UAB is set to tip off against Charlotte this Friday in the first of two games against the 49ers this weekend. Before that matchup, our sports reporter Caleb Wood sat down with Charlotte’s Niner Times sports reporter Bryson Foster to ask a few questions and get to know the teams.
Caleb Wood: Okay, so first up, Bryson, I just want to know who you’d consider to be the important player we should be watching out for on the Charlotte team.
Foster: Definitely, Jahmir Young. He’s in his second year with the Charlotte 49ers, guard is averaging 19.5 points per game. And he’s definitely been one of the big bright spots for Charlotte this year. He was C-USA Freshman of the Year last year and he’s picking right up where he left off.
So, my question to you you UAB is off to a great start so far, nine and 2-0 in the C-USA, who do you think is the key player for the Blazers? And what do Charlotte fans need to look out for this weekend?
Wood: In the absence of Quan Jackson, who partially tore his MCL a couple weeks ago, I think Trey Jemison is really the star to watch out for. He’s a transfer from Clemson. And he’s a strong physical player this year. He’s leads the team in rebounds I believe. He has put multiple double doubles. And when he’s off the court, you can see a massive change defensively.
Foster: Yeah, I agree with you. And I was doing some research. He definitely pops right up at 8.2 rebounds per game, and Charlotte will have to stop him or UAB will probably come out with the win if they can’t.
Wood: I saw last week, Charlotte took a surprising loss to Division II Belmont Abbey, could you explain what happened to create that 18-point collapse?
Foster: Yeah, Charlotte was up by 18 points, going into halftime It was 16, but then they hit the first basket coming out. Charlotte has struggled when up big this season, and they’ll look to improve against that at UAB. What happened was three-point shooting went down later in that game, Charlotte only shot 27.3% from three which hurt The Niners later on. They couldn’t really get a bucket. And Belmont Abbey also was able to really shut down a lot of the offense, especially Milos Supica who has been used for the Niners in the paint and rebounding wise. So, Charlotte will look to take better shots this weekend against UAB, and the loss against Belmont Abbey, hopefully will be fuel for the team as they go into the rest of the season. So UAB coming off a sweet over Southern Miss to start their basketball season. They’re looking really good. With head coach Andy Kennedy. What do you think is has been the reason for this winning streak for UAB? Start the season nine and one with the first-year head coach.
Wood: Yeah, yeah, UAB’s played a lot of good basketball this year. I think you’ve seen the team really gel, and have really been able to stop their opponents defensively, you look at Southern Miss, they held them to 60 in the first game 58 in the second. Fact is, even when they are having difficulty scoring like they have in several of these past games. Even when we’ve seen their opponents are making runs, they’ve still been able to make sure they can’t score. And when you can’t score, you can’t win. And I think that’s what we’ve seen from UAB. The qualty of opponents haven’t always been great. Teams like Kennesaw State and Southeastern Louisiana have boosted that record, but even against higher quality opponents like East Tennessee State on the road, they’ve managed to hold them defensively.
Wood: And one last question, What would you say that Charlotte’s biggest weakness, most vulnerable position is heading into this game?
Foster: I really would say the three point shooting. I know already talked about that, but that has been a struggle all season for Charlotte. Some games they will improve drastically. In other games, they won’t. I think taking really better shots smarter shots from beyond three. Jordan Shepard definitely is one of Charlotte’s better three point shooters. And when he is cold, Charlotte, is cold from three. So I think really three point shooting. If Charlotte gets down and needs a quick bucket from three, that’s something that they’ll have to improve on this weekend. And that if UAB can force Charlotte into bad shots it could be could be a long day for the Niners. Where do you think UAB falls short in this game? What are their weaknesses? Coming into face Charlotte this week? Do you think
Wood: The Blazers are still trying to figure out how to adjust both offensively and defensively in the absence of Quan Jackson again with their partially torn MCL, and last weekend we saw sort of a trio of Kassim Nicholson, Tyreek Scott-Grayson and Simeon Kirkland stepping into that role. But it can really harm them defensively, and offensively. They’ve struggled to make shots where Jackson would make them in transition. And defensively, you can also feel them being a little bit slower to the ball, and it’s filling that void that’s going to be their challenge when they have to.
Foster: Well, I think it’s definitely going to be a good matchup this week between both teams, wouldn’t you say?
Wood: Yes, I think it’s gonna be a great matchup. This Friday’s game is going to be on ESPNU, national TV, everyone can enjoy. Thank you, Bryson, for talking with me. And let’s look forward to games
