Covering Carolina sports beyond just men's basketball and football — with the most complete women's basketball coverage
After spending freshman season at West Virginia, former UNC guard Jonathan Powell is transferring to Pittsburgh, the Mountaineers’ arch rival. Powell made the announcement in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday evening. It was Pitt’s second commitment of the day after former BYU forward Dominique Diomande committed to the Panthers.
Among Carolina’s transfer-portal targets is a 6–9 guard with a fascinating skill set. Neoklis Avdalas arrived at Virginia Tech from Kalamata, Greece, as the second-highest-rated recruit in program history with an international résumé and the belief that his size-plus-creation package could translate quickly in the ACC.
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.
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.
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:
Sophomore guard Elina Aarnisalo has reportedly become the third UNC women’s player to enter the transfer portal. Talia Goodman of On3 reported Wednesday morning that Aarnisalo, according to her sources, has entered the transfer portal with a “do not contact” tag.
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.
