UNC Asheville

UNC Asheville (71) vs. Charleston Southern (65) 01/27/2024

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Game #126 of 362 34% complete

I made the one and a half hour drive from Columbia to North Charleston in plenty of time for the 5:30PM start. The Buccaneer Field House with a capacity of 881 seats is the second smallest basketball Division 1 arena. The smallest is the G.B. Hodge Center in Spartanburg, SC with a capacity of 878 seats. This is the home of the University of South Carolina Upstate Spartans. I wonder if there was a competition between the two schools perhaps with the Spartans ripping out 5 seats to attain this honor.

I was sitting in the first row right in the middle of the court. An elderly gentlemen that was escorting an even older man sat next to me and quickly introduced himself. His name was Brooks and was a season ticket holder. He went to to Charleston Southern on a golf scholarship in 1965 so one can guess his age from that. We exchanged pleasantries and continued a running conversation throughout the game. He was well versed on every player of the Charleston Southern team. He was not afraid to yell at the refs and even at the UNC Asheville coach. He made my evening a memorable one. I prefer the small arenas and meeting up with folks like Brooks. I told him about my Operation 351 mission and he offered to put me up if I am ever in the Charlestown area to see other schools. This was Southern hospitality at its best.

The arena had a banner that said “EDIG”. It was on the players warmups as well. Brooks informed that it meant “Every Day is Game 7”.

Brooks said that most of the starters from last year entered the portal and are now with other schools. He said that the mid majors are turning into farm clubs for the power schools. He is sadly correct and makes me concerned about the future of college basketball. Will it turn into something like the major league baseball where the most money buys the best teams? I am in favor of the players be compensated for their name and likeness but the influence of big donors can not be good for the sport.

Buccaneer RJ Johnson led the his team with 23 points. He was a one man team keeping the Bucs in the game. Brooks lamented that he was probably gone after this year in the portal. Despite being double digit underdogs, the Buccaneers put up a valiant fight.

The player of the game was UNC Asheville player Drew Pember. This 6’10” center was lights on with his three point shooting and provided ample cushion when the Buccaneers tried to make a run. Pember was previously with the Tennessee Vols seeing little action in his first two seasons there. He found a home in the Big South earning Player of the Years honors last season.

That’s a wrap! Thanks to Breeze Airlines for providing a cheap direct flight between Hartford and Charleston.

Gardner-Webb (60) vs. UNC-Asheville (65) 01/24/18

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56 of 351  15% complete

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My wife Linda is not a college basketball fan or a sports fan in general. She agrees to go on one Operation 351 trip a year as long as other activities are included that are for her. So this year, we picked the see UNC-Asheville followed by a visit to the Biltmore Mansion.

As you can see below, she is prepping for the game by reading a book on the Biltmore Mansion. However, she will shock me with a surprise which I reveal later below.

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I need to include a picture of the Biltmore Mansion because it is well worth a visit if you are in this area. But that is as far as I will diverge from the Operation 351 mission.

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As is customary, I always point out items that are a first for me during the Operation 351 journey.

Item #1

The UNC Asheville mascot entered the arena down a rope at center court. I think that this is a voluntary position or may be paid with a hot dog at the end of the game but that would be definitely be outside my job responsibilities if I were the mascot.

Item #2

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This blood pressure machine located in a college basketball arena is a first for me. My beloved UCONN boys have suffered through a terrible season and now are under NCAA investigation for recruiting violations. Based on some of the UCONN games personally attended this year, my blood pressure would have read off the scale if this baby was at the Gampel Arena.

Item #3

This is the first game in the Operation 351 journey where the mascots are the SAME for both teams. – Bulldogs. The scoreboard could only use one mascot name for the team. They chose to use GWU for Gardner-Webb.

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Gardner-Webb is from Boiling Springs, North Carolina which is only 1 1/2 hours away from Asheville. I sense that there is a rivalry between these Big South league teams. A loud and raucous group of Gardner-Webb fans showed up to cheer on their team. It was all good natured ribbing between the student bodies.

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The game was back and forth throughout the entire game. I was kidding Linda that this game could go into multiple overtimes prompting a scowl on her face.

I enjoyed watching Kevin Vannatta of UNC Asheville play. He was a hard nosed kid that played hard and wore his emotions on his sleeve. He was the type of player that you hate to play against. His spirited play helped the Bulldogs (oops UNC Asheville) pull the game out at the end.

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Yes that is a Hardees mascot in the corner.

The arena was an excellent place to see a game. I always wonder how branches of state universities afford such great arenas but I guess North Carolina must be doing well.

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Welcome to the smallest pep band so far in Operation 351. There were some older folks in the band. Perhaps the flu struck down the entire band and replacements were called in.

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So I am saving the biggest thrill of the night for last. In all my Operation 351 games to date, I have not a caught a T-shirt. Tonight I modified my technique to hug the shirt to my chest instead of having it bounce off my hands into the row in front of me.  SUCCESS!

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Of course, the “GASES” part brought chuckles from my wife and kids.

Next Game: Southern Wesleyan at Western Carolina 01/25/18

As I was contemplating what to do on our off night, I happen to glance at the Division 1 school map of the United States. Western Carolina looked pretty close about one hour away. I saw that Western Carolina was playing. I jokingly mentioned it to Linda not expecting to hear the words “Sure let’s go!”.  Of course, I rewarded her with more shopping trips the next morning but it was worth it. What a trooper!

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