Up next in 10
Introductory press conference for #UNC coach Michael Malone
Apr 7, 2026
Introductory press conference for #UNC coach Michael Malone
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:10
Heat. Heat.
0:35
Okay, we're going to get started with
0:36
Chancellor Roberts.
0:40
>> Good evening.
0:42
Thank you all for being here. Appreciate
0:44
you joining us. Welcome to the
0:46
University of North Carolina at Chapel
0:49
Hill.
0:52
I think most people here would agree
0:54
there is no more important home for
0:56
college basketball than Chapel Hill,
1:00
North Carolina.
1:02
The heart of college basketball beats
1:05
here.
1:07
That's been true for at least 70 years,
1:12
and we're going to keep it that way. Our
1:24
job, our mission
1:26
for me and Bubba and Steve and now for
1:29
Coach Malone
1:31
is to make sure that the best days of
1:33
this legendary program
1:37
lie ahead.
1:40
We're delighted to welcome
1:43
Michael and Jocelyn here to Chapel Hill,
1:45
but they're already members of the Tar
1:48
Hill family.
1:52
They've been wonderful parents,
1:54
supporters, and fans. We're overjoyed
1:59
that they're here.
2:02
I really want to thank Steve Newark and
2:04
Bubba Cunningham for their work on the
2:05
search and also our board chair Malcolm
2:09
Turner, the incoming Brands Club chair
2:13
Ron Moore and of course Tar Hill legend
2:16
Antoine Jameson all of whom spent
2:19
significant time and effort on the
2:21
search.
2:24
Some of you know that our commencement
2:26
speaker is Eric Church,
2:29
singer, songwriter,
2:32
massive target sportsman.
2:36
Eric Church has a lyric that goes,
2:39
"Most days in life won't matter,
2:42
but life's about the days that will."
2:46
I'm confident that in the long and noble
2:49
history of our men's basketball program,
2:53
this is a day that will matter for
2:55
decades to come. Thank you all again for
2:58
being here. I'll turn it over to Bo. Go.
3:10
Thank you very much, Chancellor Roberts.
3:12
Thank you all for being here. is a great
3:14
day to be at Target. I would like to
3:17
thank an awful lot of people. So,
3:20
chancellor has already mentioned the
3:21
search committee that has been such a
3:22
big part of the last couple of weeks and
3:25
identifying incredible talent and
3:27
landing a great coach for Carolina.
3:31
There are a number of other advisors
3:33
throughout the process, former players,
3:36
coach Williams, and many that provide
3:38
important feedback and perspective
3:41
during this entire process. and we thank
3:43
them very much for their effort and
3:45
their time that they put into this. I
3:48
want to thank Chad Chhatlos from Turnkey
3:50
CRG Partners and his assistance in the
3:52
search process as well. And then I have
3:55
a lot more thank you to folks in the
3:57
university and I want to go through them
3:59
by name because they put this entire
4:01
event for together for us today. Our
4:04
system office president Peter Hans has
4:06
been instrumental in this process. Our
4:09
board of trustees, as mentioned, led by
4:10
Mountain Turner. Absolutely fabulous.
4:13
Plus the rest of the trustees have been
4:15
very helpful in the process. Chancellor
4:17
Roberts, thank you for entrusting this
4:19
search to myself and to Steve. We really
4:22
appreciate your leadership and the
4:24
direction that you have provided as
4:25
well. In the chancellor's office,
4:28
there's many people that have helped.
4:30
Chris Mccclure, Nick Kupan, Christy
4:32
Herd, and Dean Stoyer. Thank you for all
4:35
your hard work and dedication on behalf
4:37
of the university. From the general
4:39
counsel's office, Paul Newton and Marlo
4:42
Bowman have been instrumental in getting
4:44
things to the finish line as well. And
4:46
to our athletic department staff, Shawn
4:49
May, Eric Hoots, Quint Waltman, Robbie
4:52
Picker, Evans, Katie Burgerer, Dan
4:55
Forcella, Steve Kersner, and Ken Clear.
4:59
It took a lot of people and it took a
5:02
lot of alignment to get us to this
5:04
outstanding moment and I want to thank
5:06
all of you for that incredible effort.
5:09
When we began our search, we knew it had
5:12
to be deliberate. We had to consider the
5:14
best coaches in the country. Whether
5:16
they were in professional sports or
5:19
college, we wanted to make sure we found
5:22
the very best leader to carry this
5:24
tradition forward and make Carolina
5:26
basketball incredible into a new era of
5:30
college athletics.
5:32
I've worked very closely for the last
5:34
nine months with Steve Newark and I
5:37
really want to give him a special thank
5:39
you today for the timeless and energetic
5:43
and professional effort that he put into
5:45
this job search and he led the search
5:48
his ability to gather information to
5:51
communicate with our search committee
5:53
and ultimately had led us to an
5:55
incredible coach. I can't thank you
5:58
enough and congratulations Steve. It has
6:00
been a marvelous couple of weeks to work
6:02
with you,
6:05
coach. Welcome. We are so glad that you
6:08
are here. Larry Brown is the only coach
6:13
that has won a national championship
6:16
and won an NBA championship.
6:19
You have won an NBA championship
6:21
already. And I've asked our staff to
6:24
start moving those banners so that we
6:26
can name another. I don't want to put
6:28
any pressure on you.
6:30
But they're they're starting to move
6:31
them tomorrow.
6:38
>> Please welcome Steve New.
6:47
Thank you, Chancellor. Thank you, Bubba.
6:49
Um, so I have the easiest job here. I
6:52
get to introduce the new leader of
6:53
Carolina basketball, Coach Mike Malone.
