UNC Asheville takes unexpected path back to top of Big South
ASHEVILLE -- While the UNC Asheville men's basketball team is pleased to have secured a share of the Big South Conference regular-season title, the Bulldogs are focused on winning a second consecutive league tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth.
Repeating would be a commendable accomplishment. Considering the challenge Asheville has overcome to reach this point, it may be a remarkable one.
After winning the Big South Tournament for the third time in six years in 2016, the Bulldogs looked like a strong favorite for a repeat. Only one senior would be graduating from the team that finished 22-12 after losing to eventual national champion Villanova in the NCAA Tournament.
Jay Wright, Villanova's coach, gushed about the talent of the Bulldogs and what their future could hold.
But the offseason was tough for Asheville. Dwayne Sutton, a forward who was the Big South Tournament MVP, transferred to Louisville. Guard Dylan Smith, a member of the Big South all-freshman team, transferred to Arizona. Trae Bryant, a guard who had shown great improvement during his freshman year, decided not to return.
A much different squad opened the 2016-17 season.
Nevertheless, Asheville showed almost from the start of the season that the winning would continue. The players who returned got better and melded.
“I knew we had some talent and a chance to become a good team, but we anticipated it would take some time for the team chemistry to come together,” said Nick McDevitt, who was selected Big South Coach of the Year on Monday. “We had 15 players on the roster with eight of them being new and six of those were freshmen.
“I just wasn’t sure when this team would come together. It came together a lot quicker than I thought.”
The Bulldogs shrugged off early losses to VCU and Georgia before rattling off wins in eight of nine games. Asheville opened Big South play with an overtime loss at Radford but won 15 of its next 17 league games. The Bulldogs tied for the regular-season title with Winthrop and just missed getting the No. 1 seed due to a tie-breaker.
Asheville’s 23 regular-season wins are the most in school history. The Bulldogs need two victories in the Big South Tournament to set a program record.
How did this happen with eight new players?
“We had a lot of new faces, but the experienced players returning were exceptional leaders,” McDevitt said. “Our three seniors – David Robertson, Will Weeks and Giacomo Zilli – are 22 going on 32. They are incredibly mature and have done a great job teaching the freshmen. And our junior class has served as great leaders as well. Raekwon Miller, Ahmad Thomas, Kevin Vannatta and Alec Wnuk have worked well with our seniors to provide leadership.
“These guys were able to lead this young team and allow us to come together quickly."
The Bulldogs' quest starts at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Winthrop Coliseum against Campbell, which advanced to the quarterfinals with an easy 81-62 first-round victory against Presbyterian College on Tuesday.
Asheville defeated Campbell twice this season, 72-56 at Kimmel Arena and 66-63 in Buies Creek. The Camels are led by sophomore guard Chris Clemons, a first-team all-conference selection who is averaging 23.1 points per game. Clemons missed the last game against the Bulldogs because of back spasms. Also missing that game was another starting guard – Kyre’ Hamer.
“Both games against Campbell were very tough contests that we were able to pull away at the end and win,” McDevitt said. “Any team that has a scorer like Chris Clemons is very dangerous.
“We’re proud of what we accomplished during the regular season, but the tournament is a new season."