Mike Krzyzewski says Michael Malone faces learning curve at UNC like Bill Belichick
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NBA champion or not, legendary Duke Blue Devils head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski isn’t too worried about Michael Malone, who was hired to replace Hubert Davis at the UNC Tar heels, getting the program back on track.
After all, Krzyzewski’s biggest rival during his famous Duke tenure was UNC. He referenced Bill Belichick when asked about Malone’s hiring during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday.
“They hired an NFL champion as coach and Duke beat Carolina football this year,” Krzyzewski told McAfee and AJ Hawk with a grin about the program. “That doesn’t mean coach Belichick isn’t a great coach, but there is time for adjustments. It takes longer to come from the pros to college.”
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Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski watches during practice ahead of the 2022 men’s basketball tournament Final Four at Caesars Superdome on April 1, 2022 in New Orleans, La. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Belichick learned this firsthand last season; this was his first game in college football with the Tar Heels. Duke finished with a 9-5 overall record and won the ACC title, while UNC was a paltry 4-8 with a 2-6 ACC record.
Additionally, as Krzyzewski noted, Duke ended its first season with a loss, defeating Belichick’s UNC team 32-25.
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Of course, the college game has completely changed now; name, image and likeness (NIL) opens avenues for wealthier programs to pay for the cream of the crop, both in the transfer portal and out of high school.
As this new college system remains in place, Belichick and his staff will need to get more creative and perhaps open their checkbooks wider.
But football isn’t king in Chapel Hill; basketball prevails. Krzyzewski knows this because the Blue Devils often faced the Tar Heels as the nation’s best teams competed not just for bragging rights but for national championships.
Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone watches the game against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter at Chase Center in San Francisco, California on April 4, 2025. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
Malone coached the Denver Nuggets for 10 seasons, including an NBA championship in 2023. But he was fired in April 2025 and quickly took on a sports media role at ESPN a month later.
The Tar Heels, who fired Davis following UNC’s crushing defeat to VCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, are taking a similar route with their football program; A coach with a great track record in the pros but no collegiate head coaching experience.
Malone served as an assistant in Oakland, Providence and Manhattan before moving to the NBA with the New York Knicks in 2001. His first NBA head coaching job came with the Sacramento Kings before cementing his place in Denver.
Mike Krzyzewski hosted a Jimmy V Foundation event in his hometown of Chicago last month. (Fox News)
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“Mike is a great coach and a great guy, there is a learning curve,” Krzyzewski added. “For whatever reason, maybe they’re changing; they have two professional coaches who coached in college now. The infrastructure of their athletic department is going to become more pro-organizational now, which I think everybody needs to do. He knows how to do it, and coach Belichick knows how to do it. Maybe that’s a sign that they’re moving in that direction organizationally.”
Malone hopes to have a better inaugural season in Chapel Hill than Belichick, who returned for another football season to change the course of football.
