UNC Greensboro Spartans men's basketball

UNC Greensboro Spartans
2021–22 UNC Greensboro Spartans men's basketball team
University	University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Head coach	Mike Jones (1st season)
Conference	SoCon
Location	Greensboro, North Carolina
Arena	Greensboro Coliseum Complex (Capacity: 7,617/23,000)
Nickname	Spartans
Colors	Navy, white, and gold[1]
Uniforms
Home Away Alternate
NCAA Tournament Appearances
1996, 2001, 2018, 2021
Conference tournament champions
1980 (Dixie) 1996 (Big South) 2001, 2018, 2021 (SoCon)
Conference regular season champions
1981, 1987, 1988 (Dixie) 1995, 1996 (Big South) 2002, 2017, 2018, 2021 (SoCon)

The UNCG Spartans men's basketball team represents the University of North Carolina at Greensboro^[2] in NCAA Division I. The school's team currently competes in the Southern Conference.

History[]

The school, formerly The Women's College of The University of North Carolina, allowed male students beginning 1965-66 and started a men's basketball program the following year. The first coach was an instructor in the Physical Education program, the assistant was an administrator in the Chancellor's office, with some limited experience from the University of Kansas basketball program. Games were scheduled with Belmont Abbey, Elon, Guilford, and a few other small colleges. Players came from already-enrolled students, responding to on-campus ads. No records of results are available.^{[citation needed]} UNCG formalized their program and entered into a twenty-year period participating as an NCAA Division III member, before moving up to NCAA Division II in 1988, and swiftly ascending to NCAA Division I by 1991.^[3]

1991-1999: Division I Firsts for the Spartans[]

Mike Dement served as the architect of the program in its move to Division I. He was the Spartans' head coach from 1991 to 1995, leading them from a team with no conference affiliation to the top of the Big South Conference regular season standings in just four seasons. In his last two seasons at UNCG, Dement's teams went 38–18, including a then school-record 23 wins in 1994–95, along with the Big South Conference's regular season title. That team received votes in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches' polls, a first for the program.^[4]

Following the 1994-95 season, Dement left to take over the men's basketball program at SMU and was replaced in Greensboro by Randy Peele. In only the second season in which UNC Greensboro was eligible for Division I postseason competition, the Spartans won the Big South Conference regular season and tournament championship, advancing to the NCAA tournament where they received 15th seed in the Southeast region. In their first NCAA appearance, they fell in the first round to the Cincinnati Bearcats.

After following up their conference championship season with a 10–20 regular season, however, UNCG left the Big South in 1997 to join the Southern Conference.^[5] The Spartans finished at or near the bottom of their division in both of their first two seasons in the SoCon and, after four years in Greensboro, Peele left the Spartans and took an assistant's job with the Virginia Tech Hokies.

1999-2005: Fran McCaffery Brings the Spartans Back[]

Fran McCaffery hit the ground running in Greensboro, compiling a 15–13 record overall and a 9–7 Southern Conference mark in his first season that was the 18th-most improved record nationally among NCAA Division I teams.^[6]

In his second season, he guided the Spartans to a 19–12 record and the 2001 SoCon Tournament Championship. It was the school's second NCAA tournament berth. They received a 16 seed, losing in the first round to overall tournament top seed Stanford.

The following year (2001–2002) McCaffery led the Spartans to their first 20-win season since joining the Southern Conference. It marked the first time the program claimed a share of the SoCon North Division title as well. After falling to eventual tournament champion Davidson in the conference tournament semifinals, the Spartans were awarded a berth into the 2002 NIT, where they lost to eventual champion Memphis.^[6]

In his final year in Greensboro, McCaffery brought the Spartans to the brink of the NCAA Tournament before a SoCon Championship game loss to Chattanooga. He led UNCG to a victory over Davidson in the semifinals, defeating a team that had been 16–0 in conference play. A big part of that success was SoCon Freshman of the Year Kyle Hines. Hines set UNCG and SoCon records for blocked shots, and also broke several other UNCG single-game and freshman single-season marks.^[6] After the season, McAffery left UNCG to take the head men's basketball position at Siena

2005-2011: Return of Mike Dement[]

In his first season back at UNCG, Mike Dement led a young Spartan squad to a 12–19 mark. He had two players earn all-conference status in Ricky Hickman and Kyle Hines, and another earn SoCon All-Freshman honors.

