Malone starts at UNC

Michael Malone spent his first week at North Carolina juggling roster meetings, staff work and transfer portal recruiting before the April 21 deadline. (goheels.com) (cbssports.com) North Carolina approved Malone as its new coach on April 7 after firing Hubert Davis, and the school hired a coach whose last college assistant job ended in 2001. UNC said Malone spent 24 years in the National Basketball Association and won a title with the Denver Nuggets in 2023. (goheels.com) (unc.edu) By April 13, Malone had his first portal commitment: former Virginia Tech guard Neoklis Avdalas. Avdalas, a 6-foot-9 freshman from Greece, averaged 12.1 points and 4.6 assists in 31 starts and ranked eighth in the Atlantic Coast Conference in assists per game. (citizen-times.com) (collegefootballnetwork.com)) The urgency comes from how fast college basketball now turns over. The men’s transfer portal opened after the national title game and closes on April 21, though players who enter by then can still choose a school later. (espn.com) (cbssports.com) Malone said that pace out loud at his introductory news conference, listing “talking to my players,” “getting out on the recruiting trail” and “hiring a staff” among the jobs already on his plate. The school’s account of that day also noted he was searching for a place to live in Chapel Hill. (goheels.com) He also walked into a program coming off a sharp finish. North Carolina went 24-9, earned a No. 6 seed in the 2026 National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament, then lost 82-78 in overtime to Virginia Commonwealth after leading by 19 in the second half. (espn.com) (goheels.com) That loss accelerated the reset. National and team coverage in the days after Malone’s hire centered on keeping the roster together while multiple players explored the portal and the staff chased replacements. (espn.com) (si.com) Malone has said he does not flinch at the setting. In the Smith Center, championship banners hang above the court, and Malone said he wants that pressure because it matches why North Carolina hired him. (goheels.com) (buckeyeswire.usatoday.com) For now, his first week looks less like a ceremonial handoff than a deadline sprint. North Carolina changed coaches on April 7, landed a first transfer on April 13 and has five days left before the portal window shuts on April 21. (goheels.com) (citizen-times.com) (cbssports.com)