Sunday, March 2, 2014

Observations from 49ers' victory over ODU

Observations from the 49ers' 74-63 victory over Old Dominion on Sunday:

-- There's not much to be done that can save a season that was pretty much wrecked by the six-game losing streak the 49ers finally snapped Sunday, but how Charlotte played against ODU gave a pretty good indication of what might have been.

Charlotte's big men, Mike Thorne and Willie Clayton, dominated ODU's smaller front line. The 49ers turned the ball over "just" 12 times (3.5 fewer than what they'd been averaging in conference play). Their assists-turnover ratio was nearly 2:1 (21-12, far better than their league-worst -3.2 in conference games). Point guard Pierria Henry played a dominant floor game with 10 assists. The 49ers outrebounded the Monarchs 35-25.

"Mentally, it's good for us to know we're as good as we always believed we are," said coach Alan Major.

The 49ers can clinch a Tuesday "bye" in the C-USA tournament by beating Marshall in their regular-season-finale Thursday. They're tied for ninth with North Texas (with whom they own the tie-breaker) and FIU (which isn't eligible for the tournament).

-- One of Sunday's bright spots was the play of freshman forward Marcus Bryan, who scored 10 points (on 3-of-4 shooting) and had four rebounds and two assists. Bryan's mid-range jump shot has become one of Charlotte's more reliable offensive assets.

Remember, Bryan signed late last summer out of Raleigh Ravensroft, helping rescue the 49ers from what could have been a tough depth situation after E. Victor Nickerson and Darion Clark transferred unexpectedly. For the 49ers to get somebody who can contribute the way he has at such a late time can only be considered a bonus.

-- Senior guard Ben Cherry got a nice pre-game sendoff with a ceremony in which he was presented a framed No. 24 jersey.








16 comments:

Anonymous said...

WTG boys!!! That how you honor our Senior and send him out on top! Thank you Ben Cherry for all you've done for this program! So excited to see what this team can do in Halton next season! #GoNiners #family

Anonymous said...

ALAN MAJORS SHOW WHAT HE CAN DO IF DA PLAYARS LISTEN!!

HATERS!!!!!

rb said...

"Mentally, it's good for us to know we're as good as we always believed we are," said coach Alan Major.

This guy is beyond terrible. Quotes like this suggests that he's totally satisfied with mediocrity.

Anonymous said...

What an epic failure this team and school is right now....not a another penny to support this.

Anonymous said...

Crowd noise is just "false fuel" for the team. We are trying our best to eliminate it.

Anonymous said...

Family? Who cares. Win. Now. Business

Anonymous said...

This clown needs to go but I'm sure Judy and Duboso like exactly where the bball program is so football can take center court. This guy has done NOTHING for UNCc basketball. Judy just doesn't want to admit she was wrong with this hire. Glad I stopped giving $$$ when they made this hire.

Jeff said...

Lets just face the facts Niner Nation....whether he knows what he's doing or not...Major isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Lets just hope Braxton and Bernard bring some maturity and stability in with them next year, Keyshawn and Torin bring some firepower off the bench, Mike learns to put some touch and rotation on his shot put, knuckleball hook shots, Willie learns how to "jump" and shoot free throws, Denzel learns to play a little defense, Marky Mark keeps improving, Terrence plays as hard as he pouts, and someone leaves the program and we can sign Gustys from Oak Hills.....we should be fine next year !

NA said...

Ha. #nextyear

Jeff said...

"Next year"
Hasn't that been our motto for the last 3 decades ???
Much better than "HOP ON THE BUS" !
Who the hell came up with that one???

Anonymous said...

How about fan support for the guys who play on this team and do their best only to be criticized by the rest. If you want to stop supporting the program then that is your choice. However, the students, the Almni, and the supporters need to get behind this team. Not because they are strugging bit because it is your team. It is easy to get behind a winning program but keep in mind that most of those winning programs use to be losing program and they did not always have the funds to get a great coach. It took the students coming to the game and supporting the team that made them great. Not coming to the games now is not going to force Judy Rose into firing Major. She is the one bringing most of the money in the athletic program. She and her contributors. At most top ranked universities it is the students and Alumni. Here, it is the opposite. If you want her gone then you have to spend money on the program and earn a voice in the process. However, these athletes are your peers and they need your support. For you to stop supporting the team because you do not like the coach is wrong.

Anonymous said...

Anon at 2:43. What may I ask are you smoking? This athletic department is kept afloat on student fees. We have only 800 or so Foundation members. It has been that way forever. The students who bother to attend this terrible product should be fitted with gold shoes. Thank God we added football. Thank God for the student fees for that, too. Do you have any idea how much of the Dept's budget is funded by student fees? Look it up. You will be shocked at how little is raised in this major market for funding outside of concrete and seats.

Anonymous said...

To Anon 9:16 PM. I saw how much the student donate and it is small compared to fundraising that is done by the program. If we had to depend on student fees we would not have a football team. It was the donations made from Richardson, McCall, Halton and others that got this team going not student fees. I'm sorry to hurt your feelings but you need a dose of reality. If student fees paid for this program Judy Rose would be gone by now. The university is keeping her because she is an excellent fundraiser. But that is besides the point. You support your team because they represent you. You don't go to Duke, North Carolina, or Wake Forest. You go to school here so support the players that play for you. These guys could have went elsewhere but they chose to play here. Wake Forest, North Carolina State had bad seasons to but you don't see the students wearing Duke gear. Take pride in your school and come to the game to support the athletes. You don't have to like Rose or Major but at least support the players. When potential recruits come to this school they look at your school spirit and if you are constantly putting down the team or complaining about how bad things are then they are not going to come to the school and go elsewhere.

Anonymous said...

OK. Facts are facts. Check out this link and define "Subsidy" to me and tell me how we are ranked that high:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/schools/finances/

Anonymous said...

Congrats Ben on being named to C-USA All Academic Team! What an honor!!
#proud #family #GoNiners!

Anonymous said...

Facts are facts, sure. But some people misinterpret facts. The only thing that I can tell you is how much was donated for the football stadium outside student fees. Student fees help but it is those donations made by donors that cover the cost. That is why most of the athletic facilities on campus are named after donors not students. Robert and Miriam Hayes Stadium, Halton-Wagner Tennis Complex, Transamerica Field-you see a theme here? A lot of the sport programs on campus are paid for by what can be raised. Student fees do not cover everything. How many years have people been calling for the removal of Judy Rose. If student fees were calling the shot this would have happened a long time ago. The only time she is going to step down from office is when she gets tired of running the program. Blame the coach, the players, the athletic director, the school, etc. If you like to think that you are in control be my guest, but reality is reality. In the mean time I am going to support my school and the athletes who represent it. I'm sure that when you were younger your parents, coaches, etc. told you that if you want a successful team, support the team.