Surging Charlotte 49ers build momentum with role players 

CHARLOTTE ATHLETICS

The Charlotte 49ers have won seven of eight games and sit atop the American Conference after beating Rice 80-70 Jan. 30 at Halton Arena. Charlotte is 13-9 overall, 7-2 in conference games.

The Charlotte 49ers are building momentum at the right time.

Winners of seven of their last eight games, the 49ers are 13-9 overall, 7-2 in the American Conference, which is good for first place followed by 6-2 South Florida and Tulsa. Charlotte has yet to face South Florida. Tulsa beat the 49ers 86-74 on Jan. 14 and play again on Feb. 18. 

Like a lot of teams across the country, Charlotte had a roster overhaul to start the season with 10 new players. It took time to find chemistry but have done so in January, capped by an 80-70 win against Rice Friday at Halton Arena. 

“We've had a number of guys that haven't won very much in their career,” 49ers’ coach Aaron Fearne said. “We have a starting center [Anton Bonke] that has hardly played basketball at all, so every game is just a lot of new experiences for him. He’s getting better and better every game. I coach them really hard every day. I hold them to a high level of accountability, because I want them to taste success at a really high level and learn to understand that if you work really hard, you’ll be rewarded. And I think if you can take those behaviors into their lives, whatever they do, they know they can be successful.”

Charlotte has leaned on bench production during the run as well. Against Rice, Damoni Harrison and Dezayne Mingo scored 15 and 11 points respectively. A starter who elevated his game against the Owls was Spencer Elliott. After going scoreless in the prior game against Temple, Elliott added nine points on 4-for-5 shooting. Fearne’s message resonated with him. 

“[Fearne said] just to stay confident,” Elliott recalled. “At the end of the day, every shot is not going to go in, so just staying confident. We put in the work. Like coach says, if we put in the work, you’re going to get rewarded. So, I kept my head down all week, stayed in the gym and worked.”

Fearne added what he has seen from Elliott’s growth over the season.

“Spencer would have learned a lot of things at Tulane,” his prior school, Fearne said. “He might not have been happy with his situation, but he was playing at a good program. He’s getting an opportunity here. I don’t give anything to anybody. I don’t care who you are or where you come from, you are going to earn it. Spencer had a challenging summer. I needed him to work harder and work a certain way. … I am really proud of him.”

The 49ers shift their focus to Wichita State in a rematch of the Jan. 3 game when the 49ers beat the Shockers 104-100 in double overtime where both teams shot 48% from the floor and 38% from three-point range. The Shockers are 13-8 overall and 10-2 at home. Fearne anticipates a raucous environment. 

“[Wichita State] has an awesome fanbase,” he said. “It will be a huge, aggressive crowd on Wednesday. I really hope it is so [our team] has to deal with that pressure to perform in those environments. I think that is what it is about. We want to be in those environments. They are big, they’re physical. They kicked our butts on the glass here in a game that was obviously a wild game, which was a lot of fun. I’m sure they will be very motivated to get us back.”

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