UNC men’s basketball program formally announces 2026-27 staff

Anyone else excited for the Michael Malone era to start? Fans will get their first taste of UNC basketball with an October 9 preseason matchup vs. USC, then watch the regular season kick off November 2 vs. Woford.

Even with the Cameron Fens eligibility saga currently taking headlines, Malone did a great job retaining and adding talent to his first North Carolina roster. Jarin Stevenson headlines returners, Terrence Brown is one of several notable portal additions, while Maximo Adams remained committed despite the Tar Heels’ coaching change.

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Malone took the same route when building his first UNC staff, retaining fan favorites while adding his own guys. On Thursday, five months after his hiring, North Carolina finalized Malone’s first staff.

Jim Tanner remains on staff as the Tar Heels’ general manager, while Chuck Martin joins as associate head coach. Rounding out Malone’s coaching staff are assistants Sean May, Brandon Robinson, Jorge Sanz, Pat Sullivan and Bryan Tibaldi.

Deon Thompson joins UNC as Director of Player Development, while Eric Hoots will be the Director of Operations. Jonas Sahratian will be the Director of Strength and Conditioning, Doug Halverson is the team’s Athletic Trainer, Kiersten Steinbacher is Assistant to the Director of Operations, while Thomas Malone (no relation) will be Video Coordinator.

North Carolina has a pretty loaded non-conference schedule, featuring matchups against Georgia (Nov. 13), West Virginia (Nov. 27), Arkansas (December 1), NC State (Dec. 15), Kentucky (Dec. 19) and Illinois (January 30, 2027). The Tar Heels know their ACC opponents, but dates and times are still TBD.

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Can UNC finally return to its winning ways and capture another National Championship? With an experienced staff and roster, that college basketball immortality seems possible in Chapel Hill once again.

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Publish date : 2026-09-03 23:01:00

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