Back in 1966, Jerry Green was hooping it up on the hardwood at Asheville-Biltmore College where he completed his four-year eligibility of college basketball.
Green returned to his alma mater, now known as North Carolina-Asheville, in 1980 as the head coach. He stayed with the Bulldogs for nine seasons, compiling a 150-107 record.
Tonight, Green’s No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers (4-0) host the UNC-Asheville Bulldogs in what could be a run-and-gun showcase at 7:30 p.m. at Thompson-Boling Arena. And that’s exactly what the Vols want.
In our place, you’ve got to be exciting and put points on the board because that’s what the fans come out to see, Green said. (UNC-Asheville) has a couple of road wins, something that’s not easy to do.
The Bulldogs stand at 3-1 after losing their opener to Campbell, 85-70. Asheville rebounded to post consecutive wins over Lenoir-Rhyne, Mercer and East Tennessee State.
Perhaps the most impressive win for the Bulldogs is a 76-60 tilt over Mercer. The same Mercer squad upset the Auburn Tigers 92-88.
Although the Bulldogs have plenty of size in the paint, Green stressed the Asheville perimeter play as being the strength of their team.
They’ve got a couple of 7-footers inside but their strength rests in their guards, Green said. They play about nine people and they like to run.
Guard Brett Carey has been the Bulldogs’ leading scorer at 12.5 points while shooting 42.9 percent from three-point land.
Joining Carey in the backcourt is Andre Smith. While Smith is averaging a modest 9.8 points, he dishes six assists per game.
The key for the Vols may rest on the red-hot shooting of Tony Harris. Harris has taken control of the team and has exhibited his true point guard skills throughout the young season.
Everybody knew Tony had the capability of (leading the team), Green said. But there are a lot of people that were pleased with his performance the other night.
Harris is averaging 17.3 points on the season. He has also dished out 23 assists in contrast to his mere three turnovers.
If Harris can keep his momentum, everything for the Vols should fall in line.
Tonight’s matchup will be the last of Tennessee’s five-game home stand to open the season.
It’s always good to have home games at the start of the season to develop a mentality and rotation, Green said. Those road tests will come and when they do, the question is if we’re ready.
The problem has been the sparse crowds that have echoed Thompson-Boling Arena. While the Vols have hosted one team from last year’s Final Four in Wisconsin, along with a pre-season Ohio Valley Player of the Year in Austin Peay’s Trenton Hassell, the support has been lacking for the No. 7 team in the country.
We have so many games on television, it’s hard to judge our fans, Green said. They have an opportunity to see some good players because some good teams have come in here. There’s just no way to judge this thing.
