Once the shock wears off, Michael Malone makes sense for North Carolina.<\/p>\n
That wouldn\u2019t have been the case a few years ago, but times have changed in a big way. College programs these days have general managers, and the talent on the court gets paid a lot of money. There are players who played professionally in Europe now playing on college campuses. <\/p>\n
That means Malone can hand off most of the recruiting and roster-retention duties and focus on coaching.<\/p>\n
Malone\u2019s a really good coach, but the intensity with which he does the job can be a lot over the course of a season that starts with training camp in late September and runs with the best teams playing into the summer. The college season is significantly shorter, and college coaches are able to hold their players more accountable than their peers in the professional game. That\u2019s one thing that hasn\u2019t changed and makes Malone a good fit to revive one of the most decorated programs in college basketball.<\/p>\n
The game is also more international than it\u2019s ever been. Look at the rosters in the Final Four. There were multiple international players on all four with a lot of talent coming from the Balkans. Think some of those Serbian big men might like to play for the coach who made the most of Nikola Jokic\u2019s skillset?<\/p>\n
Malone joins George Karl and Doug Moe, who both played at North Carolina, as ex-Nuggets coaches with Tar Heels connections.<\/p>\n
Monte Morris sees the vision. The former Nuggets guard posted \u201cno better person for the job,\u201d on social media soon after ESPN broke the news. Morris knows what it takes to have success in college ball after leading Iowa State to four NCAA Tournament appearances and a couple of Sweet 16 appearances. <\/p>\n
Former Tar Heel and current ESPN commentator Danny Green, who played for the Cavaliers when Malone was a Cleveland assistant, also signed off, calling Malone an \u201coffensive juggernaut.\u201d<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t be surprised if Malone has the Tar Heels back in the Final Four before long. Hopefully that includes an NCAA Tournament stop in Denver.<\/p>\n
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