Charlotte 49ers men's basketball

Charlotte 49ers Men's Basketball
2023–24 Charlotte 49ers men's basketball team
University	University of North Carolina at Charlotte
First season	1965–66
All-time record	792–661 (.545) [1]
Head coach	Aaron Fearne (1st season)
Conference	The American
Location	Charlotte, North Carolina
Arena	Dale F. Halton Arena (Capacity: 9,105)
Nickname	49ers
Student section	Niner Nation
Colors	Green and white [2]
Uniforms
Home Away Alternate
NCAA tournament Final Four
1977
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1977
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1977
NCAA tournament round of 32
1997, 1998, 1999, 2001
NCAA tournament appearances
1977, 1988, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005
Conference tournament champions
1969, 1970 (Dixie) 1977, 1988 (Sun Belt) 1992 (Metro) 1999, 2001 (CUSA)
Conference regular season champions
1977, 1978, 1988 (Sun Belt) 1995 (Metro) 2004 (CUSA)

The Charlotte 49ers men's basketball team represents the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte) in NCAA Division I basketball. Charlotte is a member of the American Athletic Conference (The American), which they joined in 2023 after 10 seasons in Conference USA. ^[3] Charlotte, which had been a charter C-USA member from 1995, returned to that conference in 2013 after leaving in 2005 to join the Atlantic 10 Conference. The 49ers have also played in the Sun Belt Conference and were a member of the Metro Conference, which merged with the Great Midwest Conference to form Conference USA. ^[4]

The basketball team has spent the better part of its history in the shadow of the state's four Atlantic Coast Conference teams. However, the 49ers have carved out a niche of their own, making 11 appearances in the NCAA tournament. In their first appearance, in 1977, they advanced all the way to the Final Four—at the time, the deepest run for a first-time tournament participant. They have also earned regular and post-season championships in three different conferences, as well as a victory in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) in 2023.

The 49ers play their home games in Dale F. Halton Arena, an on-campus facility that seats 9,105.

History

Early years (1965–1975)

UNC Charlotte first fielded an intercollegiate basketball program in 1965. Chancellor Bonnie Cone appointed Harvey Murphy, previously a physical education instructor and head of the physical education program at the university, as the first head coach in school history. Murphy coached the 49ers in the NAIA as a member of the Dixie Conference from 1965 through 1970, winning the conference in 1969 and 1970.

Bill Foster was hired to succeed Harvey Murphy after the 1969–1970 season as the 49ers moved from the NAIA to Division I as an independent. Foster notched two 20-win seasons in 1973–1974 and 1974–1975 before moving on to coach at Clemson. Foster's lasting legacy on the program was bringing in two of the most notable players on the team which would advance to the 1977 Final Four: Cedric Maxwell and Melvin Watkins.

Lee Rose years (1975–1977)

After Bill Foster left for Clemson, Lee Rose was hired as the head coach in 1975. Rose inherited a team coming off of two 20-win seasons and led them to the NIT championship game in his first year. The following season the 49ers became a charter member of the Sun Belt Conference.

Final Four

In their first year in the Sun Belt, the 49ers tallied what is still the best season in school history. They swept the regular season and tournament titles, earning the program's first NCAA Tournament berth. The ensuing NCAA tournament run is still one of the most successful ever for a first-time participant. After beating Central Michigan in the first round 91–86, the 49ers dispatched Syracuse 81–59 to advance to the Elite Eight. The 49ers then took out heavily favored Michigan by a score of 75–68 to advance to the program's first and only Final Four—the first time that a first-time participant had ever advanced that far. Charlotte would fall to eventual champions Marquette in the national semifinals 51–49. Their final record was 28–5, still a school record for wins in a season.

Despite the loss of the two leaders of the Final Four team from the previous season, Lee Rose guided the 49ers to a fifth consecutive 20-win season in 1977–1978. Rose would then leave to coach at Purdue for the 1978–1979 season. Rose's .800 winning percentage at Charlotte remains the highest in school history.

