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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.
Jaydon Young will return for his senior season at North Carolina. On Monday, Young posted on Instagram an On3 report that he intended to enter the transfer portal, but On3’s Joe Tipton reported on Friday night that he withdraw his name and will return. That reduces the number of Tar Heels in the transfer portal to six.
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.
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.
If a Carolina player wanted to “Be Like Mike,” Tar Heels coach Michael Malone would undoubtedly be delighted if they played like Michael Jordan. Just don’t call him Mike.
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.
Michael Malone got overwhelming support from the coach who succeeded him with the Denver Nuggets and the star that helped him win an NBA title. Nuggets head coach David Adelman, who succeeded Malone late in the 2024–25 season, said he was happy to hear the news that Malone was becoming North Carolina’s 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.
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:
CHAPEL HILL — Michael Malone knows well how tough the coaching profession can be because he was fired from his previous job with the Denver Nuggets. Taking over for Hubert Davis, it wasn’t hard for him to feel bad for the coach who welcomed him to practices last season and was so gracious.
CHAPEL HILL — No matter how deep you go in No. 6 North Carolina’s bullpen, the pitchers have consistently done the job. Even while resting two of the Tar Heels’ best relievers, that was the case until a late hiccup on Tuesday in an 8–4 victory over Charlotte at Boshamer Stadium for the Tar Heels’ eighth victory in nine games.
CHAPEL HILL — Michael Malone’s Denver Nuggets were known for torrid defense, and he says that it will be the cornerstone of how North Carolina will play under his leadership.
CHAPEL HILL — Steve Newmark refused to take no for an answer, and by the time he left Michael Malone’s house on Easter Sunday, the University of North Carolina’s search for its next men’s basketball coach had its turning point.
CHAPEL HILL — Here is Michael Malone’s contract to be UNC’s men’s basketball coach, which will pay him $50 million over six years, averaging $8.33 million per season.
CHAPEL HILL — Bill Belichick was grinning as if he had just won another Super Bowl. That is how North Carolina offensive lineman Christo Kelly remembers it. Kelly and a teammate were walking toward class when they spotted their coach coming the other direction, clipboard in hand, smiling wide enough to stop them in their tracks.
