NKU faces youthful UNC Asheville in tourney opener; McDonald chases record, praises sister

By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter

So you think Northern Kentucky University lost a lot to graduation and transfers during the offseason? Then check out the Norse’s upcoming opponent, the North Carolina Asheville Bulldogs, and look at the numbers.

UNC Asheville (1-1) returns just 5.5 percent of its points from last season — only 141 points from a 21-13 squad that advanced to the NIT and took Southern California to two overtimes before dropping a 103-98 decision in Los Angeles. In fact, the “Baby Bulldogs” are in the top-five youngest in NCAA Division I in every major statistical category in 2018-19.

NKU (3-0) and UNC Asheville meet at 7 p.m. Friday in the inaugural KEMI Northern Kentucky Basketball Classic. Coastal Carolina (2-1) takes on Manhattan (0-2) in the opener Friday at 4:30 p.m.

Freshmen guards Tajion Jones and DeVon Baker are two of the youngsters in the UNC Asheville lineup. Jones averages 17.5 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Baker is scoring 16.0 points.

Baker played his high school basketball in Dayton, Ohio, at Dunbar High School, where he averaged 16.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game during the 2016-17 season. He played at SPIRE Academy a year ago and averaged 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals per game.

Baker’s early-season performance has impressed NKU head coach John Brannen.

“They have a really good point guard, a kid from Dayton who’s dynamic and tough,” Brannen said of Baker, who leads UNC Asheville in assists (3.5 per game). “They have some good young wings who can really make shots. They run a fun, dynamic offensive and defensive system.”

UNC Asheville is under the guidance of first-year head coach Mike Morrell, who was named the top recruiter in the country under the age of 35 in 2015 by ESPN. Morrell arrived at UNC Asheville after a stint as an assistant coach at Texas. He spent most of his coaching career working with current Texas head coach Shaka Smart. 

In addition to working with him at Texas from 2015-18, Morrell spent 2011-15 on Smart’s staff at Virginia Commonwealth.

UNC Asheville will meet an unbeaten NKU squad on Friday that is coming off a 99-59 victory over Wabash. The Norse feature senior forward Drew McDonald, who averages 17.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, with a season-high 28 points and 14 boards in a double-overtime win at Northern Illinois.

McDonald enters this weekend with 789 career rebounds, which ranks No. 3 in Norse history. LaRon Moore is NKU’s all-time leader with 859 career rebounds, but McDonald is quickly approaching that record.

The 6-foot-8 McDonald said this weekend’s three-day tournament at BB&T Arena is important for several reasons.

“It’s a good preparation for March,” McDonald said, referring to the Horizon League’s “Motor City Madness” postseason event. “I know the [Horizon League] tournament is a little bit different style this year from the past. We’ll learn a lot about our team this weekend. We know a lot already, but we’ll learn even more this weekend against three very good teams.”

Another NKU veteran is sophomore guard Jalen Tate, who averages 12.0 points per game and leads the team with 11 assists. Tate said he is looking forward to the challenge of playing three games in three consecutive days, something the Norse did a year ago in the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase.

“It’s actually super exciting,” Tate said of the event. “It brings three teams that have been to the tournament [recently], and we’ll be able to see how we match up against them.

“It’s tournament-style, super competitive and round-robin, going up against a different opponent without that one day of prep and a full day to practice. We’ll try to go in there and get three wins.”

On Saturday, the Norse face Manhattan at 7 p.m. NKU closes out the three-day event Sunday at 6:30 p.m. by facing Coastal Carolina. NKU’s game against Coastal Carolina on Sunday was pushed back 30 minutes from its original start time of 6 p.m. The change in game time accommodates the TV broadcast schedule.

A YEAR AGO IN THE BAHAMAS: NKU defeated both James Madison (87-78) and Iona (85-72) before dropping a last-second 66-64 decision to Vermont last year in Nassau, Bahamas. That tournament was also played on three consecutive days.

ALL IN THE FAMILY: Rachel McDonald, Drew’s sister, is enjoying an outstanding sophomore season for the Southern Illinois Edwardsville volleyball team. She leads the Cougars with 302 kills and is No. 2 on the team in both digs (326) and service aces (26).

The former Newport Central Catholic volleyball standout also hammered down 30 kills earlier this season during SIUE’s win against Eastern Illinois and was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week for that performance.

Her older brother said he expects to learn more about the 30-kill effort on Thanksgiving Day. “I’m sure she’ll have a little bit to say,” he chuckled. “I’m just happy for her. She didn’t get to play much last year, but she’s really stepped into it this year.

“I talk to her all the time, and I just tell her to be confident and trust in her abilities. Seeing her do that makes me a proud big brother.”

The NKU star is doing fine himself, having been chosen as the Horizon League preseason Player of the Year and also one of 20 candidates for the 2019 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award.

Friday, Nov. 16
BB&T Arena, Highland Heights, Ky.
KEMI Northern Kentucky Basketball Classic
Coastal Carolina (2-1) vs. Manhattan (0-2), 4:30 p.m.
UNC Asheville (1-1) at NKU (3-0), 7 p.m.
NKU Radio: 55KRC (550 AM)