The University of North Carolina basketball family has a new adopted son thanks in part to his father, Brendan, and youngest daughter, Bridget.

“My father, who passed about two years ago, was a huge Carolina fan and a huge Dean Smith fan,” Michael Malone, new coach of the Tar Heels, shared at his introductory press conference Tuesday in Chapel Hill. “He passed that on to me. I know he’s looking down today, and he’s very, very proud. I wish he was here.”

When the university’s search committee initially reached out to the former Nuggets coach, Malone told executive associate athletic director Steve Newmark he thought it was little more than a courtesy call. When Bridget, a sophomore on the Tar Heels’ volleyball team, heard her father’s name was in the mix, she inquired about his interest. He initially told his youngest there wasn’t much. She requested he reconsider.

“I just think she wanted to be near her mother a little bit more,” Malone cracked.

The process played out over roughly 10 days after Hubert Davis was fired following first-round losses to Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference and Virginia Commonwealth in the NCAA Tournament. Davis, a former standout for the Tar Heels in the late ’80s and early ’90s who went on to play more than decade in the NBA, invited Malone to attend some of his team’s practices when he was in town to visit Bridget. Malone’s top priority those days was being more present with his wife, Jocelyn, and daughters Caitlin, a student in Boulder, and Bridget. He wasn’t thinking about coaching college ball, but Davis provided some valuable lessons.

“What he taught me was ‘treat this place with respect,’” Malone said.

“Hubert lived that every single day.”

Now, it’s Malone responsibility to protect and promote one of college basketball’s most recognizable brands, as the college sports landscape continues to evolve. Newmark shared the search committee’s requirements before introducing the 20th coach in program history. It’s the first time since Frank McGuire’s hire in 1952 that North Carolina hired an outsider to lead its flagship athletic program.

“First and foremost, they need to be an elite teacher, innovator, strategist and leader. That’s really following in the mold of coach (Dean) Smith, coach (Bill) Guthridge and coach (Roy) Williams. Second, they need to display and possess the character and integrity that’s consistent with our university and our principles. Third, they need to believe in – not just acknowledge and recognize – the importance of the Carolina family and the Carolina tradition and what that means to the UNC community,” Newmark said.

“Coach Malone exemplifies every single one of those. He checked every single box.”

Malone credited his father, who got his start at the high school level, with showing him how to satisfy the primary requirement. Brendan famously failed to talk his son out of following in his footsteps.

“The best coaches in the world are teachers,” Malone said.

“I love this game. I have a passion for the game of basketball. I have a passion for teaching the game of basketball, which I learned from my father.”

Malone said he would lean on the other Tar Heels at his disposal to take care of the final two prerequisites. Williams, who coached the Tar Heels to three national championships, attended the press conference, while longtime UNC and NBA assistant Pat Sullivan was the first to put Newkirk and Malone in touch. The search committee included Antawn Jamison, who Malone coached when he was a Cavaliers assistant, and Kenny Smith, a longtime NBA player and commentator.

“There’s a lot of elite coaches out there. We started with a fairly long list, but even in that point, we had a select few that were at the top. The way that we actually started the process is where ended the process,” Newmark said.

“Everybody came to the same conclusion that coach Malone is the ideal fit for this university.”

Malone wasn’t sure that was the case until Newmark spent five hours of Easter Sunday at the family’s residence in Colorado. Malone joked that the associate athletic director neglected to bring his wife flowers, but he passed another important test.

“My dog didn’t bite him, so he knew it was OK,” Malone said, mixing in another joke.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, but what I kept thinking about was I have the chance to be a part of something special, the history and tradition. … This was the only college job I would ever consider. Any other job, I wouldn’t even answer the phone.”

North Carolina, reportedly, provided 50 million reasons for Malone to continue taking calls from Tar Heels brass. His six-year contract will make him one of college basketball’s highest-paid coaches. The kind of money comes with a bunch of expectations. North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham mentioned Larry Brown was the only coach to win championships at the college and NBA level before Malone spoke.

“You have won an NBA championship already. I’ve asked our staff to start moving those banners, so that we can hang another. I don’t want to put any pressure on you. They’re starting to move them tomorrow,” Cunningham said.

“It’s a great day to be a Tar Heel.”

Though Malone’s former three-time Most Valuable Player isn’t the biggest college basketball fan, he agrees with Cunningham’s sentiment.

“I’m happy for coach. I wish him all the luck. I think it’s a little bit different just because he was coaching NBA for how many years, 12, 15 years? He definitely has the poise and the brain to do it,” Nikola Jokic said after Monday’s win over Portland. “I think he’s going to do a really good job, because I think he can actually coach the guys. I think he’s going to have time to coach the guys and teach them how to play the game the right way.”

The only former Tar Heel on Denver’s roster, Cam Johnson, doesn’t have the same familiarity with his school’s new coach. He hopes to change that before long.

“I don’t really know coach Malone. I came 17 games too late, but I’ve been talking to the guys,” Johnson said. “They think he’s going to be a good fit for what we got going on back there. I wish him the best. I’ll probably connect with him soon.”

North Carolina’s new coach acknowledged the difference in jobs. They range from the obvious. Malone used to coach older players with families of their own. That largely won’t be the case in his new gig. There’s also the difference in roster building. The transfer portal didn’t exist when Malone was last on a college staff at Manhattan in 2001. There’s also the difference in how the game is broken up, but the game is still about putting a sphere through a round rim.

“I still don’t understand why college basketball is the only level that plays two 20-minute halves. I got to get my head around that. At the end of the day, basketball is basketball,” Malone said. “We used to say in the NBA ‘players don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.’ I believe that, and I buy into that.”

Malone made it clear he didn’t take the job solely to be closer to Bridget as she continues her college volleyball career. The new coach of the Tar Heels worried about invading the space Bridget had made her own after being known as the coach’s daughter for most of her life. He joked about her needing to stay out of the college bars late at night now that she’s once again living close to her high-profile father, but she wanted it this way.

“She said ‘Dad, I want you to come,’” Malone shared. “So, I did.”