In 2006–07, Dement guided the Spartans to a 16–14 mark, including a second-place finish in the Southern Conference's Northern Division. Hines, only a junior, earned Southern Conference Player of the Year and Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention status – UNCG program firsts for both. The Spartans were considered by many to be the most dangerous team in the SoCon Tournament, but were upended in the final seconds by Furman in the quarterfinal round.^[4]

Despite milestones like the program's first-ever win over an ACC team (Georgia Tech in 2007), and the largest ever home crowd at a UNCG basketball game (21,124 vs Duke in 2005), Dement's teams saw little success in his return. After several seasons with fewer than 10 victories, Dement eventually resigned in the middle of the 2011-12 season.

Move to Greensboro Coliseum[]

Beginning with the 2009–10 season, the men's basketball team plays all of their home games in the Greensboro Coliseum. The arena, which holds over 23,000 seats, is configured to hold around 7,500 spectators for most games.

As part of the move, the Coliseum remodeled a floor to become a Spartan home floor and also completely renovated a massive locker room space for the team, complete with training room, meeting facilities, coaches offices and a players' lounge.^[7]

2011-2021: Sustained Success Under Wes Miller[]

Following the mid-season resignation of Mike Dement in December 2011, Wes Miller was given the reins of the program on an interim basis.^[8] At the time, the Spartans had a record of 2-8 and were in the midst of an eleven-game losing streak. Under Miller, the team finished Southern Conference play with a 10-8 record, 13-19 overall, winning first place in the Southern Conference North Division. Miller was named the 2012 Southern Conference Coach of the Year and was hired officially as head coach.^[9]

The Spartans struggled in Miller's first few years, but he soon brought UNCG an unprecedented run of success. The Spartans reached 25 wins for three successive seasons between 2016 and 2019, won three Southern Conference championships, reached the NCAA tournament in 2018 and 2021, and recorded the program's first postseason victory in 2019. Miller is currently the winningest coach in the program's history.^[10]

Players recruited by Wes Miller regularly set new Spartan records. Guard Francis Alonso became UNCG's all-time leader in made 3-pointers ^[11] and was a two-time first-team All-SoCon selection (2018, 2019). The Spartans also boasted four consecutive Southern Conference Defensive Players of the Year in forward James Dickey (2018) and guard Isaiah Miller (2019, 2020, 2021). Isaiah Miller would go on to become the most decorated player in program history, being named Southern Conference Player of the Year in both 2020 and 2021, the first player to earn back to back SoCon Player of the Year awards since Stephen Curry at Davidson.

The 2018–2019 Spartans enjoyed what was arguably their most successful season under Wes Miller. The team went 29–7, finishing 2nd in the Southern Conference and receiving the #1 overall seed in the NIT Tournament where they beat Campbell in the First Round before losing to eventual tournament runners-up Lipscomb.

On April 14, 2021, Miller left UNCG to become the head men's basketball coach at the University of Cincinnati.^[12]

2021-Present: After Wes Miller[]

On April 19, 2021, UNCG hired Mike Jones as head men's basketball coach.^[13]

Retired numbers[]

The Spartans have retired three jersey numbers.

