COMPLETE GAME NOTES

TIP-OFF TIDBITS

King: The King University Tornado (members of the Conference Carolinas) were ranked 10th in the Conference Carolinas' Preseason Poll Head Coach Jason Gillespie enters his second season as the operator of the Tornado, having finished the 2021-22 season with a 14-15 overall record. Key returner Michael Mays will look to lead the Tornado after completing his prior campaign averaging 18.2 points per game.

Lees-McRae: The Lees-McRae Bobcats (members of the Conference Carolinas) were ranked 5th in in the Conference Carolinas' Preseason Poll. Head Coach Steve Hardin enters his eleventh season commanding the 'Cats after a 15-14 overall record and an appearance in the second round of the Conference Carolinas Championships. Drew Gardner returns for Lees-McRae after averaging 15.7 points per game in 27 contests played last season.
 

UVA WISE NEWS & NOTES

Head Coach Blake Mellinger enters his 10th season at the helm of the UVA Wise men's basketball program for the 2022-23 season. In the South Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, the Cavaliers were tabbed twelfth with sophomore forward Joe'l Pettiford punching his ticket as a All-SAC Third Team component. Wrapping up last season, the Cavaliers went 4-24 overall and put up a 3-21 record in conference play - coming from a three-win streak in February 2021 over Mars Hill, Anderson, and Coker. 

Key returners for the Cavs include sophomore Bradley Dean who averaged 11.8 points per game last season and ranked eighth in the conference in assists per game (3.4) at the conclusion of last season. Pettiford, a Greensboro N.C. native, enters his second season as a Cavalier coming off a successful freshman season. Pettiford was named to the SAC All-Freshman team at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season after averaging 11.1 points per game, snagging 6.1 rebounds per game and 4.3 defensive rebounds per game. On January 5, 2022, the six-foot-seven forward found himself as the No. 1 freshman at the top of the nation's leaderboard in field goal percentage in all NCAA Divisions with 69.1-percent. A huge pickup for the program in the new season is Luke Lawson, a D1 transfer from UNC Asheville but a Southwest Virginia native at heart (Coeburn, Va.). Lawson capped off his Bulldog career with 233 total points (averaged three points per game played) and registered 1.7 blocks per game. Fellow new transfer faces include Rron Ukaj from Eastern Florida State, Brad Halvorsen from Western Carolina, and  J'Son Brooks from King University. In addition, UVA Wise added three freshman to the roster: Calen Lightford (Huntsville, Ala.), Patrick Shelley (Rome, Ga.), and Zion Fruster (Douglasville, Ga.).  A big loss for the Cavs will be hometown guard Isaiah McAmis, who suffered a knee injury earlier this year and is unlikely to return in 2022-23.

Listen to the 2022-23 season preview here.
 

UVA Wise heads to Bristol, Tenn. to kick off their season in the Conference Carolinas/South Atlantic Conference Challenge against King and Lees-McRae. The Cavs took two back-to-back losses in the challenge last year, falling to the Tornado 95-77 and the Bobcats by a score of 80-52.

 

Visit uvawisecavs.com for all Cavalier men's basketball news, statistics, complete schedule, and more.