University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Photo by: Adrian Etheridge
UNC Asheville to Hit the Road to Face Off Against Blue Hose on Friday
01.11.2018 | Men's Basketball
Game Notes
2017-18 UNC Asheville Men's Basketball Media Guide
THE MATCHUP
Teams: UNC Asheville (9-8, 2-2 Big South Conference)
Presbyterian College (8-9, 1-3 Big South Conference)
Location: Clinton, S.C./ Templeton Center
Date/Time: Friday, Jan. 12, 2018/7 p.m.
Video: Big South Network
Live Stats: uncabulldogs.com
Twitter: @ashevilledogs #ThePursuit
CLINTON, S.C. - UNC Asheville will next travel to Presbyterian College to take on the Blue Hose at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 12.
BULLDOG BITES
Bulldog Breakdown
THOMAS CONTINUES MAKING HISTORY: Ahmad Thomas was already just the fifth player in Big South Conference men's basketball history with over 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 200 steals, but now he is also just the second player in league history with over 1,000 points, 600 rebounds, 200 steals and 200 assists. Thomas ended the win over Longwood with 1,329 points, 611 rebounds, 222 steals and 203 assists. Thomas is now also just 11 points away from becoming one of the top-15 scorers in UNC Asheville history. He moved into the top-10 in school history in rebounds with his now 611 in the win over Longwood. He is currently tied with Paul Allen (1980-84) for career rebounds with the 611 boards.
SUBWAY SANDWICH ARTIST FOR A GREAT CAUSE: UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt will once again make an appearance as a Subway Sandwich artist to help raise awareness and support for the fight against cancer through the Coaches vs. Cancer campaign. McDevitt is scheduled to join Western Carolina head coach Larry Hunter on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at the Subway at the Oakley Plaza at 801 Fairview Road, Asheville, NC 28803. They are scheduled to be at the Subway from 12-1 p.m. The Coaches vs. Cancer program is a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Locally, the North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association has joined the effort to promote healthy living, raise awareness and support for the fight against cancer. Donations in any amount can be made at the checkout of participating SUBWAY® restaurants from Jan. 15 through Feb. 28 with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the local Coaches vs. Cancer program. Last year, more than $25,000 in North Carolina was raised and they want to raise even more this year. For more information on Coaches vs. Cancer, visit www.cancer.org.
HOME SWEET HOME: UNC Asheville's 90-80 win over Longwood on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018, was the Bulldogs' 75th win overall, and even more impressively, 50th win in just 60 games against Big South Conference competition at Kimmel Arena. UNC Asheville is now 75-16 overall and 50-10 against Big South foes within the friendly confines of Kimmel Arena inside the Sherrill Center. In addition to securing the 75th win overall and the 50th victory over league foes at Kimmel Arena in the win over Longwood, UNC Asheville also extended its home winning streak to 16. The Bulldogs are 7-0 on the 2017-18 season at Kimmel Arena.
AMONG THE TOPS: UNC Asheville is currently in the top-35 in the country and second in the Big South with 8.2 steals per game.