Post-Rose years (1978–1985)

Mike Pratt. Charlotte head coach from 1978–1982

Following Rose's departure, Mike Pratt, an assistant under Rose at Charlotte, was named the head coach for the 1978–1979 season. In his first and only head coaching job, Pratt could not maintain the success of the program under Rose, compiling a 56–52 record over four seasons with no postseason appearances. The best year under Pratt was the 1978–1979 season in which the 49ers earned a 16–11 record and a second place Sun Belt finish. Pratt was dismissed following the 1981–1982 season.

Following Pratt's dismissal, the 49ers hired Hal Wissel as head basketball coach. Wissel was previously a successful coach at many levels, but his tenure would be the least successful in the Charlotte's history at the Division 1 level. After three seasons and a 22–62 record, Wissel was dismissed following the 1984–1985 season.

Jeff Mullins years (1985–1996)

Following Wissel's dismissal, Jeff Mullins was hired as both head basketball coach and athletic director. Mullins guided the 49ers through multiple conference changes and kicked off the most successful, sustained run in school history.

Mullins inherited a last place Sun Belt team and things didn't improve in his first season with an 8–20 record. However, in just his second year he guided the 49ers back above .500 for the first time in five seasons, leading them to an 18–14 record in 1986–1987. Led by Sun Belt Player of the Year Byron Dinkins, Mullins coached the 49ers to the Sun Belt regular season and post-season championships and the program's first NCAA tournament berth since their Final Four run. Seeded 13th, the 49ers lost to 4th seed BYU in the first round of the Southeast Regional by a score of 98–92.

The following season the 49ers finished second in the Sun Belt and earned an NIT berth. In their final two seasons in the Sun Belt, Mullins led the 49ers to a 30–28 record with no postseason appearances.

Metro Conference (1992–1995)

Prior to the 1992–1993 season the 49ers moved to the Metro Conference. In their four seasons in the Metro Conference, the 49ers never finished lower than 4th in the standings, won one regular season conference title, and one post-season conference title. The success was rewarded with two NCAA Tournament berths, in 1992 and 1995, losing in the first round both times.

Conference USA

After the 1994–1995 season, the 49ers joined Conference USA. In what would be Mullins' last season, Charlotte went 14–15 in 1995–1996, finishing tied for 6th in the league. Mullins retired following that season as the all-time winningest coach in school history with 182 wins and also had more postseason appearances than all previous coaches combined.

Former on-the-court star and longtime assistant coach for the 49ers Melvin Watkins took over as head coach for the 1996–1997 season. Watkins had two successful seasons as the Charlotte head coach, leading the team into the second round of the NCAA tournament in both years. He left to take the head coaching job at Texas A&M in 1998.

Bobby Lutz years (1998–2010)

Bobby Lutz. Charlotte head coach from 1998–2010

After Watkins left for Texas A&M, Charlotte named Bobby Lutz its new head coach. Lutz was an assistant under both Watkins and Jeff Mullins at Charlotte. Lutz accepted the head coaching job at Gardner–Webb in 1995 only to resign two weeks later to accept the assistant job at his alma mater on Mullin's staff.

Lutz's run of success in Conference USA is arguably the best sustained stretch in Charlotte basketball history. The 49ers reached the NCAA Tournament in 5 of the 7 years they were in Conference USA under Lutz.

In his first season, Lutz guided the 49ers to a 10–6 record in CUSA. Seeded fifth in the conference tournament, the 49ers won four games in four days, taking out three of the top four seeds in the process to win the CUSA conference tournament for the first time. This earned Charlotte a 5 seed in the NCAA tournament. They defeated Rhode Island in the first round before falling to 13-seed Oklahoma in round two.

The 1999–2000 season would be defined by the passing of Charles Hayward in September 1999. Hayward lost a two-year battle with Leukemia, he would have his jersey retired. ^[5] Charlotte would play to a 17–16 record and earn an NIT berth.

The 2000–2001 seasons saw the arrival of Rodney White who would become the top scoring freshman in the country and be named ESPN's National Freshmen of the Year. ^[6] Led by White, Charlotte would win its second CUSA Tournament Title in three years and earn a 9 seed in the NCAA tournament with a 22–11 record. Charlotte would defeat Tennessee in the first round of the Midwest Regional before falling to #1 seed Illinois in the round of 32. White would leave Charlotte for the NBA draft and be selected 9th overall by the Detroit Pistons.

