North Carolina’s shock hiring of former NBA championship-winning head coach Michael Malone as its next head coach and first venture outside the North Carolina family in over a half-century was a surprise to much of the industry. And while North Carolina was heavily rumored to be pursuing another NBA head coach in Billy Donovan, there’s a pretty sizable gap in college experience and connections between a two-time NCAA title winner in Donovan and Malone, who has been out of college basketball for 25 years.
What will be the critical early steps and questions Malone has to answer to succeed right away in Chapel Hill, N.C.? Here’s a look at four pressing questions that will shape his first few weeks on the job.
