Last Year: 27-8; 16-2, Regular Season and Tournament Champions of the Big South Conference, lost in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament
Head Coach: Mike Morrell (6th Year; 73-76 at UNC-Asheville)
Projected Starting Lineup
| PG | Caleb Burgess | 6’3″, 185 – Graduate Senior |
| SG | Fletcher Abee | 6’2″, 190 – Senior |
| SF | Jamon Battle | 6’5″, 207 – Graduate Senior |
| PF | Drew Pember | 6’11”, 215 – Graduate Senior |
| F/C | Nick McMullen | 6’8″, 237 – Graduate Senior |
Projected Starters’ 2022-23 Stats
Caleb Burgess: 4.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 4.2 apg, 0.7 spg – 39.4% FG
Fletcher Abee: 8.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.8 spg – 41.9% 3FG
Jamon Battle: 6.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.8 spg – 55.1% FG
Drew Pember: 21.0 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.4 bpg – 38.0% 3FG
Nick McMullen: 8.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.5 bpg – 55.4% FG
Experienced Reserves
| G | Evan Johnson | 5’11”, 165 – Junior |
| W | Josh Banks | 6’5″, 175 – Senior |
| G | Trent Stephney | 6’2″, 173 – Graduate Senior |
| F | Greg Gantt | 6’8″, 210 – Senior |
| G | Dean Gabrelcik | 6’4″, 213 – Sophomore |
| F | Toyaz Solomon | 6’9″, 190 – Junior |
Experience Reserves’ 2022-23 Stats
Evan Johnson: 9.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.9 spg – 27.0% 3FG @ Georgia State
Josh Banks: 2.8 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 0.2 apg, 0.2 spg – 41.4% FG @ VCU
Trent Stephney: 3.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.0 apg – 38.0% 3FG
Greg Gantt: 2.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.5 bpg – 42.9% FG @ NC State
Dean Gabrelcik: 3.1 ppg, 0.6 rpg, 0.2 apg – 35.5% 3FG
Toyaz Solomon: 12.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.5 apg, 2.6 bpg – 46.0% FG @ Caldwell Community College
Freshmen
| W | Jovoy ‘Boogie’ Thompson | 6’7″, 197 – Freshman |
There’s not much that UNC-Asheville didn’t accomplish last year. There is something, though, that they would still like to get done before this season is over, and they lose a program icon for the second offseason in a row. Though the Bulldogs tied their previous best of 16 conference wins, tallied the most total wins in school history, won the Big South regular season and tournament titles, and played in the Big Dance, they couldn’t pick up an NCAA victory. In his fifth year, Bulldogs head coach Mike Morrell was named Big South Coach of the Year after all of that winning, and the rising coach is back with a new contract extension to lead UNC-A into the upcoming campaign.
And, of course, there’s this fella named Drew Pember. Last winter, the former Tennessee transfer turned in one of the most complete seasons of any collegiate player in America, and was named both Big South Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, the latter for a second consecutive season. Unfortunately, his best running mate – and the leading scorer in UNC-A history – is gone, as co-starring wing Tajion Jones has used up his eligibility.
Six key members of Morrell’s rotation last year return, though, and further help is one the way in the persons of four veteran transfers and some developing youngsters. Put together, Asheville feels as though they have assembled the pieces to remain atop the league. Especially because Pember is back, postponing his professional aspirations for one more season of excellence in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
“I want to go back to the NCAA Tournament and win another Big South Championship. We have an amazing coaching staff and we’ll return a bunch of players from this year,” Pember said in a statement announcing his intention to use his extra year of eligibility, and spend it in Asheville. “I’m already looking forward to next year.” While Jones has been playing in the NBA’s Summer League, Pember has been working on strength training and getting quicker in anticipation of a gargantuan final year. Last winter, the former Vol became the first player in Big South history to lead the league in scoring, rebounding and blocks in the same season, and Pember led the entire nation in both free throws made and attempted. “He’s meant everything. I’m telling you, the best thing about him is who he is as a person,” Morrell said from the NCAA Tournament last season, speaking about Pember. “Players love playing with him. He leads the country in free throw attempts and makes for a reason: because his teammates understand he needs the ball at certain times.” Such an overwhelming force was Pember that he ended up making 43 more foul shots than Kendric Davis, who finished in second place nationally. That margin was nearly as large as the gulf between Davis and the two players tied for eighth place.
