Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Morrell was a two-sport athlete at Milligan College playing both basketball and golf. He coached at UNC Asheville, Oregon and Tennessee.He also was an assistant at Kansas under Roy Williams.. Green spent four years as an assistant coach at Kansas (1988â1992) under Roy Williams, where he helped the Jayhawks to a 103â30 ⦠2 Rivals; Matt Coleman, No. The Bulldogs went 15-16 last season (8-10 in Big South play) in their second campaign under head coach Mike Morrell, an 11-win improvement over the year prior. Mike Morrell (born August 22, 1982) is an American college basketball coach, and current head coach of the UNC Asheville Bulldogs men's basketball team. A three-year starter, Morrell helped the Buffaloes earn a spot in the NAIA National Tournament as a freshman in 2000-01. You have permission to edit this article. Morrell spent most of his coaching career working with current Texas head coach Shaka Smart. 49; Andrew Jones, No. 25) seasons. 15; James Banks, No. UNCA held an early 18-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, but App State responded with a 12-0 run in the first 3:51 of the second period to go up ⦠Morrell and his Bulldogs will take on East Tennessee State on Dec. 8 at Harrahâs Cherokee Center in Asheville, the venue where ETSU won the Southern Conference tournament in March. The Bulldogs finished fourth nationally in turnover margin, and led the nation in the statistic for a period during the season. 5 recruiting class in the nation by Scout. All five freshmen signees were ranked among the top-80 players nationally by one of the three major recruiting services (Mohamed Bamba, No. The Bulldogs also were much improved on the offensive end, as four players – Baker, Thorpe, Tajion Jones and Batts – all ranked inside the Top 16 in the Big South in scoring. DeVon Baker had 27 points and his free throw in the closing seconds was the only point UNC Asheville scored in the final two minutes, but the Bulldogs still held on and edged past Charleston Southern 79-75 on Saturday. Roy Allen Williams (born August 1, 1950) is an American college basketball coach for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Considered one of the top assistants in all of college basketball, the 35-year-old Morrell joins UNC Asheville ⦠Second-year UNC Asheville menâs basketball head coach Mike Morrell announced on Tuesday, July 2 the addition of Mike Venezia as an assistant coach. âI am excited about the addition of Mike to our staff,â Morrell said. After a first season with eight freshman learning the ropes of collegiate basketball, Morrell truly began to establish his desired style of play in Year Two. After a national search, UNC Asheville has selected Mike Morrell to helm the UNC Asheville menâs basketball program. 87). The coronavirus pandemic has forced a change to the basketball calendar. The UNC Asheville men's basketball coach agreed to a contract extension Sept. 10 to coach the Bulldogs through the 2022-2023 season. âI didnât go to ETSU, so thereâs no real connection. Baseball Baseball: Facebook Baseball: Twitter Baseball: Schedule Baseball: Roster Baseball: News Basketball Basketball: Facebook Basketball: Twitter Basketball: Schedule Basketball: Roster Basketball: News Cross Country Cross Country: Facebook Cross Country: Twitter ⦠Bucs fans have the game circled on the calendar mostly because it will be played in their favorite arena outside Johnson City, even if they wonât be allowed to attend. App State womenâs basketball won a close battle against UNC Asheville Sunday to open the season with a 2-0 record for the first time since the 2010-11 season. Morrell (pronunciation: more-ELL) is the seventh head coach in the history of UNC Asheville menâs basketball. âI came in with a plan and we stuck to that plan knowing that it wasnât going to happen overnight.