VANNATTA NAMED CANDIDATE FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD: UNC Asheville senior guard Kevin Vannatta has been selected as a candidate for the 2017-18 Senior CLASS Award® in men's collegiate basketball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. "We are very proud of what Kevin has been able to accomplish, both on and off the court, during his time here at UNC Asheville," UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt said. "To be part of a list of candidates that includes individuals such as Grayson Allen of Duke and Joel Berry II of North Carolina, speaks to the hard work that he has put forth on and off the court." Vannatta enters the final semester of his senior season with the Bulldogs owning a 3.93 grade-point average as an Accounting major. Vannatta also represents UNC Asheville and the Big South Conference on the NCAA Division I National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Vannatta was named to the 2016-17 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District® 3 Men's Basketball first-team in addition to being tabbed as a DI-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete last season. A 2017-18 preseason All-Big South Conference selection, Vannatta scored eight points in UNC Asheville's win over Wofford on Sunday, Nov. 26, to become the 33rd member of the prestigious 1,000-point club at UNC Asheville and the 149th in Big South history to accomplish the feat. Each of the 30 candidate classes will be narrowed to fields of 10 finalists in February, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
BULLDOGS TO BE FEATURED ON ESPNU: ESPNU has selected the UNC Asheville at Winthrop men's basketball contest scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 18 as its Big South Wildcard Selection broadcast, it was announced today by the Big South Conference office. Game time will be 9:00pm inside the Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill, S.C. Matt Schick (play-by-play) and Paul Biancardi (analyst) will handle the call from courtside. "We are excited once again to be able to showcase our program on national television," UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt said. "UNC Asheville-Winthrop is one of the best rivalries in mid-major, and really, all of college basketball. It should be a fun atmosphere."
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF CHARITY: UNC Asheville is currently leading the way in the league in Big South Conference in free throw percentage with the Bulldogs presently shooting .849 as a team. Raekwon Miller is leading the league with a .929 shooting percentage.
Series/About Presbyterian College
SERIES: UNC Asheville and Presbyterian College will be meeting for the 28th time in a series that the Bulldogs own a 20-7 all-time series advantage over the Blue Hose.
ABOUT PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE: The Blue Hose welcome the Bulldogs owning an overall record of 8-9 on the 2017-18 season. Presbyterian College is currently 1-3 in league play. Reggie Dillard leads three averaging in double figures for the Blue Hose with 16.8 points per game.
Follow all of the Action Live
You can catch all of the action live on the Big South Network HERE. You can follow via live stats HERE.
Up Next
UNC Asheville will next play host to Charleston Southern in a game that will be featured by ESPN3. The contest will also be available on radio on 570 WWNC-ASHEVILLE/1440 WMXF-WAYNESVILLE. UNC Asheville will have many promotions throughout the course of the day, including a special welcome back to the spring semester for the students.
2017-18 UNC Asheville Men's Basketball Media Guide
THE MATCHUP
Teams: UNC Asheville (9-8, 2-2 Big South Conference)
Presbyterian College (8-9, 1-3 Big South Conference)
Location: Clinton, S.C./ Templeton Center
Date/Time: Friday, Jan. 12, 2018/7 p.m.
Video: Big South Network
Live Stats: uncabulldogs.com
Twitter: @ashevilledogs #ThePursuit
CLINTON, S.C. - UNC Asheville will next travel to Presbyterian College to take on the Blue Hose at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 12.
BULLDOG BITES
Bulldog Breakdown
THOMAS CONTINUES MAKING HISTORY: Ahmad Thomas was already just the fifth player in Big South Conference men's basketball history with over 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 200 steals, but now he is also just the second player in league history with over 1,000 points, 600 rebounds, 200 steals and 200 assists. Thomas ended the win over Longwood with 1,329 points, 611 rebounds, 222 steals and 203 assists. Thomas is now also just 11 points away from becoming one of the top-15 scorers in UNC Asheville history. He moved into the top-10 in school history in rebounds with his now 611 in the win over Longwood. He is currently tied with Paul Allen (1980-84) for career rebounds with the 611 boards.
SUBWAY SANDWICH ARTIST FOR A GREAT CAUSE: UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt will once again make an appearance as a Subway Sandwich artist to help raise awareness and support for the fight against cancer through the Coaches vs. Cancer campaign. McDevitt is scheduled to join Western Carolina head coach Larry Hunter on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at the Subway at the Oakley Plaza at 801 Fairview Road, Asheville, NC 28803. They are scheduled to be at the Subway from 12-1 p.m. The Coaches vs. Cancer program is a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Locally, the North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association has joined the effort to promote healthy living, raise awareness and support for the fight against cancer. Donations in any amount can be made at the checkout of participating SUBWAY® restaurants from Jan. 15 through Feb. 28 with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the local Coaches vs. Cancer program. Last year, more than $25,000 in North Carolina was raised and they want to raise even more this year. For more information on Coaches vs. Cancer, visit www.cancer.org.
