according to a Thursday Spokesman-Review report.
Sanz didn’t confirm his next destination publicly, but he posted a farewell message on X (formerly Twitter) addressing his departure from Gonzaga.
“Eight seasons ago, I was given the incredible opportunity to become part of something truly special,” he wrote, adding that “this program has shaped me in more ways than I can express, and my family and I will forever be proud to have represented this institution.”
Although Carolina hasn’t made any official announcements on Malone’s staff, previous additions have included Chuck Martin and Bryan Tibaldi, with Sean May and Pat Sullivan retained from Hubert Davis’ staff. Deon Thompson is expected to be a graduate assistant, and Brandon Robinson to be in a support staff position.
Sanz first arrived at Gonzaga in 2018 after working as a video coordinator and assistant coach at Florida Atlantic. He was promoted to director of basketball operations in 2019, then elevated to a full assistant coaching role in 2023 alongside Zach Norvell Jr. In that expanded capacity, Sanz took on a larger hand in game preparation and recruiting.
A native of Zaragoza, Spain, Sanz became a critical piece of the Zags’ European recruiting network after former assistant Tommy Lloyd left for the Arizona head coaching job. Sanz played a central role in landing point guard Mario Saint-Supery out of Spain last year, and he was instrumental in the program’s pursuit of Arizona State transfer center Massamba Diop as well as Real Madrid forward Izan Almansa, who committed to Gonzaga in May.
Beyond recruiting, Sanz also built Gonzaga’s nonconference schedule, coordinating primarily with the mid- and low-major programs that visit Gonzaga. Sanz helped integrate advanced analytics into the program’s game planning and worked as an assistant coach on Spanish national youth teams, including a run to a silver medal at the 2022 FIBA U-17 World Cup.
That range of experience, spanning roster construction, data-driven strategy and international scouting, lines up closely with the kind of staff Malone appears to be building as he adapts an NBA background to the demands of the modern college game.
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Photo via @CoachJorgeSanz