The former Vol became the first player in Big South history to lead the league in scoring, rebounding and blocks in the same season, and Pember led the entire nation in both free throws made and attempted
An outstanding scorer from virtually anywhere on the court, Pember may lack elite athleticism but there’s not much else you can knock him for. He’s a tremendously savvy player who has very observably gained a better understanding of the game and his talents each season. Pember is a good positional defender who keeps his hands active and has moved his feet better and better each year. And with his height and seven foot-plus wingspan, Pember helps defensively and protects the rim very effectively. Pember is very much a modern big, with a smooth jump shot and confidence handling the ball. He can pick-and-pop or pick-and-roll, and with opposing defenses keying on him constantly, Pember has matured into a very capable passer who knows how to rotate the ball and find open cutters when seemingly the entire defense is collapsing upon him. A legitimate three point threat, Pember can knock down outside shots in bunches, and when he knows he has a mismatch, Pember has become effective isolating his man and scoring near the rim. The biggest challenge this year for UNC-A, a team which returns no one besides Pember who averaged double figures, may be trying to replace the 15+ points which Jones put up each night. Even with Jones on the roster, Pember was the first, second and third priority in pre-game defensive meetings when other teams had the Bulldogs on their schedule; and it showed against the best teams which Asheville played. Now, Pember has to continue being great – and see if he can take his game to yet a higher level – while also helping his teammates to develop into standout contributors alongside him.
He isn’t really replaceable, but the top option to step in for Jones as the Bulldogs’ #2 scorer is Fletcher Abee. Though he spent his first two seasons at The Citadel, Abee joined the Bulldogs and immediately started 31 games shooting 41.9% from the land trey in the process. At The Citadel, Abee averaged 12.3 points and made 139 triples at 37.4% overall his two seasons, and now will be relied upon as Morrell’s top deep threat. He scored in double figures 12 times last season, and in those games, he shot a blistering 60.0% from downtown. Abee has been a bit one-dimensional so far in his career; it’s not a bad thing that he attempted nearly twice as many shots from deep as inside the arc last year, as Abee was highly efficient. However, he took just 11 shots near the rim, per Barttorvik, and Pember will be needing all the help he can get this winter. Abee is big enough to handle getting to the rim, and hopefully he can cut inside for some easy feeds from Pember this year while the defense is expecting Abee’s presence on the outside. On a team that doesn’t shoot it that well overall, it will be vital that Abee hit the ground running in his second season. If Abee can score consistently and pull defenders away from Pember, he will quickly become a very popular guy in the Land of the Sky.
Like Abee, Nick McMullen started all year and averaged eight points. While Abee is a perimeter player, though, McMullen best typifies his team’s nickname. The Bulldogs’ most effective post defender and physically strongest player, McMullen does the little things up front which allow Pember to roam as best fits his skills and the team’s spacing. While a bit undersized sometimes, McMullen goes toe-to-toe with the opposition’s biggest dude almost every game – and the results speak for themselves. McMullen ranked fifth in the Big South with 145 defensive rebounds and seventh in total boards a year ago. Though he’s not a primary scoring threat, McMullen shot 64.2% near the rim, per Barttorvik, as a very good roll man after setting his trademark solid screens. He finished just two off of Pember’s team lead with 60 offensive boards, and McMullen led the Bulldogs with 23 putback stabs on friendly misses, per Hoop-Math. The biggest flaw in McMullen’s game is his foul shooting; with a career 45.6% mark from the line, McMullen’s 48.3% last year was actually a career best. Morrell is banking on another solid step forward from the former Murray State transfer. In his first year starting last season, McMullen posted nothing but career-high statistics, and there is every reason to hope that his best is still to come.
