Report: UNC 'spoke with' Ben McCollum, Scott Drew before hiring Michael Malone

Before hiring Michael Malone, UNC reportedly had its sight on two college coaches: Iowa’s Ben McCollum and Baylor’s Scott Drew. CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander reported the intel on Monday.

“Am told Iowa’s Ben McCollum turned down a chance to interview and the school pivoted to Malone,” Norlander wrote in a Twitter/X thread. “Things moved FAST in the past 18 hours … (McCollum) had contact w/ UNC last week as the search played out, per sources. UNC was hoping to meet with him in person Sunday for a proper interview but he passed on that invitation to stay at Iowa. Malone’s candidacy picked up speed as others removed their names.

“MORE, per sources: Baylor’s Scott Drew also engaged with North Carolina in recent days as the searched progressed but ultimately did not choose to walk too far down that path. UNC did its diligence on a lot of notable college coaches; Malone was there for the taking.”

Earlier in the process, UNC reportedly made a significant push for Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd, offering what was described as a “top-two contract” in college basketball. However, Lloyd ultimately leveraged that interest into a lucrative extension to remain in Tucson.

Michigan head coach Dusty May also emerged as a top target, but he informed school officials he was not pursuing other opportunities amid the Wolverines’ NCAA Tournament run. With those options off the board, attention has shifted toward experienced, high-level coaches. 

UNC having interest in McCollum and Drew shouldn’t be surprising. McCollum just wrapped up his first season with Iowa, going 24-13 and making the Elite Eight. he spent 15 years at Northwest Missouri State before one year at Drake and then made the move to Iowa City.

UNC bringing him on would’ve been the biggest step up in jobs yet. But they also reportedly spoke with Drew, who’s won a national title with Baylor. In terms of resources, it would’ve been a step up for Drew to go from Baylor to UNC. Drew is 502-287 in his career and won the 2021 NCAA title with the Bears.

UNC now turns to Malone, who led the Denver Nuggets to their first NBA championship in franchise history during the 2022–23 season, defeating the Miami Heat in five games. Denver’s playoff run was dominant from start to finish, going 16-4 while establishing itself as the class of the league.

More importantly, Malone was instrumental in building that roster into a title contender, developing talent and creating a consistent identity centered on discipline and accountability. That track record could be exactly what North Carolina is seeking.