UNC Greensboro Spartans retired numbers
No.	Player	Position	Tenure
5	Scott Hartzell	PG	1992–96
23	Courtney Eldridge	G	1998–2002
42	Kyle Hines	PF	2004–08

Kyle Hines #42[]

In the 2006–07 season, Kyle Hines became the first player in UNCG history to receive the Southern Conference Player of the Year honor and to be named to the Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention.^[14] He became only the sixth player to score 2,000 points, grab 1,000 rebounds and block 300 shots in his college career. He joined the ranks of David Robinson, Alonzo Mourning, Tim Duncan, Pervis Ellison and Derrick Coleman.^[15]

Courtney Eldridge #23[]

Eldridge led the Spartans to the 2001 Southern Conference Tournament championship against University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and their second NCAA Tournament appearance. During the 2001–2002 season, he was ranked 9th in the Nation and 1st in the SoCon in steals, 23rd in the nation and 3rd in the conference in assists, UNCG All-Time leader in steals, 2nd All-Time leader in assists, and 5th All-Time Leading Scorer.^[16] The Spartans won the 2002 Southern Conference regular season title and earned a bid to the NIT.

Scott Hartzell #5[]

Hartzell was inducted into the UNCG Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006. He led UNCG in three-point field goals, three-point shooting percentage, and free throw shooting percentage all four seasons. He graduated in 1996 as the school's all-time leader in points 1,539 and assists with 552. His scoring mark now sits fifth on the all-time list, while his assist total sits second. He still holds the UNCG records for career three-pointers made (309), attempted (704) and shooting percentage (43%).^[17]

In 1995–96, Hartzell led the Spartans to its first NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament appearance. He led UNCG to the 1996 Big South Championship, crushing Liberty by 26 points in the title game on its home floor. During that memorable run, Hartzell ran his streak of consecutive games with a three-point field goal to 42 straight. The Spartans gained a first round match-up with Cincinnati in the NCAA Tournament, nearly knocking off the No. 7-ranked Bearcats before falling, 66–61.^[17]

Season-by-season results[]

Statistics overview

Season	Coach	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
(Dixie Conference) (–1982)
1979–1980	Larry Harget	16–12	11–3	2nd
1980–1981	Larry Harget	17–8	11–3	T-1st
1981–1982	Larry Harget	14–10	9–5	3rd
Larry Harget:		47–30	31–11
Ed Douma (Dixie Conference) (1982–1984)
1982–1983	Ed Douma	16–9	10–4	T-3rd
1983–1984	Ed Douma	12–14	8–6	T-3rd
Ed Douma:		28–23	18–10
(Dixie Conference) (1984–1988)
1984–1985	Bob McEvoy	9–16	7–7	T-3rd
1985–1986	Bob McEvoy	13–14	8–6	4th
1986–1987	Bob McEvoy	22–6	12–2	1st
1987–1988	Bob McEvoy	19–8	13–1	1st
(Independent) (1988–1991)
1988–1989	Bob McEvoy	14–13
1989–1990	Bob McEvoy	6–22
1990–1991	Bob McEvoy	9–17
Bob McEvoy:		92–96	40–16
Mike Dement (Independent) (1991–1993)
1991–1992	Mike Dement	7–21
1992–1993	Mike Dement	10–17
Mike Dement (Big South) (1993–1995)
1993–1994	Mike Dement	15–12	11–7	5th
1994–1995	Mike Dement	23–6	14–2	1st
Mike Dement:		55–56	25–9
Randy Peele (Big South) (1995–1997)
1995–1996	Randy Peele	20–10	11–3	1st	NCAA First Round
1996–1997	Randy Peele	10–20	6–8	T-5th North
Randy Peele (Southern Conference) (1997–1999)
1997–1998	Randy Peele	9–19	6–9	T-4th North
1998–1999	Randy Peele	7–20	5–11	5th North
Randy Peele:		46–69	28–31
Fran McCaffery (Southern Conference) (1999–2005)
1999–2000	Fran McCaffery	15–13	9–7	3rd North
2000–2001	Fran McCaffery	19–12	10–6	2nd North	NCAA First Round
2001–2002	Fran McCaffery	20–11	11–5	T-1st North	NIT First Round
2002–2003	Fran McCaffery	7–22	3–13	T-5th North
2003–2004	Fran McCaffery	11–17	7–9	T-3rd North
2004–2005	Fran McCaffery	18–12	9–7	T-2nd North
Fran McCaffery:		90–87	49–47
Mike Dement (Southern Conference) (2005–2011*)
2005–2006	Mike Dement	12–19	4–10	5th North
2006–2007	Mike Dement	16–14	12–6	2nd North
2007–2008	Mike Dement	19–12	12–8	3rd North
2008–2009	Mike Dement	5–25	4–16	6th North
2009–2010	Mike Dement	8–23	6–12	T-3rd North
2010–2011	Mike Dement	7–24	6–12	5th North
2011–2012*	Mike Dement	2–8	0–3
Mike Dement:		69–125	44–67
Wes Miller (Southern Conference) (2011–2021)
2011–2012	Wes Miller	11–11	10–5	1st North
2012–2013	Wes Miller	9–22	6–12	6th (North)
2013–2014	Wes Miller	14–18	7–9	6th
2014–2015	Wes Miller	11–22	6–12	T–7th
2015–2016	Wes Miller	15–19	10–8	T–5th	CBI Quarterfinals
2016–2017	Wes Miller	25-10	14-4	T–1st	NIT First Round
2017–2018	Wes Miller	27–7	15–3	1st	NCAA Round of 64
2018–2019	Wes Miller	29–7	15–3	2nd	NIT Second Round
2019–2020	Wes Miller	23–8	13–5	3rd
2020–2021	Wes Miller	21–8	13–5	1st	NCAA Round of 64
Wes Miller:		185-133	109-66
Mike Jones (Southern Conference) (2021–present)
2021–2022
Total:		609–619
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

