Apparently, neither do they.
The Tar Heels chose Mike Malone as their new coach on Tuesday in what looks like a backup plan if I ever see one. But in case it’s not, and Malone was his main target all along, I’d really like to know why.
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That’s not to say Malone isn’t a good coach, or even a great one. After all, he’s an NBA champion with the Denver Nuggets, and he once had the Sacramento Kings on the rise, which might be his most impressive accomplishment.
But the transition from the NBA to college (or vice versa) has traditionally not been popular or easy to make. So for UNC, of ​​all places, to hire a career NBA coach with no ties to Chapel Hill is a complete shock.
Even Malone initially wasn’t interested in the jump, admitting in his introductory press conference that he had no interest in the college ranks and needed some courtship to end up at UNC.
However, as much as this measure has the potential to backfire, it could also work. With the professionalization of college athletics, where players can be paid and the coach’s ability to recruit is less important, the move could even have been tactical on UNC’s part after also hiring Bill Belichick to coach the football team last year.
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“Now they have two professional coaches coaching at the university,” Mike Krzyzewski said in The Pat McAfee Show. “The infrastructure of their athletic department is now going to become a more professional organization, which I think everyone should do. And the fact that (Malone) knows how to do it, and so does Coach Belichick, is maybe a sign that they’re moving in that direction organizationally.”
Maybe. Still, Malone has yet to prove he can get the right players and adjust his coaching style for college-age adults. Then, make it to the Final Four and win championships; after all, this is still UNC. Oh, and I beat Duke. I can’t forget about that.
Anything less than that will be a failure. That’s why it was so strange to catch a stranger who has to learn everything at once.
Geno Auriemma apologizes again
After a lame apology and Dawn Staley’s polite call for everyone to “move on,” Geno Auriemma issued a second apology Tuesday for his heated exchange with South Carolina’s coach in the Final Four.
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And this time he mentioned Staley by name.
“This morning, Dawn Staley and I talked about our interaction after last Friday’s game. I apologized to Dawn, her staff and her team. I’ve lost more games in the Final Four than any coach in history. But on Friday I lost something more important. I lost myself…
“Dawn and I have agreed to move forward and hope to return the focus to the growth of women’s basketball. The game deserves it.”
That’s more similar.
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This article originally appeared on For The Win: North Carolina Hires Michael Malone in Strange Move That Could Work