HOME SWEET HOME: UNC Asheville's 90-80 win over Longwood on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018, was the Bulldogs' 75th win overall, and even more impressively, 50th win in just 60 games against Big South Conference competition at Kimmel Arena. UNC Asheville is now 75-16 overall and 50-10 against Big South foes within the friendly confines of Kimmel Arena inside the Sherrill Center. In addition to securing the 75th win overall and the 50th victory over league foes at Kimmel Arena in the win over Longwood, UNC Asheville also extended its home winning streak to 16. The Bulldogs are 7-0 on the 2017-18 season at Kimmel Arena.
AMONG THE TOPS: UNC Asheville is currently in the top-35 in the country and second in the Big South with 8.2 steals per game.
VANNATTA NAMED CANDIDATE FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD: UNC Asheville senior guard Kevin Vannatta has been selected as a candidate for the 2017-18 Senior CLASS Award® in men's collegiate basketball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. "We are very proud of what Kevin has been able to accomplish, both on and off the court, during his time here at UNC Asheville," UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt said. "To be part of a list of candidates that includes individuals such as Grayson Allen of Duke and Joel Berry II of North Carolina, speaks to the hard work that he has put forth on and off the court." Vannatta enters the final semester of his senior season with the Bulldogs owning a 3.93 grade-point average as an Accounting major. Vannatta also represents UNC Asheville and the Big South Conference on the NCAA Division I National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Vannatta was named to the 2016-17 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District® 3 Men's Basketball first-team in addition to being tabbed as a DI-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete last season. A 2017-18 preseason All-Big South Conference selection, Vannatta scored eight points in UNC Asheville's win over Wofford on Sunday, Nov. 26, to become the 33rd member of the prestigious 1,000-point club at UNC Asheville and the 149th in Big South history to accomplish the feat. Each of the 30 candidate classes will be narrowed to fields of 10 finalists in February, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
BULLDOGS TO BE FEATURED ON ESPNU: ESPNU has selected the UNC Asheville at Winthrop men's basketball contest scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 18 as its Big South Wildcard Selection broadcast, it was announced today by the Big South Conference office. Game time will be 9:00pm inside the Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill, S.C. Matt Schick (play-by-play) and Paul Biancardi (analyst) will handle the call from courtside. "We are excited once again to be able to showcase our program on national television," UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt said. "UNC Asheville-Winthrop is one of the best rivalries in mid-major, and really, all of college basketball. It should be a fun atmosphere."
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF CHARITY: UNC Asheville is currently leading the way in the league in Big South Conference in free throw percentage with the Bulldogs presently shooting .849 as a team. Raekwon Miller is leading the league with a .929 shooting percentage.
Series/About Presbyterian College
SERIES: UNC Asheville and Presbyterian College will be meeting for the 28th time in a series that the Bulldogs own a 20-7 all-time series advantage over the Blue Hose.
ABOUT PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE: The Blue Hose welcome the Bulldogs owning an overall record of 8-9 on the 2017-18 season. Presbyterian College is currently 1-3 in league play. Reggie Dillard leads three averaging in double figures for the Blue Hose with 16.8 points per game.
Follow all of the Action Live
You can catch all of the action live on the Big South Network HERE. You can follow via live stats HERE.
Up Next
UNC Asheville will next play host to Charleston Southern in a game that will be featured by ESPN3. The contest will also be available on radio on 570 WWNC-ASHEVILLE/1440 WMXF-WAYNESVILLE. UNC Asheville will have many promotions throughout the course of the day, including a special welcome back to the spring semester for the students.
Players Mentioned
Monday, March 18
Monday, March 18
Thursday, March 14
Monday, March 04