UNC Closes Home Slate Saturday

Saturday, February 22

Greeley, Colo.

6 p.m.

University of Northern Colorado

Idaho

Tickets

2/21/2025 6:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball

UNC Notes

By: Michael High, Assistant Athletics Director for Strategic Communications

OPENING TIP
• UNC closes the 2024-25 home slate Saturday.
• The Bears seek their 13th win, the most at Bank of Colorado Arena since they won 14 during the 2017-18 campaign.
• UNC looks for its 13th win in Big Sky Conference play, matching the programs most since the 2019-20 season, when the Bears went 15-5.
• The Bears posted a 13-7 mark during the 2021-21 campaign and went 12-6 last season.

SERIES HISTORY

UNC leads the all-time series with Idaho 13-6, including a 6-2 record in Greeley.
Over the last 10 games, the Bears hold an 8-2 mark, including 3-2 in the last five.
The Bears hold a six-game winning streak over Idaho at home.
Idaho last won in Greeley Feb. 9, 2017, an 88-76 victory for the Vandals.
UNC fell in Moscow 77-76, Jan. 23, on a half-court buzzer beater in the first meeting this season.

CHASING HISTORY

Head Coach Steve Smiley's 84 wins rank sixth on the all-time coaching record in program history.
He holds the mark for the most wins in the NCAA Division I era, which began with the 2005-06 campaign.
Smiley's .549 winning percentage is the second best in the NCAA Division I era, trailing only Jeff Linder.
Thurman Wright owns the school wins record with 156 in 15 seasons from 1960-1983.
Smiley needs four victories to catch George E. Cooper for fifth on the all-time list. Cooper posted an 87-47 mark with the Bears in nine seasons (1922-1931).

Jaron Rillie surpassed 1,000 points in his career in the win over Eastern Washington Thursday.
The senior guard from Australia, tallied five assists, crossing the 450 plateau with 452.
His 10 rebounds against the Eagles upped his career total to 448.

MILESTONE WATCH

Quinn Denker needs 20 points for 1,000 in his career.
With one rebound and nine assists, he will reach 250 in each category.
Zach Bloch is 69 points shy of 500 in his career.
Isaiah Hawthorne needs 33 points for 500 this season.
Langston Reynolds sits 54 points shy of 500 on the campaign.

LEADING THE WAY

UNC paces the Big Sky in assists per game, effective field-goal percentage, field-goal percentage, scoring offense, 3-point percentage and winning percentage.
The Bears rank second in the league in assists-to-turnover ratio, fastbreak points, defensive rebounds per game, scoring margin and 3-pointers per game, while the 10.8 turnovers per game ranks third.
They sit in the top 100 in the country in every category, with the field-goal percentage leading all of NCAA Division I men's basketball, while the effective field-goal percentage ranks seventh.

SUITS AND SNEAKERS

Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Week is a nationwide event when basketball coaches across the country unite for a common cause – ending cancer as we know it, for everyone. To raise awareness and bring attention to the cause during this week, coaches from all around the country will wear suits and sneakers.
The UNC coaching staff donned their suits and sneakers for Saturday's game against Northern Arizona.

COLORADO PREP PIPELINE

Zach Bloch, Langston Reynolds, Egan Shields and Brock Wisne all attended Colorado Prep before joining the Bears. All four play valuable minutes, with Bloch, Reynolds and Wisne cracking the starting five, while Shields joined the lineup after redshirting last season.

2024-25 ROSTER

The Bears reloaded after losing eight members of the 2023-24 roster, which accounted for 59% of the offense and rebounds. Key losses include Saint Thomas (19.7 ppg, 9.8 RPG), Dejour Reaves (14.9 ppg, 3.5 RPG), Riley Abercrombie (7.4 ppg, 3.6 RPG), Theo Hughes (3.3 ppg, 2.6 RPG), Mekhi Cameron (1.6 ppg, 0.6 RPG), Connor Creech (1.3 ppg, 1.7 RPG), Juju Ramirez (1.7, 1.0) and Jalen Page (0.0 ppg, 0.5 RPG).
Smiley added depth and experience with five student-athletes from the transfer portal.

Quinn Denker | 6-3 | Guard | Idaho | San Jose, Calif.
In his single season with Idaho, Denker started 32 games while leading his team with 12.5 points and 3.7 assists per game. He averaged 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 84.4% from the foul line.