6:55
But before I hand the microphone to him,
6:57
I thought maybe I would expand and
6:59
elaborate a little bit on the search
7:00
process and how we got here. Bubba
7:02
alluded to the search committee that we
7:04
convened. And when that process started,
7:06
we knew that our mandate was to find the
7:08
most elite basketball coach that would
7:10
be the right fit for Carolina. So, if
7:13
you can imagine, we cast a fairly wide
7:14
net uh college pros and a lot of elite
7:18
coaches out there. And we started with a
7:20
fairly long list, but even at that
7:22
point, we had a select few that were at
7:24
the top. And the way that we actually
7:26
started the process is where we ended
7:27
the process. So I had reached out to
7:30
coach Pat Sullivan and asked him for
7:31
Michael Malone's number because we knew
7:34
that they had a relationship and
7:35
obviously coach Malone has spent a lot
7:37
of time here in the last semester at
7:39
practice and with his daughter. So I
7:41
reached out to to Coach Malone. We
7:43
talked for about an hour and what stood
7:45
out right away is that he's a basketball
7:47
encyclopedia. He went through almost
7:50
every player on our current roster,
7:52
their strengths, weaknesses. He also
7:55
probably listed every UNC alum that had
7:58
ever come from New York City pipeline,
8:00
starting, I think, with Frank McGuire.
8:03
And so we we got towards the end of the
8:05
conversation and he said, you know,
8:06
Steve, I appreciate the call and Sully
8:09
told me you were going to give me a
8:10
ring. I thought it was a courtesy call.
8:13
You were doing him a favor. He said, I
8:15
really haven't been contemplating the
8:17
college landscape. I've got a lot of
8:18
love and passion for UNCC, but this is
8:21
something that, you know, really wasn't
8:22
on my radar screen at the time. So, we
8:25
then had another conversation the next
8:27
day, got into a little more depth about
8:29
what this place is, what we had in front
8:31
of us. And to me, those conversations
8:34
and in every conversation that he had
8:36
with search committee members and others
8:37
after it, everybody came to the same
8:39
conclusion that Coach Malone is the
8:41
ideal fit for this university. And so,
8:44
interestingly, early in the search
8:46
process, uh, leaned quite a bit on on
8:48
Coach Williams, Coach Fogler, and and
8:50
Kenny Smith. I think we spoke every
8:52
other night during the the twoe process.
8:54
And at the beginning, Coach Fogler said
8:56
to me, "Hey, we can best help you in the
8:58
search committee if you share with us
9:01
what you're looking for in a coach." And
9:04
so, it was actually a fairly easy
9:06
exercise. and you know came back and
9:08
talked three of them and said you know
9:09
first and foremost they need to be an
9:11
elite teacher innovator strategist and
9:15
leader and that's really following in in
9:17
the mold of of coach Smith coach
9:19
Guthridge and coach Williams second they
9:22
need to kind of display and possess the
9:24
character and integrity that's
9:25
consistent with our university and our
9:27
principles and then third need to
9:30
believe in not just acknowledge and
9:32
recognize they need to believe in the
9:34
importance of the Carolina family in the
9:36
Carolina tradition and what that means
9:38
to the UNCC community. And we talked
9:41
about a quote that I read recently in a
9:44
book by Thad Williamson. He's a Chapel
9:45
Hill native and he said something along
9:47
the lines of there are so many people in
9:50
North Carolina, whether they played
9:51
sports here, whether they actually
9:54
attended this university who believe
9:56
that they have been positively and
9:58
profoundly impacted by UNCC basketball.
10:01
And we wanted a coach that would embrace
10:02
that and recognize that that was part of
10:04
their mission. And for us, coach Malone
10:07
exemplifies every single one of those.
10:09
He checked every single box. And so,
10:11
obviously, we continued through the
10:13
process and we got towards the end and
10:15
and and thankfully, Coach Malone and
10:18
Jocelyn said, "This is where they wanted
10:19
to be." And so, we were absolutely
10:21
convinced during that process that Coach
10:23
Malone and his family are going to
10:24
represent us with class and integrity.
10:26
And as Bubba mentioned, I fully expect
10:28
to see more banners hanging there and
10:30
more jerseys hanging back there. So,
10:32
Coach Malone, thank you for kind of
10:34
entrusting us and coming to join us. And
10:36
I want to officially welcome you to the
10:38
deal family.
11:03
Thank you. Thank you very much.
11:07
You know, I'd like to start off by
11:09
thanking Chancella.
11:12
No pressure. I appreciate that. And
11:14
Steve Nar obviously uh leading up this
11:17
process to get here today. Malcolm
11:20
Turner, Ron Moore, Antoine Jameson on
11:24
the search committee. And as I told
11:26
Antoine the other day, I had a chance to
11:28
coach Antoine many years ago in
11:30
Cleveland.
11:32
And I never take it lightly when
11:34
somebody believes in you and they
11:36
endorse you and they feel that strong uh
11:39
to put their name behind you. And that's
11:42
what Antoine did. That's what Kenny
11:44
Smith did. Uh that's what a lot of
11:46
players that were here uh were able to
11:48
do. So I want to thank those three
11:50
members of the search committee uh for
11:52
having the relief in need. Um, and
11:56
there's really I met him for the first
11:58
time today, but I feel like I've known
11:59
this person for 10 years. His coach Roy
12:02
Williams and uh and beautiful wife. I
12:06
really appreciate you guys making the
12:08
effort to be here today. Means the world
12:10
to me.
12:12
And what became crystal clear to me when
12:14
I talked to coach was how important this
12:17
university was to him. And I could I
12:20
could feel the passion in his voice. I'm
12:23
not from North Carolina. I didn't play
12:25
here. I'm coming from outside the family
12:28
to be a new member of the family and
12:30
we're excited about that. Uh but coach,
12:32
you had a profound impact. And every
12:34
time I spoke to you and I said, "Coach,
12:37
I'm not coming. Stay in the NBA." And
12:39
every time I thought about it, I talked
12:41
to my wife Jocelyn,
12:43
I would I said, "You know what? This is
12:45
North Carolina. This is Roy Williams.
12:48
This is Dean Smith. This is Coach
12:50
Guthrich." and I wanted to be a part of
12:53
something so much bigger than me and to
12:56
have you here means the world. I want to
12:57
say thank you. Um, I also want to thank
13:00
my daughter Bridget. I did not come here
13:03
for her. I know that's a narrative. I
13:06
come here so I can watch my daughter
13:07
play volleyball under coach Shaw. Um,
13:11
but I'm happy to share this with you.
