No 3397Char. In his press conference he said that his daughter was not a factor. He said that Bridgett chose UNC because she liked it and she wanted to carve out her own path. Michael stated that he was worried about coming because he did not want to interfere with what Bridget had already establish with the Volleyball team and he did not want to take the spotlight. He asked her and she said it was okay. Truth be told Michael said talking with Antwan Jamison who he coached and who was part of the selection committee, Kenny Smith, Pat Sullivan, Roy Williams, and Eddie Foggler where the one's who played a major role in him coming to UNC. He gave HD credit as well for allowing him to sit in on their practices and speak with this year's team this past year also help him understand the family side of UNC basketball.
There in no world where his daughter's ties to UNC, which lead him to visit UNC much more often, did not deepen his relationship with UNC.
Why was Coach Malone at UNC practices? Because he was in town to see his daughter play volleyball and had time to kill. He met the 2025-26 team, staff, and athletic administration because his connection to UNC volleyball lead to it.
Did this connection alone make him take the UNC job? No, of course not. Was it a factor? LOL, yes of course it was.
Three things can be true at the same time: Malone's relationship with UNC was deepened significantly by his daughter playing here. AND of course his relationships with former UNC players and staff mattered significantly. AND UNC is a top job; most every coach would be interested. This is not a binary equation.
As to his comments about his daughter at UNC, he had a needle to thread there. And he did it masterfully. He gave his daughter the opportunity to define UNC as her space. But she said, no, I want you at UNC. That is a beautiful thing; no reason to step on it with these arguments.