Caleb Burgess doesn’t need to score many points in order to significantly impact Morrell’s offense, but even so, the former Hofstra transfer is looking to be the highest-scoring version of himself ever seen this winter. Burgess averaged just over five points in just under 24 minutes per game last year, but he still was a strong enough playmaker to lead the Big South in assists. After departing from the Pride ranked 17th all-time in assist percentage in the Colonial Athletic Association with a 26.8% career mark, Burgess posted an excellent 34.5% assist rate during his first season in Asheville, the second-best in program history. With 66 career starts under his belt, Burgess is a steady hand to run the show and keep Pember well-fed with quality looks. Pember was assisted on 82% of his 57 made triples last winter, and a solid few dozen of those helpers came from Burgess as he drove off the bounce and kicked to his waiting star forward. Burgess scores mainly on drive action which either take him to the rim or into a runner, but Burgess is not a particularly strong shooter. This year, he could really help himself by figuring out a way to leave fewer points at the foul stripe, in particular. With his reliability operating the offense well established, Burgess should get the chance to show more and more of what he can do with shots of his own this season.
The team’s 6th man last year was veteran wing Jamon ‘Doc’ Battle, who will look to reassert himself as a starter while using his ‘Covid Year’ to play a final season for Morrell. With good size, quickness and strength, Battle is one of the team’s most versatile defenders. He functions as a quasi-post player offensively, and scored about 80% of the 95 total baskets he made last season right around the rim, per Barttorvik. With his slashing style and comfort level operating on the block, Battle can be too much for most wings to handle when he decides to go score the ball. As has been said, though, Battle is another Bulldog who could be better at shooting free throws. Just a 56.8% career foul shooter coming into last year, Battle cratered to a 47.8% mark as a senior. Between his sophomore and junior years, Battle averaged 8.1 points on 57.8 shooting from the floor, and that’s where Morrell would love to see him return.
This year’s 6th man may very well be Evan Johnson, a smaller point guard than Burgess but one who can create chances for himself and for others. Last year for Georgia State, Johnson started nine games, and put up career-best numbers almost everywhere but from deep. He’s a heat it up scoring threat who also makes good decisions with the ball, and last year handed out more than two assists for every turnover. Despite his diminishing returns over the past two seasons shooting it from deep, Johnson does most of his shooting from the outside. After debuting with a 37.8% rate from the land of trey, Johnson is now at 31.2% for his career after hitting a platry 27.0% as a junior. When he puts it on the floor, Johnson is often looking to pass, but he’s been developing a floater which should continue to serve him well. With Morrell in need of scoring, Johnson should get a solid chance to show off his skills.
| Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks) |
| 53.6% Team Effective FG% (38th) |
| 0.887 – Assists Per Turnover (280th) |
| 38.6% – Team 3FG% (8th) |
| 69.3% Team FT% (281st) |
| 30.6% Opponent 3FG% (21st) |
As a 3-and-D contrast to Doc Battle on the wing, Morrell has added Josh Banks. While Morrell coached at VCU for four seasons prior to following Shaka Smart when he took the job at Texas, he was never there at the same time as Banks. Nonetheless, UNC-A’s bench boss is a big fan of Banks. “We are thrilled to welcome Josh to our program,” Morrell said of his new recruit upon his commitment. “He is coming from VCU where they won the Atlantic 10 Conference and played in the NCAA tournament this past season. Josh’s style of play fits who we are on the floor extremely well.” Banks is a strong player with quick feet and useful length, and as one would expect from a Ram, Banks can D-up. In the Big South, Banks should be able to guard 1-4 against most teams, and, as he did in Richmond, he will bring the energy level up when he steps onto the court. One of the claims which Banks can make so far is that, as a freshman in Richmond, he beat former VCU and current NBA guard Bones Hyland in a three point-shooting contest. The hope among Bulldog fans is that anyone who can pull off a feat such as that has got to have untapped scoring potential to unlock in a new setting.