â. UNC Asheville’s DeVon Baker was chosen to the Big South All-Freshman Team, while lone senior Donovan Gilmore was tabbed to the All-Academic Team. UNC Asheville Athletics. The three ⦠Morrell (pronunciation: more-ELL) is the seventh head coach in the history of UNC Asheville men’s basketball. Morrell said his team will begin the season with no fans in the stands at its home games. With consistency and experience, the Bulldogs improved their record from 4-27 to 15-16, including an 8-10 mark in Big South Conference play. 24) and 2014-15 (No. No other team in the league had more than two in the Top 16. Morrell (pronunciation: more-ELL) is the seventh head coach in the history of UNC Asheville menâs basketball. ASHEVILLE, N.C. â Mike Morrell is about to begin his third season as UNC-Ashevilleâs menâs basketball coach, and heâs got his program headed on the right path. Named the top recruiter in the country under the age of 35 in 2015 by ESPN prior to his arrival at UNC Asheville, Morrell helped coach a team to the NCAA Tournament in nine of his 11 years at the NCAA Division I level as an assistant coach. East Tennessee State has postponed Tuesday nightâs men's basketball game at UNC-Asheville hours before tipoff due to COVID-related issues within the Buccaneersâ program. The UNC Asheville Bulldogs men's basketball team is the men's basketball team that represents the University of North Carolina at Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina, United States.Their current head coach is Mike Morrell.The school's team currently competes in the Big South Conference VCU was ranked in the final Associated Press poll in the 2012-13 (No. âIf we want to play down the line weâll talk about it, but we donât really have to worry about that until that time comes,â said Morrell, who spent time as an assistant at Clemson, Virginia Commonwealth, Texas and Charleston Southern before getting his first crack at a head coaching job at Asheville. With four players scoring in double figures, the Wofford womenâs basketball team took home another road win after defeating UNC-Asheville 76-50. He also served as the head coach of the golf team at King. Steve Arnette Robinson is considered one of top assistants in college basketball. After eight years as an assistant under Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick Brown, Honey Brown has been named UNCA's next head women's basketball coach. 5 recruiting class in the country by Rivals. The Maui Invitational is being played at Harrahâs the week before and no fans will be allowed at the games, so there is little chance of spectators being allowed at the meeting between ETSU and UNC-Asheville. Under Morrell’s direction, redshirt sophomore Lavar Batts, Jr. led the Big South in steals, and three other players – Baker, Thorpe and Trent Stephney – all ranked inside the Top 15 in the conference in steals. âWeâll see what it looks like in January, but weâre going to have no spectators and kind of readjust,â he said. âAt this point, with everything going on, itâs definitely a day-by-day thing,â Morrell said. After a national search, UNC Asheville selected Mike Morrell to helm the UNC Asheville men’s basketball program on Wednesday, April 11, 2018. SUBSCRIBE NOW $3 for 3 months. Iâve played ETSU before when I was at VCU. âIâll say this: Iâm glad itâs not my first year as a coach because itâs a lot to deal with outside of trying to get your team ready to play.â. Morrell's initial coaching contract was worth $135,000 annually. They posted an overall record of 23-11. ASHEVILLE, NC â Taking the floor for the fifth time in the last nine days, the University of Florida womenâs basketball team (5-1) collected its first road win of the season and fourth-straight victory overall as it defeated the host ">UNC Asheville Bulldogs, 70-48 Wednesday inside of Kimmel Arena. Neither coach figured that was fair, so they opted for a one-time deal at a neutral site. As the primary recruiting coordinator at Texas, Morrell helped sign two top-5 and one top-20 class. During Morrell’s four seasons at VCU (2011-15), the Rams posted an overall record of 108-35 (.755) and made four NCAA Tournament appearances. 22 pick by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2017 NBA Draft. The Elizabethton native and former Milligan player helped the Bulldogs improve from four wins in his first season to 15 victories last year. Morrell coached the youngest team in NCAA Division I in his first season in charge of the UNC Asheville men’s basketball program. UNC Asheville hired Mike Morrell as its new men's basketball coach on Wednesday. javento@johnsoncitypress.com. Main Navigation Menu. Video Platform powered by CBS Sports Digital. âCoach Robâ, as heâs known by his players, has been an assistant coach at UNC ⦠UNC Wilmington vs UNC Asheville Preview. Considered one of the top assistants in all of college basketball, Morrell joined UNC Asheville from the University of Texas. âObviously Iâm from there but thatâs kind of the extent of it,â he said. North Carolina is headed to Asheville to play three games in