The Carolina family isn't something that is just talked about.
Dean Smith set the tone for the culture surrounding the UNC basketball program, and that has carried on over the years even after Smith's coaching days were over.
However, there seems to have been a major lapse in the Carolina family over recent memory, essentially during the Hubert Davis era in Chapel Hill.
For a guy who loves the University of North Carolina as much as anyone, Davis didn't seem to make the Carolina family a priority as the head coaches before him did. That sense of unity and community seems to have been lost in translation, as many alumni of the program felt distanced during this era, one that was full of a handful of highs and an insane amount of lows for one of the historic programs that college basketball has to offer.
The good news is that Michael Malone, the new head coach of the Tar Heels, is buying into the Carolina family aspect of the job, wasting no time trying to bridge that gap that has been created.
John Henson provides some news that will make UNC fans very happy
Former Tar Heel John Henson joined The Field of 68 crew for their podcast episode that discussed the offseason in general for the UNC basketball program.
When asked about Malone's hiring, Henson had positive things to say about the Tar Heels' head coach. He emphasized how hard he's been working since he landed the job, noting how he was on a plane to Europe literally the day after taking the job to recruit.
While Henson did mention that there are holes on the roster that Malone, who had a very late start to the recruiting process, put together, he understands that this will be a process for North Carolina but believes that Malone has done a good job thus far.
He also provides a very interesting fact that will make Tar Heel fans very happy.
"I do like what he's doing, especially with the Carolina guys," Henson said. "We're having a Carolina family reunion this year, so he's kind of buying into that whole family thing, and it can only bode well going on for the future to have the support of everyone from the players to the staff and the team he's building."
UNC's upgrade from Hubert Davis to Michael Malone magnified with Duke ‘scared’
According to Henson, UNC will be having a Carolina family reunion this year, something that the former Tar Heel made seem was Malone's doing. Based on this fact alone, you already know that Malone is trying to bridge that gap with the alumni, understanding the importance of keeping them around the program, a tradition that has made Carolina basketball unique from others around the country.
Unfortunately, Davis, an alumni himself, didn't put an emphasis on making the alumni feel like they can always come home.
Davis wasn't the perfect head coach. However, what makes his era leading the program more frustrating is how he handled the Carolina family aspect. For someone who is heavily entrenched in the styles of the likes of Smith and Williams, you would've thought that this aspect of the job would be one that he thrived at.
That wasn't the case, which is surprising for sure.
While we can't change the past, Michael Malone is trying his best to write the wrongs in the future, hoping to bring the Carolina family back to the way we all remember it to be.
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