Postseason[]

NCAA Division I Tournament results[]

The Spartans have appeared in the NCAA Division I Tournament four times. Their combined record is 0–4.

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Result
1996	#15	First Round	#2 Cincinnati	L 61–66
2001	#16	First Round	#1 Stanford	L 60–88
2018	#13	First Round	#4 Gonzaga	L 64–68
2021	#13	First Round	#4 Florida State	L 54–64

NIT results[]

The Spartans have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) three times. Their combined record is 1–3.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2002	First Round	Memphis	L 62–82
2017	First Round	Syracuse	L 77–90
2019	First Round Second Round	Campbell Lipscomb	W 84–69 L 69–86

CBI results[]

The Spartans have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) one time. Their record is 1–1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2016	First Round Quarterfinals	Houston Baptist Ohio	W 69–65 L 67–72

Current coaching staff[]

Name	Position
Mike Jones	Head Coach
David Boyden	Assistant Coach
Donny Lind	Assistant Coach
Ron Jirsa	Assistant Coach

Notable former players[]

Name
Francis Alonso	Playing for Unicaja Málaga (Spain)
Diante Baldwin	Playing for Tigers Tübingen (Germany)
Ronnie Burrell	Currently the player development coordinator for the Chicago Bulls.
Courtney Eldridge	Currently Director of Recruiting/Player Development at the University of Iowa
Eric Cuthrell	Played in Spanish LEB league. (1997-2002) Won LEB MVP in 1999. Played in HEBA A1 Greek League 2002–2004. Inducted into the UNCG Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011 (Player), UNCG Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012 (1996 Men's Basketball Team)
Ricky Hickman	Played in Finland, Germany, Italy, Turkey; helped lead Maccabi Tel Aviv to a EuroLeague title in 2014, earning an All-EuroLeague Second Team selection in the process
Kyle Hines	Won four EuroLeague titles, two with Olympiacos B.C. and two with CSKA Moscow. Named EuroLeague Best Defender twice, in 2016 and 2018. Currently with Olimpia Milano
Jordy Kuiper	Playing for Real Valladolid (Spain)
James Maye	Currently an assistant coach for the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League.
Marvin Smith	Playing for Tigers Tübingen (Germany)

References[]

External links[]

• Official website