Malone Taps Veteran Recruiter Chuck Martin as UNC Associate Head Coach

Martin, who has worked under John Calipari at multiple stops, brings a track record of landing top talent to Chapel Hill.

Apr. 8, 2026 at 9:05pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting fragmented, overlapping scenes of a college basketball game or recruiting event, using Carolina blue, crimson red, and gold colors to conceptually represent the strategic rebuilding of the UNC program.Malone's hiring of recruiting ace Chuck Martin signals a new era of strategic player development and roster-building at North Carolina.Fayetteville Today

Michael Malone has made his first major staff addition at North Carolina, bringing in veteran assistant coach Chuck Martin as his associate head coach. Martin, who has spent over two decades in college basketball, is known as an elite recruiter and has worked alongside John Calipari at Kentucky and Arkansas in recent years, helping those programs land top-ranked recruiting classes.

Why it matters

Malone's hiring of Martin signals a clear emphasis on rebuilding UNC's roster through elite recruiting, which will be crucial as the Tar Heels look to quickly return to national prominence under their new head coach. Martin's connections and track record of landing top talent should provide an immediate boost to UNC's recruiting efforts.

The details

Martin arrives at UNC after two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under Calipari at Arkansas, where he helped the Razorbacks reach the Sweet 16 in his first year. Prior to that, he held the same recruiting duties at Kentucky in 2023-24, when the Wildcats' class finished ranked No. 2 nationally. Martin has been part of Calipari's inner circle dating back to their time together at Memphis, where they reached the 2008 national title game.

  • Martin and Malone previously worked together at Manhattan College from 1999 to 2000.
  • Martin has over 25 years of experience in college basketball as an assistant, head coach, and NBA scout.

The players

Michael Malone

The new head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team.

Chuck Martin

An experienced college basketball assistant coach who is known as an elite recruiter, having worked alongside John Calipari at multiple stops including Kentucky and Arkansas.

John Calipari

The head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks, who has employed Chuck Martin as a key assistant and recruiter at multiple schools over the past two decades.

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What’s next

Malone and Martin will now turn their attention to assembling the rest of the UNC coaching staff and hitting the recruiting trail to land top talent for the Tar Heels' 2026-27 roster.

The takeaway

The hiring of Chuck Martin as Michael Malone's associate head coach at UNC signals a clear focus on rebuilding the Tar Heels through elite recruiting, which will be crucial as the program looks to quickly return to national prominence under its new leadership.