Michael Malone fully won over UNC doubters with his passionate words for the future

If you had your doubts about the hiring of Michael Malone, the new head coach of the Tar Heels, he undoubtedly silenced them in his introductory press conference on Tuesday night.

Malone said all the right things while addressing the media for the first time since taking the job as the head coach of the UNC basketball program. Plenty of important Tar Heels, including (but not limited to): Roy Williams, Courtney Banghart, Tyler Hansbrough, Marcus Ginyard, and, most importantly, the players from last year's team, were all in attendance to hear what Malone had to say.

Without a doubt, Malone made quite the first impression!

Michael Malone makes a great first impression at UNC

Malone started by thanking some key people in this process, including the legendary Roy Williams, who Malone stated he met for the first time in person prior to the press conference. He noted that Williams, along with his wife Wanda, made him feel as if he's known them for years, another sign of how strong the Carolina family truly is.

He also added a very nice touch, wearing the Dean Smith "DES" pin, as he mentioned that his father (who passed away about two years ago) was a huge Tar Heels fan and loved Smith.

The new leader of the Tar Heels was asked a variety of questions pertaining to his new role, including (but not limited to): the process for how this came about, his mindset when it comes to taking on this challenge of coaching at the college level, the Duke/UNC rivalry, among many other topics.

One of the big questions pertained to the aforementioned Carolina family. Although Malone has no prior ties to the university (other than his daughter being a current volleyball player at UNC), he is fully committed to ensuring that the Carolina family remains strong, as he emphasized the importance of having alumni be part of the program in a major way once again.

While NBA opportunities were likely available, Malone had doubts about taking on the challenges of coaching at the college level. He clarified one thing: North Carolina was the only college job he'd ever consider taking:

As expected, the topic of the Duke/North Carolina rivalry came about, as Malone's answer will have you ready to run through a brick wall for him.

Malone spoke for quite some time, and the confidence in him continued to build as the press conference went along.

If Tar Heel fans weren't excited enough, Malone closed out the event in a way that will have everyone fired up, saying that he was thrilled they were on the final question because, in his words, "we have work to do."

Yes sir, you do. Let's get to it!