13:13
You know, we call it Friday. And my
13:15
beautiful wife Joa who's been with me
13:17
every step of the way. And when I said
13:20
I'm going to take the job, she said,
13:22
"Let's go." And she she's done that
13:24
every step of the way and and I love you
13:26
and I thank you.
13:28
Um
13:30
you guys always talk about it's a good
13:31
day to be a Tar Hill. I think Bubba said
13:33
it for me. It's a great day to be a Tar
13:35
Hill. Really thankful for this
13:37
opportunity. I do not take it lightly.
13:39
And people keep asking me, "Coach, why
13:41
would you leave a chance of coaching in
13:43
the NBA game? You're an NBA coach. You
13:45
won a championship in Denver in 2023.
13:49
It wasn't an easy decision, but what I
13:51
kept thinking about was I have a chance
13:52
to be a part of something special. The
13:54
history tradition, uh, be a part of
13:57
something much bigger than myself. As I
13:58
said a few minutes ago, this was the
14:01
only college job I'd ever considered,
14:03
you know, any other job. I I wouldn't
14:04
even answer the phone. And what Steve
14:07
didn't tell you, if you want to know
14:08
something about Steve Numar, persistence
14:11
to find. And that guy would not take no
14:14
for an answer. I made a decision. I felt
14:17
good about it. And Steve said, "Can we
14:18
fly to your house on Easter Sunday?" And
14:21
uh we spent five hours together along
14:23
with Perry Goos, had a great meeting and
14:26
my dog did invite him so he knew he was
14:28
okay. And that night, we talked while my
14:32
wife and I made the decision to come
14:34
here. So I do really appreciate that
14:36
Steve
14:39
allowing me to see what this opportunity
14:41
means. And I appreciate all the players
14:44
showing up over here. I met with them
14:46
this afternoon for a little bit and um I
14:49
told them my vision. I told them what I
14:51
expect from them, our style of play,
14:53
what our culture is going to be. And um
14:55
you know, I want guys to commit to that,
14:57
buy into that. And if you do that, then
15:00
you can start talking about boundaries.
15:01
But my only goal is to get better every
15:04
day. And if you do that every single
15:06
day, you put yourself in a position to
15:08
have that success. And as I said in the
15:10
NBA times, I'll say it here again today.
15:13
I don't want it to have success. Coach
15:15
Bellich is here. I believe one of the
15:17
greatest coaches of all time. I
15:18
appreciate you being here. You talk
15:20
about sustained success, excellence,
15:22
doing it year in and year out. That's
15:24
what I want to bring to this table. Um,
15:27
and Steve mentioned innovation.
15:30
I am an outsider coming into a really
15:32
intimate family. Um, I have to balance
15:36
the delicate balance of being true to
15:38
the past and honoring tradition while
15:41
also having my eyes on the future. The
15:43
game is always changing. And so, if you
15:45
see us doing things a little bit
15:47
differently, it's okay. Embrace that.
15:50
It's okay. All right. You can see I have
15:53
Dean Smith, his uh his lapel pin here.
15:56
tremendous amount of respect for what
15:57
this program and history that they
16:00
occupy and NCAA basketball history. But
16:04
we're going to do it our way. I'm going
16:05
to use people like Coach Williams, Coach
16:08
Eddie Fogler, uh Pat Sullivan, Shawn
16:10
Bay, all the guys that are here and
16:12
learn from them and push forward. Um
16:16
I've said too much already. I know we're
16:18
going to open it up to Q&A. My last
16:20
message is this. Thank you for being
16:21
here tonight. Really excited to get to
16:23
work. We got a lot of things going on
16:25
right now. the transfer portal, uh,
16:28
talking to my players right here,
16:30
getting out in the recruiting trail,
16:31
hiring a staff, finding a place to live,
16:35
all those things. So, I think, uh, Coach
16:37
Shaw is going to put us up for a little
16:39
bit, right, Mike?
16:40
>> All right, but thank thank you very much
16:42
and, uh, look forward to answering any
16:44
questions you may have.
16:45
>> Thank you, coach.
16:50
together.
16:53
Started. Bre will start on this side and
16:55
Shelby will start on the mic on that
16:57
side.
17:08
All
17:18
right. Again, if you would please
17:20
identify yourself, name and outlet, and
17:22
we'll get started with Greg and then
17:23
Shelby and then Andrew. Go ahead, Greg.
17:26
>> Michael. Greg Barnes with In South
17:28
Carolina. There's been a strong support
17:31
already past 24 hours from the Carolina
17:34
basketball family members. There's been
17:36
a lot of references to the Carolina
17:37
basketball family already in the press
17:39
office. Have you been able to get your
17:41
hands kind of around the concept of the
17:44
family and the value that provides for
17:46
this job?
17:46
>> Yeah, I think so. And I appreciate the
17:49
question. Uh, as I mentioned, going
17:51
through this process, you know, uh, a
17:52
guy like Antoine Jameson, Kenny Smith
17:55
who uh, were calling me, endorsing me,
17:57
believing in me. uh yesterday getting
17:59
the messages from guys like Harrison
18:00
Barnes and Dad Blaze and D Andy Green,
18:03
players who uh obviously played here and
18:05
who I had a chance to coach in the NBA.
18:07
Um but I I think this program and its
18:11
connection to the past, the players that
18:14
come back, you know, Eric Hooch brought
18:16
up to my office around 10 to 12 former
18:19
players that did not have to be here
18:21
today. You know, I I did not play here.
18:23
I'm not from Carolina, but I think
18:25
they're ready to embrace somebody new
18:28
with a new vision uh to try to get this
18:30
program back to where we all want it to
18:31
be. But, um I think family is important.
18:34
That's something we talked a lot about
18:35
in Denver and I think even more
18:37
important at the college landscape
18:39
because you're talking about young men
18:40
coming into the program and having that
18:42
family atmosphere and that's something
18:44
that you can talk about it, but it's
18:46
really something that you have to feel
18:47
and build every single day. And um
18:49
that's why I wanted to start off with
18:51
the players today for them to hear from
18:53
me and to get a feel for me. They know
18:54
me because I came to practices uh in the
18:57
fall. But you know that relationship
19:00
with the players and then the head coach
19:02
is so important. Uh and I think it's
19:04
something I'm only going to get better
19:05
at and build on.