three days. He also claimed a spot on the 10-person USBWA All-District VII Team and the five-person NABC All-District 8 second-team. Jerry Green was a college basketball coach from the 1980s through 2001. SCSU BASKETBALL: Lady Bulldogs down UNC-Asheville 69-60 for first win By Bill Hamilton S.C. State Sports Information Dec 12, 2020 ... which lifted Coach Audra Smithâs team to 1-4 on the season. During its second recruiting cycle, the Texas staff signed a five-man freshman class that ranked as the No. There was a problem saving your notification. Morrell (pronunciation: more-ELL) is the seventh head coach in the history of UNC Asheville men's basketball. To view our latest e-Edition click the image on the left. Over 90 percent of UNC Asheville’s overall minutes on the year were played by underclassmen. Chattanooga has 44 assists on 80 field goals (55 percent) over its previous three matchups while UNC-Asheville has assists on 56 of 91 field goals (61.5 percent) during its past three games. 47 Scout; Jericho Sims, No. At Texas, the Longhorns advanced to the NCAA Tournament in both the 2015-16 seasons and the 2017-18 seasons. North Carolina head coach Roy Williams bumps-fists and talks with UNLV head coach T.J. Otzelberger after an NCAA college basketball game in the Maui Invitational tournament, Monday, Nov. 30, 2020, in Asheville, N.C. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek) Morrell began his coaching career on staff at King College in Bristol, Tenn. in 2005-06 and 2006-07. UNC-Asheville was chosen second in Tuesdayâs Big South Conferenceâs preseason poll â behind Winthrop â after posting the third-biggest turnaround in the country last season when it went from four wins to 15. He is a native of Elizabethton, Tenn. Morrell oversaw one of the biggest turnarounds in Division I men’s basketball during the 2019-20 season. Allen earned All-Big 12 Conference third-team and Big 12 All-Newcomer Team accolades. âLike R.J. Evans, Coach Venezia is someone that I am extremely familiar with from our time ⦠âI donât think anybodyâs fired up about playing in front of no fans and having to return a game with fans on either sides, so we made it a neutral game.â. In its first full recruiting cycle in Austin, the Texas coaching staff that Morrell was on pulled in a four-man freshman group that ranked as the No. For Morrell, itâs just another game on the schedule. Itâs definitely a challenge. Woods had been recruited heavily prior to the injury, including by UNC Asheville. After a national search, UNC Asheville selected Mike Morrell to helm the UNC Asheville menâs basketball program on Wednesday, April 11, 2018. Considered one of the top assistants in all of college basketball, the 35-year-old Morrell joins UNC Asheville ⦠We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. The Tornado won the 2007 Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament first round. North Carolina-Asheville is 1-2 on the season, defeating South Carolina State on Saturday after falling to UNC Wilmington 76-68 and Western Carolina by two points in overtime. ASHEVILLE â For college basketball fans in Western North Carolina, this past week has been "the best of times and worst of times. Playing career. The Bulldogsâ first three games are at home. The Bulldogs played aggressive pressure defense, and led the Big South and ranked in the Top 25 nationally in turnover margin (plus-5.2), turnovers forced per game (16.9), total steals (250) and steals per game (8.3). âAs coaches I donât know that you ever feel like youâre exactly where you need to be, but I feel like weâre definitely trending in the right direction,â said Morrell, a native of Elizabethton who played at Milligan. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. 80 ESPN). âIâm hoping we can at least get some families of players in here so they can see their kids play. UNC Asheville holds on late, beats Charleston Southern 79-75. Morrell has extensive ties to the Carolinas. Mike Morrellâs UNC-Asheville menâs basketball team has been picked to finish second in the Big South. He started his college coaching career at North Carolina as an assistant coach for Dean Smith in 1978. In addition to those four, Coty Jude also averaged 10 points per game, and he moved into the Top 10 all-time at Asheville in career 3-pointers, as he is tied for ninth with 140. The Bulldogs finished the season with 76 percent of their minutes being played by freshmen. A two-time all-league selection