Over the following three seasons the 49ers would earn two additional NCAA tournament bids, in 2002 and 2004, earning #9 seeds and being eliminated in the first round both years.

The 2004–2005 season would see the 49ers return to the top 25 behind eventual CUSA Player of the Year Eddie Basden, he would also win CUSA Defensive POY for the second straight season. The promising season would take a turn for the worse in the last few weeks. The 49ers lost a game on senior night at Louisville which would determine the regular season conference champion. They followed that with a loss on an emotional senior night at South Florida. They then drew a Memphis team in the CUSA tournament who had under-performed all year but caught fire at the end of the season. Charlotte was bounced from the first round of the CUSA tournament and had their season ended in round 1 of the NCAA tournament by NC State.

Atlantic 10

Following the exodus of many of the top basketball programs from CUSA to the Big East in 2005, Charlotte was left as a non-football school in an increasingly weak basketball conference despite having the second best record in CUSA history at the time, trailing only Cincinnati. Charlotte eventually joined the Atlantic 10 for all sports along with fellow CUSA member Saint Louis. Lutz was not able to sustain the level of success he achieved in CUSA. Over the course of six seasons in the A10, Lutz's record was 83–75, compared to his record of 135–83 in CUSA. The 49ers earned two NIT bids under Lutz in the A10, going 1–2 in those tournaments. The 49ers fell apart to end the 2009–2010 season. With eight games to go in the regular season, they were 18-5 and in first place in the A10, and appeared well on their way to an NCAA bid. However, they went 1–7 the rest of the way, and didn't even receive an NIT bid. Lutz was dismissed following this collapse. ^[7]

Lutz had more wins (218) and NCAA tournament appearances (5) than any other coach in Charlotte history. His firing was met with mixed emotions among students and fans. ^[8]

Alan Major years (2010–2015)

On April 12, 2010 Alan Major was announced as the new head coach of the Charlotte 49ers. The coaching search targeted assistants at successful high-level programs, Major was a member of Thad Matta's staff at Ohio State which included a national title game appearance. Throughout his career Major has a history of helping highly skilled big men develop into great NBA prospects. He coached two future #1 overall draft picks in Michael Olowokandi and Greg Oden while at Pacific and Ohio State, respectively. He also came in with A10 experience having been as assistant under Matta at Xavier.

Major's first season was headlined by the dismissal of one senior big man, Shamarri Spears, in the Fall and another, Phil Jones, not qualifying academically for the Spring semester. The early season schedule was highlighted by a 49–48 victory over #7 ranked Tennessee and a 2OT win at Georgia Tech. Following Jones being ruled ineligible, the team was left with just 8 scholarship players for the remainder of the season and would struggle in conference play, finishing with a 2–14 league record and failing to make the A10 conference tournament for the first time. The three-year postseason drought had been the longest for the program since Jeff Mullins took over in 1985.

The 2011–2012 season saw less off-the-court drama, although individual players were benched for disciplinary reasons, but there was little improvement in terms of wins and losses. The 49ers would finish with a 13–17 record, 5–11 in conference play. This was an improvement of Major's first year and earned them an A10 tournament spot, a first round loss at St. Joe's. Chris Braswell would average 15.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and be named to the A10 All-Conference Third Team. Pierriá Henry was among the nation's leaders in steals and earned a spot on the A10 All-Rookie Team. ^[9]

Alan Major. Charlotte head coach from 2010–2015

The 2012–2013 season resulted in an improved 21–12 record and a berth in the NIT. The season was successful overall, but the 49ers lost four games in a row in February/March which removed them from NCAA tournament consideration. This was followed by a miraculous first round A10 tournament victory over Richmond in which Pierriá Henry took 11 free throws in the final 4.7 seconds of game time to overcome a 3-point deficit. Richmond was called for three technical fouls, one non-shooting foul and one shooting foul in that time. ^[10] The 49ers followed this with a blowout loss to St. Louis in the 2nd round. In the NIT the 49ers were eliminated in round 1 at Providence.