Also new to the Bulldogs but not college basketball is Greg Gantt, a two-time transfer who picked up a business administration degree from NC State this spring and then brought his abilities to Asheville. Gantt brings high major size, athleticism and experience to Morrell’s rotation, and offers a bit of the same intrigue with which Banks arrives. “We are thrilled to welcome Greg to our program. He brings a wealth of collegiate experience in the Big East and ACC,” Morrell said of Gantt when he pledged to UNC-A. “Bulldog fans will enjoy the energy he plays with and the winning attributes he possesses.” Gantt didn’t play a huge role for the Wolfpack last year, but he has started 29 career games between Providence and Raleigh, and was rated a consensus Top 100 prospect coming out of Fayetteville, NC, four years ago. Gantt is looking to add a strong fourth season to his collegiate tale, and UNC-A will surely be happy to have his active defense and strong presence on the glass next to Pember. Gantt isn’t a great outside shooter, but he’s good at snagging or tapping friendly misses to the folks wearing his same jersey, and has shot 60.3% on attempts near the cup for his career, per Bart Torvik. Defensively, Gantt could be a serious force in the Big South. He has quick hands, feet, and reactions, and can be highly effective denying wings or other forwards both good position and the chance at a clean feed.
| Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on |
| vs Auburn – December 13 |
| @ Michigan – November 7 |
| @ UAB – December 28 |
| @ Western Carolina – December 9 |
| vs Lipscomb – November 25 |
Speaking of defense, Trent Stephney returns after leading the Bulldogs – and finishing tenth in the league – in steals, despite starting just nine tilts and playing less than 16 minutes per game on average. Over the two seasons coming into last year, Stephney had averaged 8 points and both 3.3 rebounds and assists each, while starting 43 games and averaging 30+ minutes. With Jones gone, Morrell is likely to lean on the experience of Johnson and Stephney as proven players. Stephney was just a 26% career shooter from deep coming into last year, but he hit 38.0% of his tries last winter. He endured a reversal at the foul stripe, though, hitting just 10 of 27 (37.0%) attempts. As a good ball mover, Stephney helps the offense whether he’s on or off the ball, and his sticky fingers on the other end lead to consistent opportunities for the Bulldogs to pick up cheap buckets in transition. Dean Gabrelcik is a big, solidly-built guard from Florida who attempted 31 shots in the 73 minutes he played last season, and every one of them was from beyond the arc. If he can grow into something of a 3-and-D player on the wing, it will help the Bulldogs to have such a guy off the pine.
In hopes of being able to bring a long, useful defender and rim protector off the bench when Pember needs a breather, Morrell has added Toyaz Solomon. A JuCo recruit who played at Caldwell (NC) Community College the past two years, Solomon has some translatable skills. He’s a mobile and active rebounder who can get from end to end in a hurry. Solomon is a bit unrefined offensively, but he figures to earn some minutes with his defense – he blocked 2.6 shots per game last season. Javoy ‘Boogie’ Thompson is this year’s lone incoming freshman. “With his length and athleticism, he really fits us from a style of play standpoint on both offense and defense,” Morrell says of his youngest addition. Thompson is quite thin, but plays a perimeter game and it’s there that he excels. At 6’7″, the Bronx native averaged 25 points and eight assists as a prep senior, and, in time, should bring a whole new dimension to UNC-A’s backcourt.
It’s extremely difficult to follow up the greatest season in program history, but there are a great many reasons to expect that UNC-Asheville can remain atop the Big South – even if they don’t have a second consecutive best-season-ever. Asheville won its 27 games by an average margin of 2.6 points per game, which ranked 123rd in the nation. All of the players returning this year whose names are not Drew Pember combined to shoot 270/454 at the foul line last year – a 59.5% combined rate. As much as Jones will be difficult to replace, it will be even more difficult for the Bulldogs to win another league title if their guys are leaving 40% of their free points clanging off of the rim.
“Mike has done a great job building his program,” Furman coach and Morrell’s friend Bob Richey has remarked to the Asheville Citizen-Times. “We scrimmage Asheville every year and they popped us.”
With Pember to build around, this team can develop knowing that its backbone is already in place, and Burgess, McMullen and the other key contributors already know how to help their star be his best. There may never be another Tajion Jones, but Pember’s legend has yet to be fully told. Asheville will contend for championships again in 2024, and this time they would like to stay awhile in the NCAA Tournament.
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