19:07
>> Shelby and then Andrew and Noah right
19:08
next to each other. Shel
19:10
>> Shelby Swanson with the News and
19:11
Observer. Just curious obviously just
19:14
got here but the portal is ongoing. Also
19:17
curious to hear your thoughts on your
19:19
vision and process moving forward with
19:21
roster building respects going for the
19:23
high schools but also building for the
19:24
transfer board.
19:25
>> Yeah, I mean obviously there's a lot to
19:27
uh to learn and obviously I'm going to
19:29
surround myself with people. Uh, I do
19:31
know that Jim Tanner, Buzz Peterson, um,
19:34
Shawn May, a lot of these guys have been
19:36
working tirelessly, you know, with
19:38
putting together all this information
19:40
and I felt bad today because they were
19:42
waiting to meet and I'd walk by their
19:44
office and they had me going from here,
19:46
there, and everywhere. Um, you know, but
19:48
we have some players on our roster that
19:49
are currently in the portal. We're going
19:51
to talk to them more about that in the
19:52
coming days. Um, and then we'll look to
19:55
see what's available outside. And um
19:59
again, when I coached in college many
20:00
years ago, this wasn't a thing. So, I'm
20:03
going to surround myself with the best
20:04
people possible to help me get a better
20:07
grasp on it so we can attack it. And as
20:08
I hire my staff, I want to hire guys
20:11
that have great contacts, not only in
20:14
the country, but around the world, so we
20:16
can continue to bring the best players
20:17
here and help them develop so we can
20:20
feel the best team.
20:21
>> Andrew Noah,
20:23
>> Andrew, J. Sorry, 247. When you were at
20:25
those practices back in the fall, did
20:28
you ever kind of think like maybe I
20:30
would like to coach these kids? I'd like
20:31
to maybe be in college, do something a
20:33
little bit different. And at the same
20:35
time, what intrigues you about coaching
20:37
a college player as opposed to a pro
20:39
player?
20:40
>> Yeah. the uh for the first part
20:43
I can't say when I was here at the
20:45
practices that I thought about you know
20:46
maybe I'd like to coach in college again
20:49
but I I had been fired last April and
20:52
for me I realized and what really
20:55
resonated within me was being back in a
20:58
gym in a in a classroom setting you know
21:01
the best coaches in the world are
21:02
teachers and so to be around the staff
21:04
and the players and watching them work
21:06
hard to get ready for their season
21:08
meeting with the coaches giving them
21:10
some insight asking questions, offering
21:12
some insights and maybe some
21:14
recommendations. Um, but that's what
21:16
really resonated is that I love this
21:18
game. I have a passion for the game of
21:20
basketball. I have a passion for
21:22
teaching the game of basketball, which I
21:23
learned from my father. And obviously,
21:25
one thing I did not mention earlier is
21:27
that my father, who passed about two
21:28
years ago, was a huge Carolina fan and a
21:31
huge Dean Smith fan, and he passed that
21:32
on to me, and I know he's looking down
21:34
today, and he's very, very proud. And,
21:36
uh, I wish it was here. Uh, and then I
21:39
already forgot your second question, so
21:40
remind me.
21:42
>> What intrigues you about coaching
21:43
college players as opposed to pro
21:45
players?
21:46
>> So, in the NBA, obviously, this is it's
21:49
all about relationships. I don't care
21:50
where where you are, what sport, what
21:52
level. It comes down to your ability to
21:54
relate and have a meaningful
21:55
relationship with those that are around
21:57
you, coach, player. And in the NBA, you
22:00
have that, but it's a little bit more of
22:01
a business. You're getting older
22:02
players, guys that are married, maybe
22:03
have kids. I look over here to see all
22:06
these players that showed up today. uh
22:08
they're looking for more than that. They
22:10
don't want me just to help them become a
22:11
better basketball player. They want
22:13
somebody that's going to mentor them and
22:15
help them become the best young men that
22:17
they possibly can be. And that's
22:19
something that I do not take lightly and
22:20
I look forward to doing. Uh you know, we
22:22
have some, you know, young players
22:25
coming into the program and I want to be
22:27
there for them. I want to help them
22:28
develop in a full package. Not just as a
22:31
player because they want to win games,
22:33
but I want that player to keep coming
22:35
back because he knows that we had their
22:37
best interest in heart in all factors of
22:39
their life. Noah then Rod Michael Noah
22:42
Weissoff for Target 247. Obviously,
22:45
there's some pretty key differences in
22:46
coaching in the NBA versus coaching in
22:48
college. I'm curious what you think some
22:49
of those are specifically. Building off
22:51
a little of Andrew's question, what
22:52
might be different in your eyes than
22:54
coaching a young NBA player versus maybe
22:56
coaching a college athlete?
22:57
>> Well, I mean, I still don't understand
22:59
why college basketball is the only level
23:01
that plays two 20 minute halfs. So, you
23:04
know, I got I got to get my head around
23:05
that. Um, you know, but I I think the
23:08
end of the day, basketball is basketball
23:10
and and players,
23:12
not only do they want to be coached, but
23:14
they also want to know that you care
23:15
about them. you know, we used to say,
23:17
uh, in the NBA, players don't care how
23:19
much you know until you know how much
23:20
you care. And and I and I I believe that
23:23
and I buy into that. Um, you know, but
23:26
once again, as I continue to build a
23:28
staff and have great coaches around me
23:30
that cannot only help me, but also
23:32
challenge me to become the best coach
23:34
that I can be at this level. And um, you
23:36
know, I have no doubt that's going to be
23:38
a process that, you know, I attack and
23:40
and obviously I think I have a really
23:42
good job. I've done a good job of
23:43
showing that I'm more than capable of
23:45
coaching at any level. We had great
23:46
success in Denver and I have the utmost
23:49
confidence that the same success is
23:50
going to follow here to Carolina. Second
23:53
row, Rod Benurf, Michael Rod Maxley, Fed
23:56
Globe Observer. You touched on the
23:57
Carolina family a little bit there even
24:00
before this process. What was a
24:02
conversation or experience you had with
24:04
the Carolina family that's kind of
24:06
always stuck with you? Well, I mention I
24:09
mentioned earlier, you know, the players
24:10
that I have coached and you know, I
24:14
think Steve mentioned this. I I coached
24:16
Antoine Jameson, Danny Green, and
24:17
Cleveland for 26 games and 21 games.