Following the 2012–13 season, Darion Clark announced he was leaving the program. ^[11] Clark saw a total of seven minutes in the 49ers' two A10 tournament games, a large drop from his regular season average. In late April forward E. Victor Nickerson also announced he was transferring, leaving Charlotte with only 6 scholarship players on roster.

Return to Conference USA

The 2013–2014 season, in which the 49ers would rejoin Conference USA and claim the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Championship by beating a ranked Michigan team; ended with a late season 6 game losing streak in conference play, and the 49ers finishing with a 17–14 record and a second round exit from the C-USA Tournament.

Having taken a medical leave of absence following the 2013–14 season, Coach Major would take another such leave during the second half of the 2014–15 season. Assistant Head Coach Ryan Odom would coach the team for the remainder of the season. Following the conclusion of the 2014–2015 season it was announced that Major would step down as head coach. His record as 49ers head coach was 67 wins to 70 losses with the program attaining an overall record during his tenure of 75 to 81. Significant milestones included winning the 2012 Great Alaska Shootout and 2013 Puerto Rico Tip-off tournaments and victories over #7 ranked Tennessee, #10 ranked Butler, and previous National Championship runners-up, #14 ranked Michigan. ^[12]

Mark Price years (2015–2017)

On March 25, 2015, former NBA point guard and NBA Charlotte Hornets assistant coach, Mark Price was offered a five-year contract to become the 49ers head coach, which he accepted. ^[13] Price was fired on December 14, 2017 after a 30-42 record in 2 1/2 seasons at Charlotte and was replaced by assistant coach Houston Fancher. ^[14]

Ron Sanchez years (2018–2023)

On March 19, 2018, Ron Sanchez was named the 12th head coach in Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball program history. Sanchez was a former volunteer assistant at Indiana before going to Washington State. Sanchez was hired by Dick Bennett, and remained on the staff when Bennett’s son Tony took over. Sanchez accompanied Tony Bennett to Virginia in 2009 as an assistant and was promoted to associate head coach in 2015. ^[15]

On June 6, 2023, Sanchez resigned to rejoin Bennett's staff at Virginia as associate head coach. ^{[16] [17]} Coincidentally, Sanchez left less than a month before Charlotte's move from C-USA to The American became official.

On June 15, 2023, associate head coach Aaron Fearne agreed to lead the team as interim head coach for the 2023-24 inaugural AAC season. ^[18]

Aaron Fearne (2023-present)

The American

On July 1, 2023 all Charlotte 49ers athletics programs joined the American Athletic Conference. ^[19]

Interim coach Aaron Fearne picked up his first win when the 49ers when they took down Maine. ^[20] The 49ers won their first game in American Conference play when they defeated number seventeen ranked Florida Atlantic. ^[21] It was Charlotte’s first win over a ranked team since 2013 and first ranked win over a team at home since 2010. ^[22]

On February 12, 2024, Fearne was received a contract to become the official head coach of the Charlotte basketball program. ^[23]

