A season to forget for Aaron Fearne and the Charlotte 49ers (11-22) came to a close on Thursday afternoon after they fell to No. 5 seed Florida Atlantic in the second round of the American Athletic Conference Tournament, 64-59.
After scoring their first conference tournament victory in nine years Wednesday in a narrow victory over No. 12 seed Rice, Fearne’s 49ers couldn’t keep their season alive against the Owls’ 7-footer duo of Matas Vokietaitis and Baba Miller.
Despite the tumultuous season in which Fearne deployed eight different starting lineups in hopes of a winning formula, the first (full) year head coach was pleased with his team’s effort through the 33-game season.
“We’re obviously very disappointed that it came to an end but extremely proud of the fight and the effort that the guys showed all year. I said it to them in the locker room — they should be proud of the fight,” Fearne said after the game. “We know we didn’t have as successful of a season as we all would have liked, but it would’ve been very easy to quit — and they didn’t do that at all.”
Charlotte fought until the final buzzer, cutting the Owls’ lead to just three points in the final minute, but was unable to get over the hump and keep what Fearne hoped to be a Cinderella run alive.
GRADUATIONS AND PORTAL WARFARE
Fearne has grown accustomed to the annual roster turnover in his time as an assistant and head coach at Charlotte, and he knows this upcoming season will be no different.
“You need major financial resources, and you need to build an unbelievable culture, and you need to have high-level coaching,” Fearne said about retaining talent in today’s college basketball. “Ultimately, players need to be contracted, so you know what commitment they have to your university so you can build your roster over a period of time.
“You can make a heck of a lot of money in this country right now just hopping around from school to school to school, because they can. And that’s what makes it almost impossible to keep any continuity whatsoever,” Fearne continued. “What it is now is that you have to put the team together — have great dudes so you can get a culture going very quickly, coach them up, play well, and do it for nine months — and then you reset.”
Fearne was tasked with replacing four of five starters from the 2024 team, and he’ll have another tall task ahead this season, with many departures through graduation coming for the 49ers this off-season.
Rosado, Robert Braswell IV, Isaiah Folkes, Dean Reiber, and Nika Metskhvarishvili have all played their final college games, but fifth-year players Kylan Blackmon and Jeremiah Oden intend to use their final seasons of eligibility in 2025-26 — whether it is in Charlotte or elsewhere are yet to be determined.
NIK GRAVES’ JUNIOR-YEAR JUMP
With leading scorer Nik Graves finishing his third season at Charlotte, the rising senior guard reflected on his jump in production and what comes next.
“I’m continuing to work on the leadership aspect of things. I think sometimes I’m a little bit too nice,” said Graves. “Just getting a little bit meaner, get on my teammates and hold people accountable — as well as myself.”
As far as a bright spot amid a tough season goes, Graves recalled all the way back to the first day of practice, when he met the teammates he now considers family.
“Honestly, I’d probably say that first day of practice. That’s where everything is fresh and exciting,” Graves said with a smile. “That first day, you don’t really know each other – whether it be on or off the court. It’s just experiencing that first day and going into the locker room and laughing with the people you end up calling your brothers. I think that’s the most memorable moment from this year.”
Graves’ production took a major jump from year two to year three, scoring over seven more points per game and becoming the face of a Charlotte program that is longing for consistency.
WHAT’S NEXT?
After what felt like a dream season for Charlotte in 2023-24, when they posted a sell-out at Halton Arena, scored a top-three seed in their first AAC Tournament, and brought life back to a fan base that’s seen hardship for over twenty years, this season brought the 49ers back down to earth.
Fearne spoke about the ever-changing landscape of college basketball and what Charlotte has to offer moving forward.
“It was at times magic last year. It’s there. It’s a sleeping giant, and we want that every year moving forward. We want to get back to playing in the NCAA Tournament and having success in these tournaments, but you’ve got to have the resources to bring in talent,” Fearne said. “We have a fantastic track record over the last seven years, producing and developing the players that we have – and look where they are playing now.
“Jahmir (Young) is playing in the NBA. We’ve got some guys this year that have moved on from our program and will be knocking on the door of the NBA at the end of this season – I think we developed them unbelievably well,” Fearne continued. “(Nik Graves’) development over the past three years has been sensational. That’s a big selling and recruiting point, and we can prove it – look at the guys who are out there. Charlotte is a sleeping giant that’s really ready to wake up.”
Davidson eliminated at A10 tourney
Isaiah Swope and Gibson Jimerson combined for 51 points to lead Saint Louis to an 83-75 second-round win against Davidson at the Atlantic 10 Tournament in Washington.
The Wildcats, led by Connor Kochera’s 18 points, finish the season 17-16. Zach Laput (16 points) and Reed Bailey (10 points) also scored in double figures against the Billikens (19-13).