24:22
Think about that. I've been coaching for
24:23
five, six seasons, 26 games. And Antoine
24:26
Jameson all these years later remembers
24:28
our time together and not only in my
24:31
ability as a coach, but how I carried
24:33
myself and how I demanded and held guys
24:36
accountable. and I stuck with him. Um,
24:38
so I see Danny Green, I was working for
24:40
ESPN this year and Danny's doing, we
24:43
were together a few times and, um,
24:47
just that connection. And then what I've
24:50
always marveled at is for players to
24:52
show up today to introduce themselves to
24:55
a new coach they need to know. Pile of
24:57
hands, bro, grab me by the arms. I'm so
24:59
happy you're here. I know we're going to
25:01
we're going to play hard and we're going
25:02
to be tough. But that's not lost on me.
25:04
That that means the world to me that
25:06
these players and and I challenge the
25:08
former players that were in my office.
25:10
Yes, I know I'm not a guy that has been
25:12
here before, but I want to do everything
25:14
I can to make sure the the former
25:17
players are coming back cuz they all
25:19
said to me it's not like it used to be.
25:21
So my one of my goals is not just on the
25:24
court wins the losses, but how can I
25:26
even strengthen that family atmosphere
25:29
and get guys coming back and help pay it
25:31
forward because you always want to pay
25:33
it forward to the guys that are coming
25:34
next after you and uh I think we're
25:36
going to have a great chance to do that.
25:38
>> Stand here in the second row. Brian
25:39
Murphy then Brendan.
25:40
>> Yeah, Brian Murphy Chancellor and Steve,
25:43
you talked about the heart.
25:44
>> Thank you by the way people.
25:47
>> You're welcome. Uh Lee, you talked about
25:50
basketball, you know, being the
25:52
heartbeat of this place and and this
25:53
place being the heartbeat of college
25:54
basketball. And I wonder when you went
25:56
out and looked for coaches, if that was
25:58
the same feeling you were getting from
25:59
some of the people you talked to, we
26:00
heard a lot about Blue Bloods Are Dead
26:02
and the era of NIL, I wondered what your
26:05
experience was going out and trying to
26:06
sell Carolina basketball to others.
26:09
>> Yeah, I'll let Steve talk to this in
26:10
more detail, but I think we were pretty
26:13
gratified by the by the reaction we got.
26:17
I think there's an awful lot of interest
26:19
in the position and a lot of people
26:22
recognizing that this is if not the best
26:25
one of the best jobs in all of
26:28
basketball.
26:29
>> Yeah, I I think that's an accurate
26:31
depiction. I mean, like I mentioned,
26:33
Brian, we had a list of names and Chad
26:36
was leading search for us from the
26:37
outside. And the feedback that he would
26:39
get us is he basically said, you know,
26:42
this is different than a lot of searches
26:43
I've done because everybody I reach out
26:45
to says they have an interest in want to
26:47
engage. And so it's also part of why,
26:50
you know, the process extended. But I
26:52
think as as I alluded to, Coach Malone
26:55
was the first coach we called, the first
26:57
coach we talked to, and we think we
26:59
ended in the right place. But I I do
27:01
think that It was reaffirming to us the
27:04
belief that UNCC is a special unique
27:06
place because we had a lot of coaches in
27:09
NBA College say I wouldn't look anywhere
27:11
else but this is different. Let's talk.
27:14
>> Second Brendan and then Spencer with the
27:16
master shirt appropriate in the front
27:18
row.
27:19
>> Michael Brendan Marks from the athletic.
27:21
Sorry coming back to you. Um you
27:23
mentioned one of the responsibilities
27:24
you see in taking this position is
27:26
moving the actual basketball into the
27:28
future. Just curious, what would you say
27:29
is your basketball philosophy? What are
27:31
your priorities going to be? And what
27:33
trends from your experiences in the NBA
27:35
do you think are applicable for college?
27:37
>> Well, I mean, somebody asked me earlier
27:39
like when I when I look at players, what
27:41
am I looking for? And you know, before
27:43
you get into your percentages and stats,
27:46
I I love guys that have a motor that
27:48
play hard that you don't have to wind up
27:50
and motivate. So, I love self motivated
27:52
players that play hard. Um, toughness,
27:55
you know, you can't put a dollar sign on
27:56
toughness. And then IQ. I mean, those
27:59
are things that jump out. Regardless of
28:01
position, one through five, while you
28:03
shoot from the foul line, or you shoot
28:04
from the three-point line, if you have a
28:06
motor, you're tough, and you have an IQ,
28:08
you have a chance to be a hell of a
28:09
player. Um, you for me, when I think
28:12
about the culture that we're going to
28:14
create here, same culture we had in
28:16
Cleveland, in Denver, rather, because it
28:19
doesn't matter NBA, college, you can
28:22
have a strong culture, and that's going
28:24
to start with being a work team, a team
28:26
that works. being self motivated and I
28:29
want to surround myself with players
28:30
that uh have that kind of a work ethic.
28:33
I shouldn't have to go to practice and
28:34
try to motivate you every day. Uh being
28:36
a team that is completely selfless, get
28:38
over yourself, check your ego out the
28:40
door, we can accomplish a hell of a lot
28:42
more as a team, we over me. And the last
28:45
part is just being a team that trusts
28:47
one another. You know, make the open
28:48
pass, make the right play, and I always
28:50
have to make sure I'm showing them that
28:52
I trust my coaches and I trust them at
28:54
times. Um, so those are some of the
28:57
things that I believe in and we've had
28:59
success uh in the past and I'm going to
29:01
take that here. I I think if that's your
29:04
culture and culture is something that
29:05
you have to work on every single day, I
29:08
think as we put pieces together, we're
29:10
going to have a chance to have success
29:12
because we're going to be about the
29:13
right things and work on those things
29:15
every single day.
29:16
>> Spencer here in the front and then
29:18
Michael Co, the third row in the back.