Team record

Statistics overview

Season	Coach	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NAIA)(1963–1970)
1963–1964	Irv Edelman		5–5	4th
1964–1965	Irv Edelman		9–1	1st
1965–1966	Harvey Murphy	6–17	4–6	4th
1966–1967	Harvey Murphy	7–21	7–5	3rd
1967–1968	Harvey Murphy	5–17	3–9	6th
1968–1969	Harvey Murphy	12–10	9–5	T–2nd
1969–1970	Harvey Murphy	14–16	10–4	T–2nd	NAIA District Playoffs
Independent (Division I)(1970–1976)
1970–1971	Bill Foster	15–8
1971–1972	Bill Foster	14–11
1972–1973	Bill Foster	14–12
1973–1974	Bill Foster	22–4
1974–1975	Bill Foster	23–3
1975–1976	Lee Rose	24–6			NIT Runner-Up
Sun Belt Conference (Division I)(1976–1991)
1976–1977	Lee Rose	28–5	5–1	1st	NCAA Final Four
1977–1978	Lee Rose	20–7	9–1	1st
1978–1979	Mike Pratt	16–11	6–4	2nd
1979–1980	Mike Pratt	15–12	9–5	4th
1980–1981	Mike Pratt	10–17	3–9	6th
1981–1982	Mike Pratt	15–12	3–7	5th
1982–1983	Hal Wissel	8–20	5–9	6th
1983–1984	Hal Wissel	9–19	2–12	8th
1984–1985	Hal Wissel	5–23	1–13	8th
1985–1986	Jeff Mullins	8–20	1–13	8th
1986–1987	Jeff Mullins	18–14	6–8	T–6th
1987–1988	Jeff Mullins	22–9	11–3	1st	NCAA First Round
1988–1989	Jeff Mullins	17–12	10–4	2nd	NIT First Round
1989–1990	Jeff Mullins	16–14	6–8	5th
1990–1991	Jeff Mullins	14–14	6–8	6th
Metro Conference (Division I)(1991–1995)
1991–1992	Jeff Mullins	23–9	7–5	2nd	NCAA First Round
1992–1993	Jeff Mullins	15–13	6–6	T–4th
1993–1994	Jeff Mullins	16–13	7–5	T–2nd	NIT First Round
1994–1995	Jeff Mullins	19–9	8–4	1st	NCAA First Round
Conference USA (Division I)(1995–2005)
1995–1996	Jeff Mullins	14–15	6–8	T–6th
1996–1997	Melvin Watkins	22–9	10–4	3rd	NCAA Second Round
1997–1998	Melvin Watkins	20–11	13–3	2nd	NCAA Second Round
1998–1999	Bobby Lutz	23–11	10–6	T–3rd	NCAA Second Round
1999–2000	Bobby Lutz	17–16	7–9	T–5th	NIT First Round
2000–2001	Bobby Lutz	22–11	10–6	2nd	NCAA Second Round
2001–2002	Bobby Lutz	18–12	11–5	3rd	NCAA First Round
2002–2003	Bobby Lutz	13–16	8–8	5th
2003–2004	Bobby Lutz	21–9	12–4	1st	NCAA First Round
2004–2005	Bobby Lutz	21–8	12–4	2nd	NCAA First Round
Atlantic 10 Conference (Division I)(2005–2013)
2005–2006	Bobby Lutz	19–13	11–5	2nd	NIT First Round
2006–2007	Bobby Lutz	14–16	7–9	9th
2007–2008	Bobby Lutz	20–14	9–7	T–4th	NIT First Round
2008–2009	Bobby Lutz	11–20	5–11	12th
2009–2010	Bobby Lutz	19–12	9–7	6th
2010–2011	Alan Major	10–20	2–14	13th
2011–2012	Alan Major	13–17	5–11	11th
2012–2013	Alan Major	21–12	8–8	T–8th	NIT First Round
Conference USA (Division I)(2013–2023)
2013–2014	Alan Major	17–14	7–9	T-5th
2014–2015	Alan Major	14–18	7–11	11th
2015–2016	Mark Price	14–19	9–9	7th
2016–2017	Mark Price	13–17	7–11	7th
2017–2018	Mark Price, Houston Fancher (Interim)	6–23	2–16	14th
2018–2019	Ron Sanchez	8–21	5–13	13th
2019–2020	Ron Sanchez	16–13	10–8	T–4th
2020–2021	Ron Sanchez	9–16	5–11	5th East
2021–2022	Ron Sanchez	17–14	10–8	4th East
2022–2023	Ron Sanchez	22–14	9–11	5th	CBI Champion
American Athletic Conference (Division I)(2023–present)
2023–24	Aaron Fearne	19-12	13-5	3rd
Total:		891–748 (.544)
National champion        Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion

^[24]

Postseason

NCAA tournament results

The 49ers have appeared in the NCAA tournament 11 times. Their combined record is 7–12.

