UNC Greensboro Spartans men's basketball
| UNC Greensboro Spartans | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| University | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | ||
| Conference | Southern | ||
| Location | Greensboro, NC | ||
| Head coach | Wes Miller (6th year) | ||
| Arena |
Greensboro Coliseum Complex (Capacity: 7,617/23,000) | ||
| Nickname | Spartans | ||
| Colors |
Navy, White, and Gold[1] | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |||
| 1996, 2001 | |||
| Conference tournament champions | |||
| 1980, 1996, 2001 | |||
| Conference regular season champions | |||
| 1981, 1987, 1988, 1995, 1996, 2002 | |||
The UNCG Spartans men's basketball team represents the University of North Carolina at Greensboro[2] in NCAA Division I. The school's team currently competes in the Southern Conference.
History
On March 2, 1996, men’s basketball knocked off Liberty, 79–53, to claim the Big South Tournament Championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in Division I. The Spartans lost to Cincinnati in the NCAA Tournament, 66–61.[3] The five seniors from the team had their numbers honored. Scott Hartzell finished his career as the men's basketball’s all-time leading scorer with 1,539.
On March 4, 2001, the men’s basketball team won its first Southern Conference championship on David Schuck’s buzzer-beating layup. The team went on to play top-ranked Stanford in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, its second trip to the "Big Dance" in five years. Guard Nathan Jameson was named first-team Verizon Academic All-America.
On December 31, 2005, UNCG hosted top-ranked Duke at the Greensboro Coliseum in front of a record crowd of 21,124. The near capacity crowd was the largest to ever see a UNCG athletic event.
Mike Dement era
Mike Dement served as the architect of the program in its move to Division I. He was the Spartans' head coach from 1991–95, leading them from a team with no conference affiliation to the top of the Big South Conference regular season standings in just four seasons. In his last two seasons at UNCG, Dement's teams went 38–18, including a school-record 23 wins in 1994–95. That year, his team won the Big South Conference's regular season title and was the runner up in the conference tournament. The team received votes in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches' polls for the first time in school history during that record-setting season.[4]
Randy Peele era
In 1991, Peele accepted an assistant's job at the UNC-Greensboro. After four years with the Spartans, Peele was promoted to replace former head coach Mike Dement, who had left to take over the men's basketball program at SMU.
In Peele's first season, only the second year in which UNC-Greensboro was eligible for Division I postseason competition, the Spartans won the Big South Conference regular season and tournament championships. In the NCAA tournament, UNC-Greensboro were the 15th seed in the Southeast region, and fell in the first round to the Cincinnati Bearcats.
After 1996, however, Peele had little success with the Spartans. UNC-Greensboro followed up their Big South championship with a 10–20 regular season, and then left the Big South in 1997 to join the Southern Conference.[5] The Spartans finished at or near the bottom of their division in both of their first two seasons in the SoCon, and after four years in Greensboro, Peele left the Spartans and took an assistant's job with the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Fran McCaffery era
McCaffery guided UNC-Greensboro from 1999 to 2005, where he posted a 90–87 record in six seasons. In his first year at the helm, Greensboro compiled a 15–13 record overall and a 9–7 Southern Conference mark, good for third place in the North Division. It was the 18th-most improved record nationally among NCAA Division I teams.[6]
In McCaffery's second season, he guided the Spartans to success with a 19–12 record and the 2001 SoCon Tournament Championship. The Spartans defeated Chattanooga, 67–66, in the finals and received the SoCon's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The following year (2001–2002) McCaffery led the Spartans to their first 20-win season since joining the conference. It marked the first time the program claimed a share of the SoCon North Division title as well. After falling to eventual tournament champion Davidson in the conference tournament semifinals, the Spartans were awarded a berth into the 2002 NIT, where they lost to eventual champion Memphis.[6]
