4-27? UNC Asheville standout transfer Drew Pember had no idea

What you don’t know won’t hurt you – especially when it comes to a 4-27 record.

That’s the way UNC Asheville coach Mike Morrell felt when 6-10 center Drew Pember – most likely to be the Big South’s next NBA draft pick – chose to transfer from Tennessee to Morrell’s program two years ago.

Pember said he didn’t even realize the Bulldogs had gone 4-27 in Morrell’s first season of 2018-19, two years before entering the transfer portal and moving to Asheville.

Would Pember have moved to Asheville if he knew about that record?

“Uh,” Pember hesitated. Then he laughed and added, “Nah, of course I would have.”

“I came because I liked what Coach Morrell was doing, and because Trent was here.”

But, he added, “I had no idea how bad they were.”

Times have changed

That was a different time, though.

Pember, who leads the conference in scoring (20.4 points), rebounding (9.4) and blocks (2.3), leads the UNC Asheville team that will be the men’s top seed this week in the Big South tournament at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte.

The Bulldogs took a 15-2 Big South record (23-7 overall) into Saturday’s regular-season finale at Longwood.

They’ll have a first-round bye in Charlotte and won’t play until the quarterfinals Friday.

“Trent” is Trent Stephney, a 6-2 guard for the Bulldogs, who played middle school and high school basketball in Knoxville with Pember.

Their Bearden High team knocked off nationally-ranked Memphis East for the Tennessee 3A state championship, and then the two buddies split up. Stephney went to UNC Asheville, while Pember, Tennessee’s No. 7-ranked recruit, chose the Volunteers.

“Trent and I remained close,” Pember said. “We texted and called each other a lot.”

After two seasons in Knoxville, Pember decided he wanted more playing time, so he joined his friend.

“He has made us a different team,” Morrell said.

‘Couldn’t guard a trash can’

Pember said he was always a good shot blocker and scorer, adding that Morrell helped him develop in other areas.

“Defensively, I was awful when I came here,” Pember said. “I couldn’t guard a trash can. I’ve worked on that a lot.”

He improved from not being able to guard a trash can, to winning Big South Defensive Player of the Year honors last season.

Morrell is reluctant to take much credit for the development of Pember, who according to several scouting services, could hear his name called in this year’s NBA draft.

“He had a really, really good high school coach,” said Morrell, in his fifth season as head coach in Asheville. “And he was taught by his dad, who also was very good. Drew had a high basketball IQ.”

Bearden High’s coach, Jeremy Parrott, has won numerous awards in Tennessee. And Pember’s father, Donny, played basketball at Carson-Newman University in Tennessee.

For his part, Pember said he owes a lot of his development to Morrell.

“Trent told me before I came, ‘He is a hall-of-famer,’ ” Pember said of his coach. “Coach Morrell is hard on me. He makes me work. But he builds guys up.”

Pember said he has experienced a big difference in the relationship with coaches since making the move.

“The close relationship with the coaching staff is something I didn’t experience at Tennessee,” he said.

Playing time? He got it

He said he moved to UNC Asheville to get more playing time.

“I wanted to play 20 minutes per game,” he said. “I got more than I bargained for.” Pember is averaging 33 minutes per contest. “And now a lot of our offense runs through me,” he said.

Pember is capable of taking over a game single-handedly. Last month against Presbyterian, he broke a 53-year-old school record by scoring 48 points – tied for the most in a conference-game in league history. He also grabbed 12 rebounds and made eight 3-pointers (yes, he can shoot from the outside too).

Morrell said Pember is an even better defensive player now than a year ago, although the statistics might not show it.

“Drew is not playing against the other team’s 5 (center) as much this year,” Morrell said. “We’re able to play him out on the perimeter sometimes. He can guard people away from the basket too.

“All of this has made our team a lot better defensively.”

Morrell said he has no idea why Pember didn’t thrive at Tennessee like he has at UNC Asheville.

“I guess some programs are for some players,” he said. “What we’re doing here seems to fit well with what Drew can do. He’s given our team an element it never had before.”

Tournament schedules

The Big South tournament will be played Wednesday through next Sunday at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte.

The tournament opens with the 8 and 9 women’s seeds meeting at noon Wednesday, followed by the 7-10 game. At 6 p.m., the men’s 8 and 9 seeds square off, followed by the 7-10 game.

Women’s quarterfinals are at 11:30 a.m., 2, 6 and 8 p.m. Thursday.

Men’s quarterfinals are at noon, 2, 6 and 8 p.m. Friday.

Men’s semifinals are at noon and 2 p.m. Saturday, with the women’s semifinals at 6 and 8 p.m.

The men’s championship is at 1 p.m. Sunday, with the women’s title game at 6 p.m. Each winner gains an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.

This story was originally published February 27, 2023 at 6:15 AM.