Charlotte faces perhaps its toughest test at Miami
A lot has gone right for the Charlotte 49ers as they?ve begun their basketball season with nine consecutive victories.
But if there?s been one constant in their 9-0 start, it?s been defense.
?We really want to make that our calling card,? said coach Alan Major, whose team gets perhaps its toughest test at 7 p.m. Friday when it faces Miami (5-1) in Coral Gables, Fla. ?We?re trying to carve ?playing great defense? into our identity.?
The numbers indicate that Charlotte?s been able to do that. The 49ers? defensive field-goal percentage of 36.1 ranks 16th nationally is by far the best in the Atlantic 10. The 49ers allow 60.0 points per game, again the best in the Atlantic 10, as is their 29.6 3-point defense percentage.
No game better demonstrated the 49ers? commitment to defense than their 73-69 victory against Davidson on Dec. 5. Although the Wildcats shot 48.9 percent (45.5 from 3-point range), they were never comfortable in their offense. Charlotte scored 22 points off 14 Davidson turnovers ? nine of which were 49ers steals.
?(Charlotte?s defense) completely disrupted our poise,? said Davidson coach Bob McKillop after the game.
That was by design. Led by sophomore point guard Pierria Henry, the 49ers play a physical, man-to-man defense that throws the opposition out of its comfort zone.
?We try to make it as hard as you can to make them feel comfortable,? Major said. ?With different-style teams, it?s different ways. If a team shoots 3s well, you want your hands to be more active so they don?t feel like they can get in that rhythm. If the team likes to drive (the ball), their comfort level is that they can get where they want to go. So you take where they want to go away.?
Henry sets the defensive tone for Charlotte. He?s second in the Atlantic 10 in steals at 2.7 per game after averaging 2.6 as a freshman, which ranked seventh nationally. At 6-foot-4, he also averages 4.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game.
?With this team, it?s about trust and taking pride in stopping people,? Henry said. ?Everyone can guard. Even our (big men) can get out on the perimeter if they need to.?
Another key to Charlotte?s defense is depth. Ten 49ers average at least 10 minutes per game. And although four of those players are freshmen, the effort becomes contagious.
?Depth and defense go hand in hand,? Major said. ?Fresh legs mean you can keep the intensity level up. If you?re not out there for 30 minutes, it?s not as much of a grind. Then it?s easier for five guys to rotate defensively. They?re joined at the hip, they?re connected.?
Charlotte still hasn?t found its offensive identity. Senior center Chris Braswell (14.3 points) and guard DeMario Mayfield (10.0) are the team?s only double-figure scorers. Freshman forward Willie Clayton?s 68.3 shooting percentage leads the Atlantic 10, but he seldom ventures far from the basket. Charlotte?s 3-point shooting ? 28.7 percent ? ranks last in the Atlantic 10, although Mayfield and freshmen guards Denzel Ingram and Ivan Benkovic have shown signs that might be improving.
?Our hope is that if you?re unselfish defensively, that will carry over to the offensive end,? Major said. ?There is a connection. If you?re not sharing the basketball offensively, you?re probably not as connected defensively. One mentality breeds the other.?
A lot has gone right for the Charlotte 49ers as they?ve begun their basketball season with nine consecutive victories.
But if there?s been one constant in their 9-0 start, it?s been defense.
?We really want to make that our calling card,? said coach Alan Major, whose team gets perhaps its toughest test at 7 p.m. Friday when it faces Miami (5-1) in Coral Gables, Fla. ?We?re trying to carve ?playing great defense? into our identity.?
The numbers indicate that Charlotte?s been able to do that. The 49ers? defensive field-goal percentage of 36.1 ranks 16th nationally is by far the best in the Atlantic 10. The 49ers allow 60.0 points per game, again the best in the Atlantic 10, as is their 29.6 3-point defense percentage.
No game better demonstrated the 49ers? commitment to defense than their 73-69 victory against Davidson on Dec. 5. Although the Wildcats shot 48.9 percent (45.5 from 3-point range), they were never comfortable in their offense. Charlotte scored 22 points off 14 Davidson turnovers ? nine of which were 49ers steals.
?(Charlotte?s defense) completely disrupted our poise,? said Davidson coach Bob McKillop after the game.
That was by design. Led by sophomore point guard Pierria Henry, the 49ers play a physical, man-to-man defense that throws the opposition out of its comfort zone.
?We try to make it as hard as you can to make them feel comfortable,? Major said. ?With different-style teams, it?s different ways. If a team shoots 3s well, you want your hands to be more active so they don?t feel like they can get in that rhythm. If the team likes to drive (the ball), their comfort level is that they can get where they want to go. So you take where they want to go away.?
Henry sets the defensive tone for Charlotte. He?s second in the Atlantic 10 in steals at 2.7 per game after averaging 2.6 as a freshman, which ranked seventh nationally. At 6-foot-4, he also averages 4.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game.
?With this team, it?s about trust and taking pride in stopping people,? Henry said. ?Everyone can guard. Even our (big men) can get out on the perimeter if they need to.?
Another key to Charlotte?s defense is depth. Ten 49ers average at least 10 minutes per game. And although four of those players are freshmen, the effort becomes contagious.
?Depth and defense go hand in hand,? Major said. ?Fresh legs mean you can keep the intensity level up. If you?re not out there for 30 minutes, it?s not as much of a grind. Then it?s easier for five guys to rotate defensively. They?re joined at the hip, they?re connected.?
Charlotte still hasn?t found its offensive identity. Senior center Chris Braswell (14.3 points) and guard DeMario Mayfield (10.0) are the team?s only double-figure scorers. Freshman forward Willie Clayton?s 68.3 shooting percentage leads the Atlantic 10, but he seldom ventures far from the basket. Charlotte?s 3-point shooting ? 28.7 percent ? ranks last in the Atlantic 10, although Mayfield and freshmen guards Denzel Ingram and Ivan Benkovic have shown signs that might be improving.
?Our hope is that if you?re unselfish defensively, that will carry over to the offensive end,? Major said. ?There is a connection. If you?re not sharing the basketball offensively, you?re probably not as connected defensively. One mentality breeds the other.?