29:19
>> Michael Spencer Hel with Inside
29:21
Carolina. I know that, you know, you've
29:22
spoken on your your relationship with
29:24
Pat Sullivan at length. I was just kind
29:26
of wondering if you could describe that
29:27
and expand upon how you guys go back in
29:29
your relationship.
29:30
>> Yeah, he's a Jersey guy. I mean, like
29:32
for better or for worse, he's a Jersey
29:34
guy. So, uh, you know, Pat Sullivan is a
29:37
guy that obviously uh played here, had a
29:40
hell of a career, got to know him in
29:41
his, you know, time in the NBA. And then
29:44
this past year, we came down here quite
29:46
a bit to watch, you know, the volleyball
29:48
team and our daughter play. And, uh, you
29:50
know, Pat, his wife Sarah, his daughter
29:53
Liv, you know, getting a chance to know
29:55
them. Um,
29:57
a much more close relationship has been
30:00
really meaningful and he's gone out of
30:02
his way to do anything he can to help
30:03
our daughter that's never lost on
30:05
Joselyn and myself. And, uh, you know,
30:07
Sully is a guy I have tremendous respect
30:09
for. And, uh, you know, we would also
30:11
talk a lot this year about he'd call me
30:13
up with questions, but I was watching
30:14
like, I have to say this, the Hubert
30:16
Davis let me in. This is bittersweet.
30:20
Coach Davis, he sent me an amazing
30:22
message yesterday, but he allowed me to
30:24
come in and watch and get part of this
30:26
family, which does not happen very
30:28
often, if ever. And you know, I would
30:31
spend time with the coaches and as I was
30:33
rooting for them all year long, Sully
30:36
and I would talk about what are you
30:38
seeing, coach? What can we do better?
30:39
What recommendations do you have? And I
30:41
wish I could have been better helped,
30:43
you know, but Sully is a great guy. a
30:45
tremendous respect for him and uh I'm
30:47
I'm happy to be able to call him a
30:49
friend.
30:50
>> Michael Co on on the edge there and then
30:52
we'll go back to North Carolina.
30:54
>> Coach Michael, wchl chapel.com.
30:57
You took some time away from the game
30:59
over the past year. What did you learn
31:00
about coaching about the game itself
31:04
that you can bring to this job?
31:07
>> You make it sound like I had a choice.
31:11
I was fired. But, you know, I used that
31:14
time to my advantage. I can tell you
31:15
that. Um, and the first thing I did was
31:18
to to reconnect with my family, to be a
31:20
better husband, to be a better father.
31:22
As a as a coach, as an NBA coach, you
31:25
miss so many things. You know, you're
31:26
not able to uh to enjoy and be a part of
31:29
everything that you want to because you
31:31
you're following your career path. Um,
31:34
and so that was number one for me was,
31:36
you know, to be able to come down here
31:38
even though our other daughter uh
31:40
Boulder, Colorado wasn't happy that we
31:42
were in Chapel Hill every weekend and we
31:44
loved it. And so to be able to do that
31:45
and watch the volleyball team play NCAA
31:49
volleyball at Wisconsin, that was a
31:50
great treat for my family and I. Uh
31:52
obviously I've been working at ESPN and
31:55
obviously you know I want to thank all
31:56
the people at ESPN for the opportunity
31:58
they gave me. It was tremendous. Um you
32:00
know, but those were things and as I
32:03
watch games, the game is always
32:04
changing. You know how the game is
32:06
played five years ago in the NBA is
32:08
different today. I touched on that
32:09
earlier. You want to be ahead of that
32:11
curve. You We do not want to be playing
32:13
catchup and um you know, so we'll use
32:16
some of those things obviously as we get
32:17
into our season and uh and if we have
32:20
the right personnel to use some of those
32:21
things, we'll definitely look to apply
32:23
it.
32:23
>> Caroline way back in the middle there
32:25
and then Chris on the edge.
32:27
>> Caroline, the Greensburg News record.
32:29
I'm just curious, what was that
32:31
conversation like with your daughter
32:32
when you told her that you were taking
32:34
this job? What was her reaction? No,
32:37
that's finally a good question,
32:41
>> you know. So, this process went on for
32:44
Steve maybe around 10 days and um she
32:49
had called up. She goes, "Hey, I'm
32:50
hearing that your name is being
32:51
mentioned. You know, you have any
32:53
interest?" And I said, "I don't think
32:54
so." And she was, "No, you should do it.
32:57
You should come. That'd be great." And I
32:59
I just think she wanted, you know, to be
33:00
near her mother a little bit more.
33:02
Um, and then when it got serious, you
33:05
know, and I mean this part, you know,
33:07
sincerely, um, it's not easy being, you
33:11
know, my daughter. She was always known
33:14
as, you know, Coach Malones, Mike
33:16
Loneso. No, she she's Bridge Malone. And
33:19
when she came here, she had her own
33:21
place, her own space to be her. And, you
33:24
know, so proud of her because this is a
33:28
tremendous basketball tradition we keep
33:30
talking about. But but I should also
33:31
mention as we all know it's a tremendous
33:33
school and that was one of the reasons
33:35
she chose to come here because she is a
33:37
student athlete and the academics and so
33:39
she has crushed it uh since she's been
33:41
here. And I asked her I said listen I
33:43
don't want to come in here and kind of
33:45
crash your party and you have your thing
33:47
going on right now and I don't want this
33:49
to be something that's going to take
33:51
away from your spotlight.
33:53
And then I also told him, I said,
33:54
"Listen, you can't hang at Bob's late
33:56
night
33:58
bars and handling yourself
34:00
appropriately." And that's from me and
34:02
Coach Shaw.
34:04
You have to make sure that you're not
34:06
you're living in a fishbowl. But uh the
34:09
best part about it to answer your
34:10
question finally is uh my daughter
34:13
Bridget, she said that I want you to
34:16
come.
34:18
So I did.
34:20
Chris Lee over here on the aisle. Man,
34:27
this has been our hearts follow that
34:29
one. Chris Lee from WRL as well. Um,
34:32
wanted to ask you, you said earlier,
34:34
basketball is basketball when it comes
34:35
down to the style of play, but what does
34:37
make college uniquely different are the
34:39
rivalries. And so, there will be rivalry
34:41
games coming up with Nuke and NC State.
