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LOCATION: Asheville, NC
CONFERENCE: Big South
LAST SEASON: 11-18 (.379)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 5-5 (3rd)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 3/2
NICKNAME: Bulldogs
COLORS: Royal Blue & White
HOMECOURT: Justice Center (1,580)
COACH: Eddie Biedenbach (North Carolina State '68)
record at school 48-37 (3 years)
career record 77-88 (6 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Pat Bryant (West Georgia '84)
Ryan Odom (Hampden-Sydney '96)
Jeff Crisp (UNC Asheville '97)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 11-18-18-19-11
RPI (last 5 years) 239-198-106-131-264
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference semifinal.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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A model of consistency for most of this decade, UNC-Asheville suffered through its first losing season in the Eddie Biedenbach era last season. The Bulldogs, losing five seniors and playing a brutal non-conference schedule, staggered out to a 1-11 start before regrouping and finishing .500 in Big South Conference play. That was good enough for a third-place finish, but not good enough to make a run at a postseason berth. Similar to the start of last season, the Bulldogs are again losing a big chunk of their offensive firepower Big South Conference Player of the Year Kevin Martin. After transferring from Ohio State, Martin stepped in for Josh Pittman, the conference player of the year two seasons ago. Now they're both gone. "That makes it awfully tough when you have two players of that caliber who leave you two straight years," Biedenbach said. "We have a lot of new guys coming in. How they fit in and contribute will determine what kind of team we have. But I like the attitude and potential of this team." Martin isn't the only key component of last season's team missing. Also gone is point guard Mike Matthews, a fixture in the starting lineup the last few years.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C+ BENCH/DEPTH C
FRONTCOURT C INTANGIBLES B+
Weathering a rugged start will again be a necessity. The Bulldogs face the likes of Missouri, Saint Louis, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Connecticut, Kentucky and North Carolina State in the first month of the season. In one four-day span in December, UNC-Asheville will travel to play the last two national champions Connecticut on Dec. 4 and Kentucky on Dec. 7. "I laughed when I told people that our word for the second week of December will be perseverance," coach Eddie Biedenbach said. John Risinger and Brett Carey have a chance to form a nice one-two punch at the guard positions. Adam Earnhardt needs to become more of a complete player. Jason Horton could be the wild card. If he develops and provides 15 quality minutes a game, the Bulldogs could keep a 7-footer on the floor at all times. Not many teams can match that. It's Biedenbach's hope that the killer nonconference schedule will pay dividends in late February and early March. Either way, don't be surprised if the Bulldogs advance to at least the semifinals of the Big South Tournament for the fifth straight season. |
In their place will be seven new faces, including four freshmen, two Division I transfers and one junior college transfer. It may take that many people to replace everything Martin did for the Bulldogs. He led the conference in scoring at 21.9 ppg, was third in assists and fourth in rebounding. He kept the Bulldogs in most games. Despite the loss of Martin, Biedenbach remains optimistic. "Even though we only have three guys back who started last season, I think all of them will be better," Biedenbach said. The Bulldogs also have a chance to be more athletic. They return both of their starting post players. Junior center Adam Earnhardt (6.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg) led the conference with 46 blocked shots and also shot a conference-best .567 percent from the field last season. Earnhardt, a 7-footer, is one of three players on the roster 6-11 or taller. Earnhardt worked diligently during the off-season to get stronger and gained 12 pounds. The UNC-Asheville coaches have made it clear they expect more productivity out of him in every category. "He's a year older, and I expect that he'll play that way," Biedenbach said. The other returning starter inside is 6-7 senior power forward Matt Osikowicz (8.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 34 assists). The Merritt, Fla., product was one of the biggest surprises on the team last season. He shot .522 percent from the field despite playing the last 12 games of the season with a broken shooting hand. John Risinger, a transfer from Evansville, became eligible last season in mid-December. The 6-5 senior (10.6 ppg, 3 rpg) started in 11 games and enters this season as the Bulldogs' leading returning scorer. Risinger also had 54 assists, 25 steals and shot .514 percent from the field. "Potentially, he's a guy that could lead our team like Martin and Pittman did," Biedenbach said. Capable of playing either guard spot or either forward spot, Risinger made 20 of his 45 three-point shots. He struggled with a groin injury during the second half of the season. If Risinger can stay healthy, he could be the conference's most versatile performer. Biedenbach would prefer to play him at shooting guard. The Bulldogs' starting backcourt could feature several different combinations. For the most part, their two guards are interchangeable. The holdover is 6-0 senior Bryan Richerson (3.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 32 assists). After a solid freshman season, Richerson struggled with injuries and inconsistency the last two years. But he showed signs of life late last season, scoring in double figures in four of his last five games. Brett Carey is a 6-1 junior transfer from Western Carolina who practiced with the team last season. As a sophomore, he was third among the Catamounts with 56 assists. He averaged 1.6 points during his career there and played in 53 of 54 games. Carey is used to winning. He played high school ball for prep power Oak Hill Academy. A third person to watch in the backcourt is 6-2 freshman Andre Smith of Miami. Smith will give the Bulldogs some much-needed athleticism. As a senior at Palmetto High School, he averaged 16 points and scored more than 1,100 during his career. Playing a reserve role in the backcourt will be 5-11 junior Nicholas McDevitt (0.5 ppg, 3 assists). McDevitt is a good perimeter shooter. Juma Jackson, a 6-4 junior transfer from Cal-Irvine, could get a shot at the shooting guard position. Then again, he may be more of a small forward. Jackson, originally from Greensboro, N.C., was a starter for much of his two seasons at Cal-Irvine before deciding that he wanted to be closer to home. As a freshman at Cal-Irvine, Jackson earned all-rookie honors in the Big West by averaging 9.8 ppg. He also practiced with the Bulldogs last season and is an accomplished offensive rebounder. Freshman Brandon Carter of Bristol, Tenn., could help solve some of UNC-Asheville's outside shooting woes. The 6-3 Carter averaged 20.7 points and hit 46 percent of his three-point shots as a senior at Tennessee High School. At the forward spot opposite Osikowicz, 6-5 sophomore Roby Joyner steps in after playing a year at Brunswick Community College. He and 6-5 freshman Colin Shaw of Seminole, Fla., will join Risinger and Jackson as players who could play on the perimeter and also slide inside from time to time. Joyner averaged 12 points and 4 rebounds last season in junior college. Shaw averaged 21 points and six rebounds last season at Seminole High School. He was the leading scorer in the St. Petersburg area. Ben Ezell (4.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg) will also get a long look at that other forward spot. The 6-7 junior is a good shooter, but needs to improve defensively. Height won't be a problem at center. Behind Earnhardt is 7-2 sophomore Jason Horton (0.5 ppg, 1.2 rpg). Horton played sparingly last season, but should be better with a year's experience. He is battling a foot injury that could hamper him this season. The newcomer is 6-11 freshman Ben McGonagil, who grew two inches and gained 20 pounds during his senior year of high school in Panama City, Fla. McGonagil averaged eight points and nine rebounds as a senior at A.C. Mosley High School.
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