Charlotte’s Jahmir Young shocked Wake Forest as a freshman. Can he do it again tonight?
Charlotte and Wake Forest play at Spectrum Center on Friday night to cap off the inaugural Basketball Hall of Fame Shootout’s quadruple-header.
When these teams last met in 2019, Charlotte broke a nearly nine-year losing streak to ACC opponents as Jahmir Young led Charlotte past Wake with 24 points in an overtime thriller inside Halton Arena.
This time it’s on a bigger stage. The 49ers are yet to win on a neutral court this season and face a tall task in the Demon Deacons, winners of 10 of their first 11. Wake Forest is outscoring its opponent by 15 points per game.
“It’s an honor to represent Charlotte at the Spectrum (Center),” Charlotte coach Ron Sanchez said. “We want to be the university that represents this city. I’m thankful that this squad has the opportunity to be on that stage. We’ve got to focus on the details and earn the right to play good basketball.”
After losing to Arkansas 86-66 in Fayetteville last week, Charlotte got back on track scoring its second true road victory of the season, 68-67, over Valparaiso on Saturday. The 49ers moved to 3-0 in one-possession games this season with the win.
“What I’m most proud of is that we had to get defensive stops in order to get those wins,” Sanchez said. “I’ll give Jahmir (Young) a lot of credit. He never ceases to amaze me, and every time he steps on the floor I think he takes another step. He’s becoming one of the most efficient players that I’ve coached.”
Young led the 49ers with 26 points in Saturday’s win, tying his season-high. The Niners are undefeated when he scores more than 20 points and he needs just 13 points on Friday to reach 1,000 career points at Charlotte.
He reflected on his journey from C-USA Freshman of the Year in 2019-20 to now, where he is making a case for C-USA Player of the Year.
“It’s been a long journey,” Young said. “Coach’s confidence in me really helps. The work in the summer and in the fall shows. For me to get away from putting the work in and start short-cutting things would be wrong of me. I’m blessed to be in this position.”
After starting the season strong, Young’s backcourt partner Clyde Trapp has scored just four total points over the last two contests. Having played four years at Clemson, Trapp is accustomed to ACC competition and must rise to the occasion matching up with Wake Forest’s Alondes Williams on Friday.
Williams leads the Demon Deacons in points (19.8), rebounds (6.5) and assists (4.7) per game and is coming off his first career triple-double — and second in program history, joining just Tim Duncan — against South Carolina Upstate. Williams, a 6-foot-5 senior, scored 36 against Virginia Military Institute on Tuesday and ranks second in the ACC in both scoring and assists.
Head coach Steve Forbes’ group is averaging 24 attempted 3-pointers per game is making 35% of them, led by forward Jake LaRavia (50%) and guard Daivien Williamson (40.4%). Wake Forest is significantly taller inside but will be forced to stretch the floor and guard the perimeter against the 49ers’ small-ball lineup.
If Charlotte is to secure its first Power Five win of the season and put together a winning streak over Wake, perimeter defense and a strong showing from beyond the arc will be key.
“Defensively, we’ve got to stick together,” Young said. “I’ve got to be a leader and pull us together as a group. We know teams will go on runs and get hot sometimes. But as long as we can make them take contested shots, that’s all we can do.”
Hall of Fame Shootout at Spectrum Center
Liberty (6-4) vs. East Carolina (8-2) 1:30 p.m.
St. Bonaventure (8-2) vs. Virginia Tech (7-4) 4:00 p.m.
Richmond (6-4) vs. North Carolina State (7-3) 6:30 p.m.
Wake Forest (10-1) vs. Charlotte (5-4) 9:00 p.m.