in golf, Morrell, who earned his bachelor’s degree in history in 2005, led Milligan golf to the conference championship in 2003. The Tigers advanced to the NCAA Tournament in all three of his seasons on staff. Morrell has been an assistant on Shaka Smart's staffs with Texas (2015-18) and Virginia Commonwealth (2011-15). All four freshman signees were ranked among the top-100 players nationally by Scout (Jarrett Allen, No. Asheville was one of just two teams in the country to use the same starting lineup the entire season, and all five starters averaged double-digits in scoring. I think right now the biggest goal is to just try to be able to play some games first and see how that goes.â. In addition to working with him at Texas from 2015-2018, Morrell spent 2011-2015 on Smart’s staff at VCU. The UNCW menâs basketball team is headed back to the coast after three games in four days as part of the Mako Medical Asheville Classic with a trophy in its pocket. Itâs also forced coaches to change nearly everything they do. My mom lives about five minutes away from there and I know a lot of people who went there and played there, but when youâre coaching, youâre really just focused on trying to get your team ready to play.â. I donât have any sentimental feelings. No other team had more than two players in the Top 15. 25), 2013-14 (No. In 1988, Williams became the head coach of the men's basketball team at Kansas, taking them to 14 consecutive NCAA tournaments, four final four appearances, two national championship game appeara⦠The Bulldogs returned 83.6 percent of their minutes played from the season before, but still ranked inside the Top 15 all season among youngest teams according to Ken Pomeroy, as the starting lineup consisted of all sophomores. "The Maui Classic, one of college basketballâs most prestigious early-season tournaments, was moved to Asheville from Hawaii a few months ago due to COVID-19. The Bulldogs improved by 11 victories from his first season at the helm, tied for the third-largest improvement that season, and were one of just four teams in the nation to increase its win total by double digits. Born Aug. 22, 1982, Morrell was a two-sport standout at Milligan College where he was an 1,000-point scorer for the men’s basketball program. Redshirt junior Jax Levitch was named to the All-Academic Team. He served as a graduate assistant in 2007-08 before moving into the Director of Basketball Operations position at Clemson in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. ASHEVILLE, N.C. â Mike Morrell is about to begin his third season as UNC-Ashevilleâs menâs basketball coach, and heâs got ⦠Despite their youth, Morrell’s Bulldogs were able to sweep the season series from USC Upstate and Asheville was the only team in the country during the regular season to have four freshmen score 20 or more points in a single game. Morrell has UNC-Asheville headed in right direction, Kingsport homes for sale and property listings, Kingsport Homes for Sale and Property Listings, By Joe Avento 29 ESPN; Jase Febres, No. UNC Asheville coach Mike Morrell marveled at Ponsâ athleticism Tuesday as the former VCU assistant compared him to Indianapolis Colts tight end and former VCU basketball player Mo Alie-Cox. For the most part youâre trying to keep these guys in somewhat of a normal situation when itâs not normal at all. He was a three-year starter and 1,000-point scorer in men's basketball ⦠He knew he wanted to be a basketball coach, but he thought he would graduate and teach high school history, earning a spot as a high school basketball coach and eventually working his way into a college coaching job. Morrell coached two All-Big South performers, as sophomore DeVon Baker was named to the second-team while redshirt sophomore LJ Thorpe earned honorable mention recognition. He attended UNC Asheville on an academic and athletic scholarship and majored in history. Prior to his time at Charleston Southern, Morrell was on staff at Clemson under head coach Oliver Purnell. The 2017â18 UNC Asheville Bulldogs men's basketball team ⦠âYou have to adjust on the fly when adjusting on the fly is needed. The official Men's Basketball Coach List for the UNC Asheville Bulldogs The game came about when both teams were trying to fill out their schedules. In fact, before joining Smart’s staff at VCU, he spent the 2010-11 season on Barclay Radebaugh’s staff at Charleston Southern. 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