Charlotte 49ers complete first step back toward basketball respectability

Coach Ron Sanchez has often described the rebuilding project that is the Charlotte 49ers basketball program as a “journey.”

If so, then miles and miles remain to be traveled.

The 49ers finished 8-21 in Sanchez’s first year, an improvement on Charlotte’s 6-23 mark from the 2017-18 season. It also marked the end of the career of point guard Jon Davis, who finished as the program’s third all-time leading scorer and was second on the career assists list.

So, where do the 49ers go from here? They build on the little things, Sanchez said. And to do that, they continue to establish a culture that they hope will at some point turn a struggling program into a competitive one in Conference USA.

“As a (coaching) staff, we were definitely pleased with our level of consistency throughout the season,” Sanchez said. “I didn’t know how good the team was going to be; we couldn’t control that. We could only control our intentions.

“And I was definitely pleased with the team’s intention to play the game the right way, the intention to respect the opponent and to play hard. So I’m pleased with the culture of the group. You never arrive as having a culture. You’re always working on it, fitting in pieces and places. It’s aligned with the kind of people you have.”

Transfers, dismissals from the team and, later, injuries hamstrung Sanchez’s roster from the beginning. And although Davis and senior center Jailan Haslem will both be gone (along with guard Jaylan McGill and forward Dravon Magnum, both of whom are transferring), Sanchez will have more, and potentially better, talent at his disposal next season.

A trio of freshman guards — Malik Martin, Cooper Robb and Brandon Younger – all had solid seasons. Sophomore forward Milos Supica was inconsistent, but Sanchez thinks he can be a “double-digit scorer and close to a double-digit rebounder.”

Sanchez’s biggest job will be to find a replacement for Davis at point guard, but he has some intriguing possibilities there. Oklahoma transfer Jordan Shepherd, freshman Jahmir Young and Robb (who can also play shooting guard) all will compete.

Shepherd played behind all-American Trae Young with the Sooners two years ago. Jahmir Young is a three-star recruit from DeMatha High in Hyattsville, Md., who starred in his AAU team’s run to the championship of the prestigious Peach Jam tournament last summer.

Guard Luka Vasic, who figured to challenge for a starting spot before a knee injury cost him the season, will help with backcourt depth.

Other newcomers will include redshirt freshman guard Tyler Bertram and true freshmen Brice Williams, Caleb Stone-Carrawell and Anzac Rissetto, a 6-foot-10 center from New Zealand.

Williams and Stone-Carrawell both have basketball in their blood: Williams is the son of the late Henry Williams, the 49ers’ all-time leading scorer; Stone-Carrawell’s dad Chris Carrawell is a former Duke player.

The highlight of the 49ers’ nonconference season figures to be a home game against Wake Forest. That game will feature a return to Halton Arena by Andrien White, who played three seasons at Charlotte as Davis’ backcourt mate before transferring. White remains 27th on Charlotte’s career scoring list with 1,059 points.