Michael Malone instead of Billy Donovan?
That's something that people continue to question in passionate fashion, as North Carolina stunned a lot of us by hiring Malone to take over for Hubert Davis, who was fired by the Tar Heels not long after the collapse against VCU in the NCAA Tournament.
UNC makes coaching hire to replace Hubert Davis that will leave fans speechless
As it turns out, though, Donovan simply could not be the pick. While so many people were focused on him being the guy, Jeff Goodman has reported that while the two-time national champion winner had interest, he wasn't going to make any kind of a decision until the Bulls' season came to a close. With that being on April 12, UNC truly could not sit on its hands and wait that long, not with the portal about to open.
Billy Donovan wanted to wait until end of season to make a decision on North Carolina and one source close to Donovan felt as though he might have taken it.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 6, 2026
But source said that new North Carolina AD Steve Newmark panicked after Tommy Lloyd and Dusty May spurned the Tar Heels.
UNC shifting its focus to Michael Malone over Billy Donovan had to happen
While Goodman's sources said Steve Newmark 'panicked' after getting turned down by Tommy Lloyd and Dusty May, this process had to come to a close for the Tar Heels sooner rather than later. North Carolina needed a definitive answer from Donovan.
And if his response was that he needed to wait until the end of Chicago's campaign, then the answer indeed was right in front of everyone. Would Donovan have been a home-run hire? Absolutely, but again, there was no more time to waste in making a decision.
Now, Malone has to hit the ground running in not only trying to retain top talent, but also go after some talented names who are making their way to the portal. As of this writing, multiple players have announced their intentions to leave Chapel Hill, with the list including freshman guard Derek Dixon.
The hope is that he's the only big-name player who makes his exit. It's no question going to be on Malone to make sure no one else abandons ship, while a lot of focus remains on 5-star incoming freshmen Dylan Mingo and Maximo Adams. Malone needs to make those calls immediately. Had UNC gone with Donovan, it would have been about a week too late, which is why going with Malone, although controversial, was the wise move here instead of playing an uncertain waiting game.