By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — The word that kept coming up in describing Michael Malone’s first practices at Carolina was energy.
In the first week of official practice, returnees Jarin Stevenson, Isaiah Denis and Jaydon Young described an atmosphere on the practice floor built on pace, structure and an intensity carried over from Malone’s years as an NBA head coach in Denver.
Denis put it most directly when asked to characterize a typical session under the new staff.
“It’s very intense, an NBA-run practice,” Denis said during a Smith Center press conference on Thursday. “The intensity is high-level. He doesn’t expect you to be perfect, but if you’re having the effort and you’re showing the effort and you’re going out there and being disciplined and showing that you’re ready to work, the energy is just always intense and hot.”
That intensity has shown up in the structure of practice itself. Required shooting work now bookends every session, with assistant coaches breaking players into small groups before and after the main practice to get up extra shots.
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“That just shows you how much he wants us to work,” Denis said. “He’s instilled in us the NBA kind of work ethic and how we’re supposed to work to get to where we want to be, because most of the kids on the team, that’s their goal, to get to the NBA.”
Young, who has watched the roster turn over significantly since last season, said the difference was obvious from the beginning.
“The energy level on the very first day was kind of eye-opening, just to see the passion that he brought to it,” Young said. “He’s getting into the drills, he’s guarding, he’s doing everything, just being interactive with us. It’s kind of like he’s bringing a passion to it and a belief that he actually thinks that we can be good.”
Stevenson said Malone has “great practices.” He described a similar shift in how practice is organized compared to last season under Coach Hubert Davis, with live segments separated from teaching periods and different assistants overseeing different phases of the day.
“Different people in the coaching staff have their segments where they teach us defense and offense, and I think [Malone] does a great job in practice,” Stevenson said.
The pace on the floor has picked up as well, though all three players were quick to note that the increased tempo has not come at the expense of defensive detail. They credited Assistant Coach Pat Sullivan with reinforcing rotations and communication early, with trust as the central theme.
“Definitely play faster, but Coach Malone emphasizes defense too,” Stevenson said. “He’s been working with Coach Sully and making sure our defensive principles are good and defensive rotations are good, and just having each other’s back out there. One of the main things he emphasizes is trust, trusting each other to be in the right position, communicating, and he’s really big on defense too.”
Young attributed the shift toward a faster style less to scheme and more to personnel, saying last season’s group lacked the depth and buy-in to sustain the pace Malone wants.
“I think we tried to play fast last year, but it kind of wore down on us, rebounding and stuff like that,” Young said. “But I think this year we have the guys — the athletes. I think everyone is willing and actually wants to do what the coach is asking us to do. It’s everybody being able to get those first three steps and get out.”
Underneath the pace and structure, all three players pointed to three words that the staff has repeated since the team’s first meeting before the semester began: work, selfless and trust.
That emphasis on culture has mattered in a locker room that has welcomed a significant number of newcomers in the offseason, from freshmen to graduate transfers. Stevenson, one of the more experienced players on the roster, said the returning group has taken an active role in bringing the newcomers up to speed on what the program expects.
“It’s definitely big time at this level,” Stevenson said. “A lot of great guys, and we’re in a good conference, and so getting them good reps in practice, going over different things with them is important, and again, just getting them used to the Carolina way, I feel like, is also going to be important too.”
Young said he takes responsibility for passing along that culture seriously, having gone through the same adjustment himself as a freshman a year ago.
“Even guys like me coming in last year and being on the team with Seth Trimble and guys like that, he was bringing competitiveness every day,” Young said. “It was a leadership thing. I think it’s almost my obligation to bring it to these guys.”
All three players portrayed an atmosphere where the standard for effort, pace and accountability has been set.
| No. | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Freshman | Maximo Adams (MAX-ih-mo) | F | 6–7 | 220 |
| 30 | Freshman | Malloy Smith | G | 6–5 | 180 |
| 21 | Freshman | Sayon Keita (SIGH-on KAY-tuh) | C | 7–0 | 205 |
| 5 | Freshman | Kevin Thomas | W | 6–6 | 205 |
| 35 | Sophomore | Cade Bennerman — U | C | 7–0 | 205 |
| 17 | Sophomore | Neo Avdalas — W (NEE-oh ahv-DOLL-lus) | G | 6–9 | 220 |
| 2 | Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 185 |
| 3 | Sophomore | Matt Able — X | G | 6–5 | 200 |
| 22 | Junior | Alex Samodurov (SAH-muh-DUHR-off) | C | 6–11 | 225 |
| 1 | Senior | Terrence Brown — Y | G | 6–3 | 180 |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young (JAY-din) | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson (JARE-in) | F | 6–10 | 220 |
| 14 | Graduate | Angelo Brizzi — Z (BRIZZ-ee) | G | 6–3 | 200 |
| 54 | Graduate | Cameron Fens — V (Fenz) | C | 7–0 | 255 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 99 | Junior | John Holbrook — SA | F | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | G | 6–1 | 200 |
V — South Dakota transfer; U — Northwestern transfer; W — Virginia Tech transfer; X — N.C. State transfer; Y — Utah transfer; Z — Buffalo transfer; SA — Holbrook is a designated student-athlete, so he doesn’t count against UNC’s 15-player limit.
Coach Michael Malone’s coaching staff — Associate head coach Chuck Martin; assistant coaches Bryan Tibaldi (tih-BALL-dee), Sean May, Jorge Sanz (HOR-hey sahnth), Pat Sullivan and Brandon Robinson; Director of player development Deon Thompson.
Former players at other schools
| Player | Class | 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 | Pacific |
UNC schedule
| Date | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |
| 9 | 7 p.m. Friday, ACCN | vs. USC in Greensboro |
| 18 | 5 p.m. Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis |
| 27 | 7:30 Tuesday, ACCN Extra | vs. Charlotte |
| November | Regular season | |
| 2 | Monday | vs. Western Carolina |
| 6 | Friday | vs. Wofford |
| 10 | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming |
| 13 | Friday | vs. Georgia |
| 20 | Friday | vs. Marshall |
| 23 | Monday | vs. Monmouth |
| 27 | Friday, 7 p.m. | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte |
| December | ||
| 1 | Tuesday, 7:30, ESPN2 | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas |
| 6 | Sunday | vs. Butler |
| 12 | Saturday afternoon | at Georgetown |
| 15 | 7 p.m. Tuesday | Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro |
| 19 | 2:30 Saturday, CBS | CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York |
| 21 | Monday | vs. The Citadel |
| 30 | Wednesday | vs. California |
| January | ||
| 2 | Saturday | at Boston College |
| 5 | 7 p.m. Tuesday | at Louisville |
| 9 | Saturday | vs. N.C. State |
| 13 | Wednesday | at Florida State |
| 16 | Saturday | vs. Stanford |
| 19 | Tuesday | vs. No. 17 Virginia |
| 23 | Saturday | at Syracuse |
| 26 | Tuesday | vs. SMU |
| 30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. |
| February | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Notre Dame |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. Georgia Tech |
| 8 | Monday, 7 p.m, ESPN | vs. Louisville |
| 13 | Saturday | at No. 4 Duke |
| 20 | Saturday | at Wake Forest |
| 22 | Monday, 7 p.m, ESPN | vs. No. 24 Miami |
| 27 | Saturday | at Virginia Tech |
| March | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Pittsburgh |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. No. 4 Duke |
| 9–13 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament in Greensboro |
Photo via goheels.com
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