In his final year in Greensboro, McCaffery brought the Spartans to the brink of the NCAA Tournament before a SoCon Championship game loss to Chattanooga. He led UNCG to a victory over Davidson in the semifinals, defeating a team that had been 16–0 in conference play. A big part of that success was SoCon Freshman of the Year Kyle Hines. Hines set UNCG and SoCon records for blocked shots, and also broke several other UNCG single-game and freshman single-season marks.[6]
Return of Mike Dement
In his first season back at UNCG, Dement led a young Spartan squad to a 12–19 mark. He had two players earning all-conference status in Ricky Hickman and Kyle Hines, and another earning SoCon All-Freshman honors. Early in the season, UNCG won on the road at East Carolina and at home against a Gardner-Webb team that had gone right down to the buzzer with North Carolina two weeks earlier. But like many young squads do, the Spartans had their struggles down the stretch and a 7–3 start—one of the best in school history—was forgotten with February's fumbles. Yet still, 10th-seeded UNCG knocked off seventh-seeded Western Carolina in the opening round of the conference tournament and then had three shots at the end of regulation to beat second-seeded Elon, only to fall in overtime in the SoCon quarterfinals.[4]
In 2006–07, Dement guided the Spartans to a 16–14 mark, including a second-place finish in the Southern Conference's Northern Division. Hines, only a junior, earned Southern Conference Player of the Year and Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention status – a pair of firsts in the history of the UNCG program. The Spartans were considered by many to be the most dangerous team in the SoCon Tournament, but were upended in the final seconds by Furman in the quarterfinal round.[4]
In 2007–08, the Spartans began the season and ended the season with a bit of history. A season-opening win at Georgia Tech gave the Spartans their first-ever win over an ACC team. UNCG also picked up big road wins out of conference at Fordham and UNC Wilmington.[4]
In 2008–2009, with a roster that had no seniors on it, the Spartans finished with a 5–25 mark. Still, the Spartans swept the season-series with backyard rival Elon and split with Appalachian State.[4]
Move to Greensboro Coliseum
Beginning with the 2009–10 season, the men's basketball team plays all of their home games in the Greensboro Coliseum. The arena, which holds over 23,000 seats, is configured to hold around 7,500 spectators for most games.
As part of the move, the Coliseum remodeled a floor to become a Spartan home floor and also completely renovated a massive locker room space for the team, complete with training room, meeting facilities, coaches offices and a players' lounge.[7]
The UNCG men’s basketball program is taking advantage of the opportunity by playing against ACC teams, Southern Conference opponents, UNC system schools and other nationally ranked programs in the Coliseum.[8] During the 2010–2011 season, UNCG will host ACC foes Florida State, Miami, #24 Virginia Tech, and #1 Duke.
Wes Miller era
Wes Miller enters his fifth season as the UNCG men's basketball coach in 2015–16, after taking over the reins of the program in December 2011 on an interim basis.[9]
Retired Numbers
Kyle Hines #42
In the 2006–07 season, Kyle Hines became the first player in UNCG history to receive the Southern Conference Player of the Year honor and to be named to the Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention.[10] He became only the sixth player to score 2,000 points, grab 1,000 rebounds and block 300 shots in his college career. He joined the ranks of David Robinson, Alonzo Mourning, Tim Duncan, Pervis Ellison and Derrick Coleman.[11]
Courtney Eldridge #23
Lead the Spartans to the 2001 Southern Conference Tournament championship against University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and their second NCAA Tournament appearance. During the 2001–2002 season, he was ranked 9th in the Nation and 1st in the SoCon in steals, 23rd in the nation and 3rd in the conference in assists, UNCG All-Time leader in steals, 2nd All-Time leader in assists, and 5th All-Time Leading Scorer.[12] The Spartans won the 2002 Southern Conference regular season title and earned a bid to the NIT.
