North Carolina has once again made headlines in men’s college basketball just hours before the national championship game between UConn and Michigan. The Tar Heels informed ESPN sources of their plan to hire former NBA champion coach Michael Malone as the program’s new head coach, following a thorough nationwide search for a successor to Hubert Davis.
The news of Malone’s potential hiring could trigger reactions from UNC freshmen commits who planned to join the team when Davis was still the coach. It might also cause chaos on social media if someone spreads a rumor that a prospect is decommitting from the team before the head coaching change was announced, only for it to turn out to be false.
Dylan Mingo Trended for the Wrong Reason Before UNC’s Report on Intent To Hire Michael Malone
This is exactly what happened to Class of 2026 No. 9 freshman prospect and two-way guard Dylan Mingo. The Long Island Lutheran High School star was earlier reported by an apparent Barstool Sports affiliate that covers Syracuse-related college sports developments on social media, stating that he has decommitted from the Tar Heels and reopened his recruitment before ESPN reported the development on Malone.
Barstool Cuse posted on its social media account, citing On3 sports reporter Pete Nakos, that Mingo has decommitted from North Carolina and reopened his recruitment. The post also indicated that several Power Four programs, including Syracuse, Illinois, UConn, and Miami, are now actively pursuing the five-star prospect.
🚨 BREAKING: 5-star guard Dylan Mingo has decommitted from North Carolina and reopened his recruitment, sources tell @PeteNakos
Top programs like Syracuse, Illinois, Uconn and Miami are now pursuing him aggressively, with multiple schools expected to make a serious push. pic.twitter.com/IiyBhmn1PC
— Barstool Cuse (@Barstool_Cuse) April 6, 2026
The social media page also featured a photo of Mingo and a “Breaking News” graphic from ESPN to indicate that the news comes from a trusted source.
An hour after Barstool Cuse posted the “news” on social media, ESPN veteran reporter Pete Thamel, citing UNC sources, wrote on X about the Tar Heels’ plan to hire the former Denver Nuggets coach who led the NBA team to the title in the 2022-23 season. He also published the full report on the sports website eight minutes after the tweet appeared.
Sources: North Carolina intends to hire longtime NBA coach Michael Malone as the school’s next basketball coach. He’s an NBA Championship coach with the Denver Nuggets from the 2022-23 season and has won 510 games as an NBA head coach. pic.twitter.com/JwJmUNRLQT
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 6, 2026
Locked On College Basketball and Locked On Tar Heels host Isaac Schade then called out the “fake” Barstool Cuse account with a comment that debunked the rumor of Mingo’s apparent decommitment from North Carolina. Schade pointed out that it is unusual for sports reporters like Pete Nakos to use a graphic with a rival’s watermark (Nakos works for On3, and the graphic included an ESPN breaking news banner).
The podcast host revealed that this is not the actual Barstool Cuse account and questioned why an account originating from Syracuse would release such a report.
“Nice try…I SMELL A FAKE!” Schade said.
Although Mingo remains committed to the Tar Heels, Davis was replaced as head coach after UNC’s first-round loss to VCU in the NCAA Tournament. ESPN college basketball insider Jeff Borzello reported in an in-depth piece with Myron Medcalf that the combo guard might be more likely to reopen his recruitment than No. 21-ranked Maximo Adams.
Borzello’s comment indicated that Mingo’s reconsideration of his commitment to UNC remains possible even after Davis’s firing and Malone’s hiring. However, it depends on how the team’s offseason unfolds. With the transfer portal opening on April 7, the guard has several weeks to reassess his decision amid the new developments for the six-time national champions.