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Result
1977		First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National 3rd Place Game	Central Michigan Syracuse Michigan Marquette UNLV	W 91–86OT W 81–59 W 75–68 L 49–51 L 94–106
1988	#13	First Round	#4 BYU	L 92–98OT
1992	#7	First Round	#10 Iowa State	L 74–76
1995	#7	First Round	#10 Stanford	L 68–70
1997	#7	First Round Second Round	#10 Georgetown #2 Utah	W 79–67 L 58–77
1998	#8	First Round Second Round	#9 UIC #1 North Carolina	W 77–62 L 83–93OT
1999	#5	First Round Second Round	#12 Rhode Island #13 Oklahoma	W 81–70 L 72–85
2001	#9	First Round Second Round	#8 Tennessee #1 Illinois	W 70–63 L 61–79
2002	#9	First Round	#8 Notre Dame	L 63–82
2004	#9	First Round	#8 Texas Tech	L 73–76
2005	#7	First Round	#10 NC State	L 63–75

NIT results

The 49ers have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) seven times. Their combined record is 4–7.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1976	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals	San Francisco Oregon NC State Kentucky	W 79–74 W 79–72 W 80–79 L 67–71
1989	First Round	Connecticut	L 62–67
1994	First Round	Duquesne	L 73–75
2000	First Round	Ole Miss	L 45–62
2006	Opening Round First Round	Georgia Southern Cincinnati	W 77–61 L 80–86
2008	First Round	Nebraska	L 48–67
2013	First Round	Providence	L 66–75

CBI results

The 49ers have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) once in 2023, winning the tournament. Their combined record is 4–0.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2023	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals	Western Carolina Milwaukee Radford Eastern Kentucky	W 65–56 W 76–65 W 63–56 W 71–68

Coaches

Current coaching staff

Name	Position
Aaron Fearne	Head coach
Conner Henry	Associate Head Coach
Vic Sfera	Assistant coach
Kevin Smith	Assistant coach

^[25]

Head coach history

Tenure	Coach	Years	Record	Pct.
1963–65	Irv Edelman	2	14–6	.700
1965–70	Harvey Murphy	5	44–71	.383
1970–75	Bill Foster	5	88–38	.698
1975–78	Lee Rose	3	72–18	.800
1978–82	Mike Pratt	4	56–52	.519
1982–85	Hal Wissel	3	22–62	.262
1985–96	Jeff Mullins	11	182–142	.507
1996–98	Melvin Watkins	2	42–20	.677
1998–2010	Bobby Lutz	12	218–158	.580
2010–15	Alan Major	5	75–81	.481
2015–17	Mark Price	3	30–42	.417
2017–18	Houston Fancher	1	3–17	.150
2018–2023	Ron Sanchez	5	72-78	.480
2024-Present	Aaron Fearne	1	4-4	.500
Totals	14 Coaches	62 Seasons	922-789	.539

An asterisk (*) denotes a season currently in progress. ^[26]

List of Charlotte 49ers men's basketball head coaches ^[27]

Notable players

Retired numbers

Main article: List of NCAA men's basketball retired numbers

Cedric Maxwell has his #33 retired by Charlotte

No.	Player	Career	Ref.
4	Byron Dinkins	1985–1989	[28]
	DeMarco Johnson	1994–1998
13	Eddie Basden	2002–2005	[29]
23	Jarvis Lang	1990–1991; 1992–1995	[30]
32	Melvin Watkins	1973–1977	[31]
33	Cedric Maxwell	1973–1977	[32]
34	Henry Williams	1988–1992	[33]
45	Charles Hayward	1997–1999	[34]

Conference Player of the Year winners

Conference	Player	Season
Sun Belt	Cedric Maxwell	1976–1977
Sun Belt	Byron Dinkins	1987–1988
Metro	Jarvis Lang	1994–1995
Conference USA	DeMarco Johnson	1997–1998
Conference USA	Eddie Basden	2004–2005

Professional players

The following Charlotte basketball players appeared in at least one game in the NBA:

• Cedric Ball (1990)
• Eddie Basden (2005–2006)
• Sean Colson (2000–2001)
• Byron Dinkins (1990–1991)
• DeMarco Johnson (1999–2000)
• Chad Kinch (1980–1981)
• Cedric Maxwell (1977–1988)
• Rodney White (2001–2005)

Home venues

Halton Arena, the 49ers home venue since 1996.

