It has been a few weeks since North Carolina hired former NBA coach Michael Malone, a move that stunned almost everyone.
It caught many off guard because it seemed to come out of left field. The Tar Heels were believed to be focused on college coaches and then-Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan, while Malone’s name usually surfaced first whenever an NBA job opened.
Given the surprise and the way UNC’s football coaching search played out, many compared Malone’s hiring to Bill Belichick’s.
On the surface, the comparison makes sense. Both were successful professional coaches, and both hirings came together quickly. But that is where the similarities end.
Here is why UNC’s hiring of Malone is nothing like its hiring of Belichick.
When Belichick was hired, it wasn’t an actual coaching search. Then–athletic director Bubba Cunningham was trying to conduct a legitimate search but was hijacked by John Preyer and the UNC Board of Trustees and forced to hire Belichick.
Belichick’s early moves at UNC quickly shaped how his tenure was viewed. He hired close friend Michael Lombardi as general manager, who famously called UNC the “33rd NFL team.”
He also added two of his sons as assistant coaches and filled out the staff with longtime associates. While Steve, UNC’s defensive coordinator, has had some success as a defensive play-caller at both the college and pro levels, many of the hires had little or no college experience.
UNC quarterbacks coach Matt Lombardi, Michael’s son, had never been a full-time quarterbacks coach, and it showed. UNC had one of the worst passing offenses in the country, finishing 109th nationally out of 130 teams and last in the ACC. Most of the blame fell on former offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens, but Lombardi is responsible for developing the quarterbacks.
Belichick also dismissed several people in the department during the transfer portal window. When he realized how vital they were to keeping the operation organized — and how much work they actually did — he reversed course and brought them back.
Then there constant distraction of Belichick’s girlfriend, Jordan Hudson. This isn’t TMZ so let’s stick to sports.
Malone, by contrast, was hired after a lengthy but methodical coaching search and has taken a very different approach from Belichick from his first day on the job.
Instead of clearing house, Malone immediately kept key members of the existing UNC staff, including Sean May and Pat Sullivan, and emphasized assistants with deep college backgrounds. He hired the highly regarded Chuck Martin, considered one of the top assistant coaches and recruiters in college basketball.
He’s also been deliberate about roster construction. The Tar Heels have added Matt Able, Neoklis Avdalas and Terrence Brown to strengthen their backcourt while bringing back key contributors from last season, including Jarin Stevenson. They are still looking to add more players and to retain Henri Veesaar, who is still deciding whether to enter the NBA draft.
Belichick and his staff, meanwhile, chose to tear the roster down to the studs. They brought in 70 new players — 40 of them after spring camp. The result was predictable: a team with little chemistry that stumbled to a 4-8 finish. And it bears repeating: they added 70 new players because they chose to, not because circumstances demanded it.
Despite being abruptly fired by the Denver Nuggets after a 50-win 2024-25 season, just two years after delivering the franchise’s only championship, Malone spent the year as an ESPN analyst and was linked to NBA openings in Orlando and New Orleans.
Confident he would be a top candidate wherever he went, he initially turned down Carolina several times before finally relenting as athletic director Steve Newmark won him over in each conversation.
From the outset, his hire was seen as a way to position himself for another NFL job after the league showed little interest. Belichick is widely believed to blame Patriots owner Bob Kraft for sabotaging his Falcons chance, prompting Belichick and UNC to bar Patriots scouts from the premises.
Of course, that question will constantly linger with Malone, but there is little indication he is using UNC as a placeholder to get back to the NBA, and he doesn’t need to.
Moreover, Malone is 54, one year younger than Hubert Davis and only three years older than Lloyd. He is nowhere close to the end of his coaching career, unlike Belichick who just turned 74 years old on April 16 and has accomplished more than most NFL coaches ever. Just ask him to show you his six Super Bowl rings, more than any other head coach in the history of the NFL.