NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
NBA champion or not, legendary Duke Blue Devils basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski isn’t too worried about Michael Malone, who was reportedly hired to replace Hubert Davis with the UNC Tar Heels, getting the program back on track.
After all, Krzyzewski’s biggest rival during his illustrious dukedom was UNC. And he invoked Bill Belichick when asked about the Malone hire during his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday.
“They had an NFL champion hired as a coach and Duke beat Carolina football this year,” Krzyzewski told McAfee and AJ Hawk with a smile on the show. “It doesn’t mean Coach Belichick isn’t a good coach, but there is time for adjustments. It takes longer to get from the pros to college.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils looks on during practice before the 2022 men’s basketball tournament Final Four at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., on April 1, 2022. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Belichick learned that firsthand last season, his first in college football with the Tar Heels. While Duke finished with a 9-5 overall record and won the ACC title, UNC was a paltry 4-8 with a 2-6 ACC record.
Also, as Krzyzewski mentioned, Duke defeated Belichick’s UNC squad, 32-25, to end its first one-loss season.
FORMER DUKE PLAYER DESCRIBES COACH K’S WAY OF DUMBING THE MARCH MADNESS BACKET FOR MICRO TOURNAMENTS
Of course, the college game has completely changed now, with name, image and likeness (NIL) deals paving the way for richer programs to pay for the cash in the transfer portal as well as out of high school.
Belichick and his staff will have to be more creative and perhaps open the checkbooks more as this new college system continues to stay in place.
But football is not king at Chapel Hill – basketball rules. Krzyzewski knows this, as the Blue Devils were usually lined up against the Tar Heels as the top team in the country, fighting for not just bragging rights, but national titles.
Head coach Michael Malone of the Denver Nuggets watches the game against the Golden State Warriors in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California on April 4, 2025. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
Malone coached the Denver Nuggets for 10 seasons, which included an NBA title in 2023. However, he was fired in April 2025, and quickly took a sports media role at ESPN a month later.
The Tar Heels, who fired Davis after UNC’s crushing loss to VCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, are taking a similar route to the football program — a coach with a stellar track record in the pros but no college head coaching experience.
Malone was an assistant in Oakland, Providence and Manhattan before moving to the NBA with the New York Knicks in 2001. His first NBA head coaching gig came with the Sacramento Kings before cementing his spot in Denver.
Mike Krzyzewski hosted a Jimmy V Foundation event in his hometown of Chicago last month. (Pakinomist)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
“Mike is a great coach and a great guy, there’s a learning curve,” Krzyzewski added. “Whatever the reasoning is, maybe they’re changing; they now have two pro coaches who coach in college. The infrastructure of their athletic department is now becoming more of a pro organization, which I think everybody should do. He knows how to do it, and so does Coach Belichick. Maybe it’s a sign that they’re moving in that direction organizationally.”
Malone is hoping for a better inaugural season in Chapel Hill than Belichick, who returns for another football season looking to turn the tables on the gridiron.