34:43
Plus, instead of having a seven game
34:46
series, there'll be one and done formats
34:47
in the ACC and NCAA tournaments. I just
34:50
want to get your thoughts on those and
34:51
just kind of how different that will be
34:53
for you as a coach to get ready for for
34:55
that type of format.
34:56
>> I love rival where it's Yeah, I'm ready.
34:59
I'm ready to get into that. Um, watching
35:02
that game at home this year when Seth
35:03
Trimble hit that corner three, my wife
35:05
and I were jumping around and I went
35:08
back to back in Colorado. I mean that
35:09
sincerely. Our daughter was at the game.
35:12
uh she facetimed me as they were leaving
35:13
the arena and just to be a part of that
35:16
moment and life is about moments and
35:18
that's a moment that all the Carolina
35:20
fans, you know, will always remember.
35:22
But um
35:24
I'm excited to be a part of that. I want
35:26
to add to that. I want, you know, I want
35:29
to win, you know, and I know that Duke
35:31
is a program down the road and they've
35:32
had success, but you know, as I said
35:35
earlier, I I didn't come here to be
35:37
second best. I didn't come here to lose
35:40
in the first round of the ACC
35:41
tournament. No, I came here to win and
35:43
win at a big level, win at a high level.
35:45
And um and if you're a competitor and
35:48
that's what you want, don't shy away
35:50
from that. You don't run from that. You
35:52
run towards that. And that that's how
35:53
I'm wired. That's in my DNA. And uh you
35:56
know, and our team's going to take on
35:58
that character as well.
36:00
>> Time for a few more. A couple RL then
36:04
Tommy
36:05
>> RL by Toriel Tribune. What will the
36:07
style of play of your Carolina teams be?
36:09
And how, if any, will you tweak that
36:11
from the style of play of your Nuggets
36:13
teams? I know that they were known for
36:15
having tenacious defense.
36:17
>> Oh, tenacious. That's that's very kind
36:18
of you. Wasn't tenacious all the time,
36:21
but you know, I I will say this. You
36:24
know, I am a defensive minded coach. I
36:27
believe defense wins championships. I
36:29
think everything starts from the
36:30
defensive end of the floor. Your defense
36:32
is the beginning of your offense. Um,
36:35
you know, we didn't rebound well enough
36:36
this year. Apparently, I say we like I
36:38
was here, but I'm here now. And so, if
36:41
you can defend, you can rebound. What
36:43
does that allow you to do that? That
36:44
allows you to get out and run. And I
36:46
want to be a team that defends, rebounds
36:48
at a high level and gets out and run and
36:50
play at a fast pace, uptempo basketball,
36:52
and attack before they get set. I don't
36:55
want to play half court basketball.
36:56
We'll be able to do it when you have to,
36:58
but my goal is through defense and
37:00
rebounding, you can get out and run and
37:02
attack. And I think the one thing that
37:04
stood out from from our teams in Denver
37:06
is how unselfish we are. And that gets
37:09
back to being selfless, not caring who
37:11
gets the credit. If there's an open man,
37:14
make the pass. Don't hold the ball. Uh
37:16
and you know, sharing the ball unites
37:17
teams. And uh that that's going to be an
37:20
important piece of it, too, is just
37:21
being an unselfish team that plays for
37:23
one another because you you guys will
37:25
watch a lot of great basketball here. A
37:27
lot of teams, they play with each other.
37:30
There's a big difference. So the great
37:32
teams play for each other and I want our
37:34
guys to play for each other each and
37:35
every night.
37:36
>> Got time for last four questions. Please
37:38
make them quick. Tommy Ashley then Brook
37:40
Prior.
37:41
>> Coach Tommy Ashley with Inside Carolina.
37:44
You've mentioned your father. You
37:45
mentioned Coach Smith and the other
37:47
Carolina coaches. Who would be your
37:50
mentors or sort of coaches you sort of
37:52
pattern your game in?
37:53
>> Yeah, I mean obviously it would have to
37:55
start with my father. obviously one of
37:57
six kids uh born in the story of Queens
38:00
moved out to Rockville Center seeing him
38:02
as a high school coach at Pal Memorial
38:04
and as he went through his career
38:07
and I was the only one of the six kids I
38:09
wanted to follow in his footsteps
38:10
something he tried to talk me out of he
38:12
said you're too smart to be a coach and
38:14
obviously I didn't listen to him you
38:16
know but uh he was my mentor he was my
38:18
role model and I wanted to emulate my
38:20
father and he had a profound impact on
38:24
uh on me not just as a coach, my
38:26
philosophy, but just how I try to carry
38:28
myself. Um, then aside from that, I was
38:31
fortunate to coach with guys like Jeff
38:34
Van Dundy, who was a tremendous coach,
38:36
detailed, um, guys like Mike Brown, who
38:39
I spent five years with in Cleveland,
38:41
uh, with the Cavaliers, coaching LeBron
38:43
James, and then the other great players.
38:45
Um, but I I think as a coach, you take
38:49
all this in, you learn from people, and
38:51
when you're a young coach, you want to
38:52
be I want to do all this. And as you get
38:55
a little bit older and you mature and
38:56
you realize that, you whittle that down
38:58
and you find out who you are as a coach,
39:00
what you believe in at your core. And
39:02
uh, you have to be true to your own
39:03
personality. So, Coach Papovich had a
39:06
huge impact on me. I never worked for
39:07
Coach Pop, but he allowed me to become a
39:10
head coach. If it wasn't for him, I
39:11
would never would have gotten that
39:12
opportunity. And uh you know so he's
39:14
another guy that you look at his track
39:16
record how he carried himself and he
39:18
told me something once when I got my
39:20
first head job in the NBA Sacramento. He
39:23
said listen be yourself. You're Irish,
39:26
you're fiery and you know you're tough.
39:29
You can do that only if your players
39:31
know you love you. And that that's I've
39:33
never forgotten that. So I will be hard
39:35
on our players. I will hold them
39:36
accountable. But I'm also going to hug
39:38
them and love them and know that I have
39:40
their back. And uh I I think if you're a
39:43
player and a competitor, that's what you
39:44
wanted to coach.