• Local high school gymnasiums (1963–1970)
• Belk Gymnasium (full-time 1970–1976, part-time 1976–1996)
• Bojangles Coliseum (1976–1988, 1993–1996)
• Charlotte Coliseum (1988–1993)
• Dale F. Halton Arena (1996–present)
  • Spectrum Center (occasional, 2007–present)

Rivalries

Hornet's Nest Trophy

Charlotte's 29-year rivalry with the Davidson Wildcats sees Mecklenburg County's only two Division I schools go head-to-head for the Hornet's Nest Trophy. The Hornets' Nest series began in the 1979-80 season. The teams have met 46 times. Charlotte leads the all-time series, 29-17. ^[35] Although, in recent years Davidson has been the better team.

On November 12, 2019, Charlotte won back the Hornets Nest, winning 71-58, and snapping a 6 game losing streak.

Past rivalries

Charlotte has had its fair share of intense rivalries. One of the most heated and intense rivalries was with the Bob Huggins-coached Cincinnati Bearcats of Conference USA. Throughout a ten-year period from 1995–96 to 2004–05, Charlotte managed to upset Cincinnati teams ranked #3, #8, #18, #20 in the country. Fueled by "Huggins swallows" pregame chants what became known as the Cincinnati Incident, a brawl broke out between Cincinnati and the Charlotte student section, when a Cincinnati player threw the basketball into the stands. ^[36] This led to the creation of a 'buffer zone' being implemented behind the visiting team's bench. ESPN commentator Andy Katz provided this explanation on why Charlotte-Cincinnati was one of the juiciest rivalries in the country: "The games are hotly contested usually and the fans in Charlotte don't like Cincinnati. They get up for this game more than any other." ^[37]

Records

All-Time leaders

Points

Rank	Player	Years	Points
1	Henry Williams	1988–1992	2383
2	Jon Davis	2015-2019	2113
3	Lew Massey	1974–1978	2149
4	Chad Kinch	1976–1980	2020
5	DeMarco Johnson	1994–1998	2005
6	Jarvis Lang	1990–1991, 1992–1995	1855
7	Cedric Maxwell	1973–1977	1824
8	Curtis Withers	2003–2006	1750
9	Jobey Thomas	1998–2001	1737
10	Leemire Goldwire	2005–2008	1677

Rebounds

Rank	Player	Years	Rebounds
1	Cedric Maxwell	1973–1977	1117
2	Jarvis Lang	1990–1991, 1992–1995	1047
3	Curtis Withers	2003–2006	1042
4	DeMarco Johnson	1994–1998	926
5	Norris Dae	1968–1972	858

Assists

Rank	Player	Years	Assists
1	Pierriá Henry	2011–2015	555
2	Jon Davis	2015-2019	547
3	Keith Williams	1983–1987	515
4	Byron Dinkins	1985–1989	513
5	Delano Johnson	1989–1992, 1993–1994	496

Steals

Rank	Player	Years	Steals
1	Pierriá Henry	2011–2015	293
2	Eddie Basden	2001–2005	264
3	Keith Williams	1983–1987	236
4	Phil Ward	1978–1982	221
5	Leemire Goldwire	2005–2008	190
6	Delano Johnson	1989–1992, 1993–1994	189
7	Henry Williams	1988–1992	181
8	Jeff West	1985–1989	150
T – 9	Demon Brown	2001–2004	149
T – 9	Jarvis Lang	1990–1991, 1992–1995	149

Blocks

Rank	Player	Years	Blocks
1	Ray Gromlowicz	1983–1987	194
2	Jermain Parker	1992–1995	177
3	Phil Jones	2008–2010	158
4	Jarvis Lang	1990–1991, 1992–1995	103
5	Rodney Odom	1991–1993	94

Games Played

Rank	Player	Years	Games
1	Jobey Thomas	1998–2001	130
2	Leemire Goldwire	2005–2008	125
3-T	Mitchell Baldwin	2001–2006	124
3-T	Diego Guevara	1997–2001	124
4	Tremaine Gardiner	1995–1997, 1998–2000	123