Scott Hartzell #5
Inducted into the UNCG Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006, Hartzell led UNCG in three-point field goals, three-point shooting percentage, and free throw shooting percentage all four seasons. He graduated in 1996 as the school’s all-time leader in points 1,539 and assists with 552. His scoring mark now sits fifth on the all-time list, while his assist total sits second. He still holds the UNCG records for career three-pointers made (309), attempted (704) and shooting percentage (43%).[13]
In 1995–96, Hartzell led the Spartans to its first NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament appearance. He led UNCG to the 1996 Big South Championship, crushing Liberty by 26 points in the title game on its home floor. During that memorable run, Hartzell ran his streak of consecutive games with a three-point field goal to 42 straight. The Spartans gained a first round match-up with Cincinnati in the NCAA Tournament, nearly knocking off the No. 7-ranked Bearcats before falling, 66–61.[13]
Season-by-season results
| Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Larry Hargett (Dixie Conference) (–1982) | |||||||||
| 1979–1980 | Larry Harget | 16–12 | 11–3 | 2nd | |||||
| 1980–1981 | Larry Harget | 17–8 | 11–3 | T-1st | |||||
| 1981–1982 | Larry Harget | 14–10 | 9–5 | 3rd | |||||
| ELarry Harget: | |||||||||
| Ed Douma (Dixie Conference) (1982–1984) | |||||||||
| 1982–1983 | Ed Douma | 16–9 | 10–4 | T-3rd | |||||
| 1983–1984 | Ed Douma | 12–14 | 8–6 | T-3rd | |||||
| Ed Douma: | |||||||||
| Bob McEvoy (Dixie Conference) (1984–1988) | |||||||||
| 1984–1985 | Bob McEvoy | 9–16 | 7–7 | T-3rd | |||||
| 1985–1986 | Bob McEvoy | 13–14 | 8–6 | 4th | |||||
| 1986–1987 | Bob McEvoy | 22–6 | 12–2 | 1st | |||||
| 1987–1988 | Bob McEvoy | 19–8 | 13–1 | 1st | |||||
| Bob McEvoy (Independent) (1988–1991) | |||||||||
| 1988–1989 | Bob McEvoy | 14–13 | |||||||
| 1989–1990 | Bob McEvoy | 6–22 | |||||||
| 1990–1991 | Bob McEvoy | 9–17 | |||||||
| Bob McEvoy: | |||||||||
| Mike Dement (Independent) (1991–1993) | |||||||||
| 1991–1992 | Mike Dement | 7–21 | |||||||
| 1992–1993 | Mike Dement | 10–17 | |||||||
| Mike Dement (Big South) (1993–1995) | |||||||||
| 1993–1994 | Mike Dement | 15–12 | 11–7 | 5th | |||||
| 1994–1995 | Mike Dement | 23–6 | 14–2 | 1st | |||||
| Mike Dement: | 55–56 | 25–9 | |||||||
| Randy Peele (Big South) (1995–1997) | |||||||||
| 1995–1996 | Randy Peele | 20–10 | 11–3 | 1st | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 1996–1997 | Randy Peele | 10–20 | 6–8 | T-5th North | |||||
| Randy Peele (Southern Conference) (1997–1999) | |||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Randy Peele | 9–19 | 6–9 | T-4th North | |||||
| 1998–1999 | Randy Peele | 7–20 | 5–11 | 5th North | |||||
| Randy Peele: | 46–69 | 28–31 | |||||||
| Fran McCaffery (Southern Conference) (1999–2005) | |||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Fran McCaffery | 15–13 | 9–7 | 3rd North | |||||
| 2000–2001 | Fran McCaffery | 19–12 | 10–6 | 2nd North | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 2001–2002 | Fran McCaffery | 20–11 | 11–5 | T-1st North | NIT First Round | ||||
| 2002–2003 | Fran McCaffery | 7–22 | 3–13 | T-5th North | |||||
| 2003–2004 | Fran McCaffery | 11–17 | 7–9 | T-3rd North | |||||
| 2004–2005 | Fran McCaffery | 18–12 | 9–7 | T-2nd North | |||||
| Fran McCaffery: | 90–87 | 49–47 | |||||||
| Mike Dement (Southern Conference) (2005–2011*) | |||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Mike Dement | 12–19 | 4–10 | 5th North | |||||
| 2006–2007 | Mike Dement | 16–14 | 12–6 | 2nd North | |||||
| 2007–2008 | Mike Dement | 19–12 | 12–8 | 3rd North | |||||
| 2008–2009 | Mike Dement | 5–25 | 4–16 | 6th North | |||||
| 2009–2010 | Mike Dement | 8–23 | 6–12 | T-3rd North | |||||
| 2010–2011 | Mike Dement | 7–24 | 6–12 | 5th North | |||||
| 2011–2012* | Mike Dement | 2–8 | 0–3 | ||||||
| Mike Dement: | 69–125 | 44–67 | |||||||
| Wes Miller (Southern Conference) (2011–present) | |||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Wes Miller | 11–11 | 10–5 | 1st North | |||||
| 2012–2013 | Wes Miller | 9–22 | 6–12 | 6th (North) | |||||
| 2013–2014 | Wes Miller | 14–18 | 7–9 | 6th | |||||
| 2014–2015 | Wes Miller | 11–22 | 6–12 | T–7th | |||||
| 2014–2015 | Wes Miller | 15–19 | 10–8 | T–5th | CBI Quarterfinals | ||||
| Wes Miller: | 60–92 | 39–46 | |||||||
| Total: | |||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