39:46
>> Brook
39:48
Prior, ESPN. Michael, you mentioned it
39:50
being bittersweet taking over for Heert
39:53
Davis and the message that you got from
39:54
him. Just how did your relationship
39:56
develop last year and what are some
39:58
things that he taught you about UNCC
40:01
basketball that you didn't know before?
40:03
Well, I I I got to know him to be very
40:06
honest through Pat Sullivan and him kind
40:09
of opening the door and and I had
40:11
reached out to Sully saying, "Listen, I
40:13
don't have a job right now. I'm going to
40:15
be in Cap Hill quite a bit. I would love
40:17
to be able to come over to practice and
40:18
just watch you guys work with your
40:20
players practice and uh you know Sully
40:23
went to Yubert and the funny story is
40:25
the first practice I came in in this gym
40:28
the manager walked me in and he sat me
40:30
upstairs which is where everybody sits
40:33
and Yubert looked up and started yelling
40:35
at the manager and said no no no down
40:36
here and I didn't think anything of it
40:39
and after practice suddenly grabbed me
40:40
and said hey that's really special like
40:43
no one is allowed to sit down here So,
40:45
for Coach Davis to want allow me to be
40:47
down there and feel a part of it, to
40:50
have have him invite me to speak to the
40:52
team after practice meant the world to
40:54
me because I know that wasn't something
40:55
that happened to a guy that is a quote
40:57
unquote outsider. Um, and what I loved
41:00
about when I watched Hubert and I sent
41:02
him this message after he got fired. Um,
41:05
he was so, as Coach Williams would say,
41:08
dad grown passionate about North
41:10
Carolina and I respect that. Here's a
41:15
guy that was putting everything into
41:16
this program, into these players. And
41:19
there was one practice where he didn't
41:20
like how his team was practicing. He
41:22
kicked the can over and he apologized to
41:24
me. Coach Malone won a championship.
41:27
He's got to watch this. And um
41:31
he he's a special person. Unfortunately,
41:33
in this business, as coaches, this is
41:35
part of it. You know, you don't get a
41:37
chance to see it through all the time.
41:39
And uh I look forward to to reaching out
41:41
to you, Rick, and connecting with them.
41:43
Um, but you know what what he taught me
41:44
was, you know, treat this place with
41:47
respect
41:48
in regards to all those that came before
41:50
you. And you live that every single day.
41:54
That's to Johnny Johnson. John
41:59
pass to Jonathan Coach John Johnson WXI.
42:03
You talked about your family, introduced
42:06
and mentioned your family, talked about
42:07
the Carolina family, but I wanted to get
42:09
what your thoughts were on what the
42:11
Carolina family means to you as you take
42:14
this job.
42:15
>> Well, that's a work in progress. You
42:17
know, obviously this is uh this is all
42:19
brand new. I got on a plane at 7:00 a.m.
42:22
this morning, arrived here around 12,
42:24
and I've been bouncing around all over
42:25
the place. And um but what I love is
42:29
that there's I believe is it 2018,
42:32
folks? There's 28 teams here. We've had
42:35
great success and we're spending a lot
42:37
of time talking about Carolina
42:38
basketball, but you you look across this
42:41
athletic department and all the teams
42:43
and all the coaches, all the success. Uh
42:45
I can't wait to have a chance to
42:46
interact with some of these other
42:48
coaches, learn from them.
42:50
talk with them, meet them, get to know
42:51
them because as I told I think Juan
42:54
Moore and Malcolm Turner the other day,
42:55
like I'm coming here to be a partner and
42:57
I'm coming here not just to be the
42:59
coach. I want to immerse myself into the
43:01
community, into the department. I know
43:04
coach Shaw obviously and his family very
43:06
well from our time with our daughter
43:09
being on their team. But um this is an
43:11
unbelievable athletic department and the
43:13
basketball team is obviously a big part
43:15
of that. But I have tremendous respect
43:16
for everybody that's here and I can't
43:19
wait to get to know all of them.
43:20
>> Last one on Murf. I apologize if I
43:22
couldn't get to everybody, but ask Murf.
43:25
>> Michael, you talked about Steve flying
43:27
out on Easter Sunday. I wonder what what
43:30
he talked to you about. How did he
43:31
convince you that certainly sounds like
43:33
you would have opportunities in the NBA?
43:35
How did he convince you that Carolina
43:37
was the place you you needed to take
43:39
this job? And obviously, how did you
43:41
guys come to terms on a contract? Well,
43:43
full disclosure, every time I said no,
43:48
I was regretting that, you know, I was
43:50
like, I think I'm making a mistake.
43:53
Jobs like North Carolina do not come. I
43:55
I told Steve at one point, I know this
43:57
is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
43:59
This wasn't a situation where I could
44:01
say, you know, now is not the right
44:02
time. This was just it's now or never.
44:05
And and so when he came to the house a
44:08
lot longer than we wanted him there
44:11
on Easter Sunday when he didn't even
44:13
bring my wife flowers incredible. Um
44:18
just hearing his vision um and talking
44:21
about the ins and outs of the job. Um
44:26
and he said this and it resonated within
44:29
me. He he wants a partner in this like
44:31
he's looking to hire a coach that Yeah.
44:34
innovative, has character, understands
44:36
the tradition of excellence here at
44:37
Carolina, but he also wants to hire a
44:39
coach that he can be a partner with and
44:41
build something special. And um I'm glad
44:45
they came out. My my first reaction was
44:47
when they said they wanted to fly from
44:48
Indianapolis was like I I no like I
44:52
already said no, but I'm so happy that
44:54
they did come because it changed my
44:56
mind. could change my wife's mind. And
44:58
that night, I I felt so much better
45:00
about
45:02
I'm not only taking this job, I'm
45:03
attacking this job. I can't wait to get
45:06
to campus and uh and start that with
45:09
everything we have to do. And uh so I'm
45:11
glad that's the last question because we
45:13
got work to do. Jack,
45:18
>> thank you. Thank you everybody for
45:20
attending players. the uh
Sports News
Sports
College Sports