Three Pointers Made

Rank	Player	Years	Three Pointers Made
1	Jobey Thomas	1998–2001	346
2	Leemire Goldwire	2005–2008	343
3	Demon Brown	2001–2004	341
4	Henry Williams	1988–1992	308
5	Diego Guevara	1997–2001	235

Single game records

Stat	Player	Date	Record	Opponent
Points	George Jackson	2/8/1975	44	Samford
Free Throws Made	Sean Colson & DeMarco Johnson	12/20/1997 & 2/9/1998	16	G. Washington & Tulane
Rebounds	Ben Basinger & Cedric Maxwell	12/3/1970 & 2/19/1977	24	Florida Presbyterian & Seton Hall
Assists	Sean Colson	2/28/1998	18	Houston
Steals	Eddie Basden (twice), 7 other players	2/2/2008 (latest, Charlie Coley)	7	Richmond (latest)
Blocks	Lew Massey	12/9/1975	10	Wofford
Minutes Played	Phil Ward	1/5/1981	53	Jacksonville
Three Pointers Made	Brendan Plavich	11/26/2003	10	Syracuse

References

1. "Charlotte 49ers Index".
2. "49ers Color System". Charlotte 49ers Brand Standards (PDF). June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
3. "American Announces Entrance Agreements With Incoming Members for 2023-24 Season" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
4. Charlotte 49ers Join Conference USA
5. Remembering Hayward
6. Charlotte 49ers Freshman Rodney White Named ESPN.com's National Freshman of the Year
7. Lutz fired after 12 seasons at Charlotte
8. Charlotte Fires Bobby Lutz: An Emotional Day For 49er Fans
9. Charlotte 49ers' Henry, Braswell pick up A-10 honors
10. Charlotte 68, Richmond 63
11. Basketball, Football Transfer News
12. C49ers and Alan Major Mutually Agree to Part Ways
13. Mark Price to coach Charlotte 49ers
14. Reed, Steve (December 14, 2017). "Charlotte fires basketball coach, former NBA star Mark Price". The Charlotte Observer . Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
15. Scott, David (March 19, 2018). "Charlotte 49ers find next basketball coach on bench of No. 1 NCAA seed". charlotteobserver.com. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
16. "Sanchez Steps Down as 49ers Head Coach". 6 June 2023.
17. "Sanchez Returning to Virginia as Associate Head Coach". 6 June 2023.
18. "Charlotte Tabs Aaron Fearne as Interim Head Coach for 2023-24". 15 June 2023.
19. "American Athletic Conference Welcomes Six New Members". June 30, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
20. "Graves scores 15 points, leads Charlotte in 69-52 win over Maine in season opener". November 6, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
21. "Patterson and Charlotte take down Florida Atlantic 70-68". January 6, 2024.
22. "Niners Knock Off #17 Florida Atlantic, 70-68, for First Ranked Win Since 2013". January 6, 2024.
23. "Aaron Fearne Named Charlotte's 14th Men's Basketball Head Coach". February 12, 2024.
24. 2010–11 Charlotte Men's Basketball Media guide
25. Charlotte 49ers
26. "Charlotte". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
27. Charlotte Men's Basketball Won/Loss History
28. Byron Dinkins Named Director of Player Development at Charlotte at hoopdirt.com, 10 May 2018
29. Charlotte 49ers Jersey Retirement: Eddie Basden - Charlotte 49ers, Feb 18, 2009 at charlotte49ers.com
30. Lang bio at aussiehoopla
31. Aggies Name Watkins Head Basketball Coach at 12thman.com - 1 Apr 1998
32. Cedric Maxwell bio at charlotte49ers.com
33. Niners Legend Henry Williams Has Passed Away, 14 Mar 2018 at charlotte49ers.com
34. This Week in 49ers History: Charles Hayward, 11 Sep 2020 at charlotte49ers.com
35. "OrthoCarolina Sponsors Battle for Hornets' Nest Game - Charlotte Athletics". Charlotte 49ers. 21 November 2017. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
36. "North Carolina Charlotte receives reprimand from league for melee". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
37. "ESPN.com - These eight rivalries have juice". www.espn.com. Retrieved 2023-04-24.

External links

• Official website