Postseason
NCAA Division I Tournament results
The Spartans have appeared in the NCAA Division I Tournament two times. Their combined record is 0–2.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | #15 | First Round | #2 Cincinnati | L 61–66 |
| 2001 | #16 | First Round | #1 Stanford | L 60–88 |
NIT results
The Spartans have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) one time. Their record is 0–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | First Round | Memphis | L 62–82 |
CBI results
The Spartans have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) one time. Their record is 1–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | First Round Quarterfinals | Houston Baptist Ohio | W 69–65 L 67–72 |
Current coaching staff
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Wes Miller | Head Coach |
| Mike Roberts | Associate Head Coach |
| Andre Morgan | Assistant Coach |
| Chris LePore | Assistant Coach |
Notable former players
| Name | - |
|---|---|
| Ronnie Burrell | Playing for Poland's Asseco Prokom Gdynia in the Euroleague. Named the 2006–07 Euroleague Week-4 MVP...won the 2008–09 Polish National Championship with Asseco Prokom...won the 2007 German National Cup with RheinEnergie Cologne...named to the 2004–05 All Southern Conference 2nd Team.[14] |
| Courtney Eldridge | Playing in Italy for A.B. Latina. (2009–10 season) |
| Josh Gross | Drafted by Albuquerque Thunderbirds in the 2007 NBA development league draft.[15] Played on part of the 2008 NBA Development League Ambassadors.[16] |
| Scott Hartzell | Inducted into the UNCG Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006 |
| Ricky Hickman | Playing in Finland for Namika Lahti and averaging 24.8 ppg through 13 games. (2009–2010 season); now plays in Israel for Maccabi Tel Aviv[17] |
| Kyle Hines | Playing in Greece for Olympiacos B.C.. (2011-today) |
| Jay Joseph | Playing for Feytroun (Lebanon). (2008–09 season)[18] |
| James Maye | In 2006–07, started 33 games and averaged 15.8 ppg[19] for the NBA's D-League Dakota Wizards. Went on to win 2006–07 Championship.[20] |
| Ronnie Taylor | Playing in France for Le Portel. (2009–10 season)[21] |
| Bart Tooms | Playing in Netherlands for Upstairs Weert. (2009–10 season) |
References
- ↑ "Colors Archives - UNCG BrandGuideUNCG BrandGuide". Ure.uncg.edu. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- ↑ "UNCG at a Glance". UNCG. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
- ↑ "UNC Greensboro 61, Cincinnati 66". ESPN. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Mike Dement". UNCG. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
- ↑ "UNC-Greensboro Spartans men's basketball 2006–2007 media guide" (PDF). (19.7 MiB)
- 1 2 3 "Fran McCaffery". Siena. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
- ↑ "Greensboro Coliseum". UNCG. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
- ↑ "Greensboro Coliseum, UNCG Unveil New Home Court for Spartans". UNCG, Steve Gilliam. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
- ↑ http://www.uncgspartans.com/sports/mbkb/coaches/Wes_Miller
- ↑ "Kyle Hines Bio". UNCG. Archived from the original on January 13, 2009. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
- ↑ "Honoring the best (and worst) in college sports". SI.com On Campus. December 25, 2007. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
- ↑ "By the Numbers: Courtney Eldridge". Carolinian Online. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
- 1 2 "Spartan 40: Scott Hartzell". UNCG. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
- ↑ "BURRELL, RONNIE Bio". euroleague.net. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
- ↑ "NBA development league draft". tulsaworld.com. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
- ↑ "D-League Ambassadors Set Roster For Rocky Mountain Revue". nba.com. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
- ↑ "RICKY HICKMAN basketball profile". eurobasket.com. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
- ↑ "JAY JOSEPH basketball profile". sia-basket.com. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
- ↑ "James Maye". andrewvye.com. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
- ↑ "2006–07 Dakota Wizards Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
- ↑ "UNCG hits the road to face USC Upstate". uncgspartans.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2009. Retrieved December 20, 2009.