He amassed 15 or more points in 10 games last season, finishing the season 14th overall in scoring in the Big Sky Conference and seventh in minutes played. Denker joined the Bears as a current junior with one year of eligibility remaining.

Isaiah Hawthorne | 6-8 | Forward | San Francisco | Tracy, Calif.
Hawthorne spent the last five seasons at San Francisco, where he tallied 369 points, 178 rebounds, 46 assists, 41 steals and 22 blocks.

During the 2023-24 season, Hawthorne appeared in 29 games, starting eight, averaging 3.9 points and 1.4 rebounds. He shot 43.3% from the field, including 30.8% from three-point range.

Taeshaud Jackson | 6-6 | Guard | VMI | Denver, Colo.
In two seasons with Virginia Military Institute, Jackson averaged 8.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.3 blocks per game. He appeared in 64 games, including 44 starts over his time in Virginia. Jackson started 32 of the 33 games he played during the 2023-24 campaign, tallying 344 points (10.4) and 344 rebounds (10.4), with 38 assists, 43 steals and 13 blocks.

Luca Colceag | 6-9 | Forward | Eastern Florida State College | Bucharest, Romania
Colceag spent last season at Eastern Florida State College. The Titans began the season ranked No. 1 in the National Junior College Athletic Association national poll and remained in the top ten the entire season.

During his sophomore campaign, Colceag averaged 10.7 ppg and 6.8 rebounds per game. He knocked down 35% of his attempts behind the 3-point line. Colceag converted 14 of 25 (56%) attempts behind the arc in a four-game stretch during conference play. He represented Romania in the FIBA U20 European Challengers, averaging 8.5 ppg and 10.0 rpg during the event.

William Humer | 6-8 | Forward | San Jose State | Sollentuna, Sweden
Humer appeared in 25 games – starting two - for the Spartans during the 2023-24 campaign. He established a career-high 11 points and four assists against Bethesda (Calif.) and at Montana. Against the Grizzlies, Humer hit 5 of 9 from the field in 25 minutes, establishing highs in all three categories. With an eye on the future, Smiley added four talented freshmen to the 2024 signing class.

Ariik Mawien | 6-4 | Guard | Link Year Prep Academy | Sioux Falls, S.D.
Mawien averaged 14.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.2 blocks per game during the 2023-24 campaign with Link Year Prep Academy. He shot 47% from the field, including 38% from 3-point range.
At Capistrano Valley Christian High School, he tallied 1,050 points and set the single-season school record with 2.5 blocks per contest.

Viktor Lukic-Gavric | 6-2 | Shooting Guard | Get Better Academy | Stockholm, Sweden
Lukic-Gavric signed a National Letter of Intent after posting 18.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists at the 2023 FIBA U18 A Division last summer. He played prep basketball at the Get Better Academy in Prague, Czech Republic.

Hunter Caldwell | 6-10 | Center | Lutheran HS | Parker, Colo.
Caldwell averaged 10.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and one block during his three seasons at Lutheran High School. In his senior campaign, he scored 16.0 points and grabbed 7.4 rebounds, with 1.1 blocks per game.

Walker Asp | 6-8 | Wing | Palmer High School | Colorado Springs, Colo.
Asp played an integral part in Palmer High School advancing to the Colorado High School Activities Association 5A Sweet 16 in his junior and senior campaigns.

In his senior season, Asp led the Terrors by scoring 14.0 ppg and rebounding 5.4 rpg, averaging 1.7 steals and almost one block per game. After his junior year, Asp earned an All-Colorado Springs Metro League Second Team Selection. He elevated his game during his final campaign, capturing the All-Colorado Springs Metro League First Team and Colorado All-State 5A Honorable Mention accolades.

NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: A unique neutral site game against South Dakota State at The Monument in Rapid City, S.D., a highly anticipated Big Sky – Summit League Challenge game in Bank of Colorado Arena and a pair of matchups against Power Four schools highlighted Northern Colorado's 2024-25 13-game non-conference basketball schedule.

The Bears hosted six regular-season games at Bank of Colorado Arena, including the season opener against Colorado College Nov. 4, Colorado Christian Nov. 12, Prairie View A&M Nov. 23, Northern New Mexico Nov. 26, St. Thomas Dec. 4 and Air Force Dec. 16.

UNC traveled to Boulder for a clash with the Buffaloes Nov. 8 before meeting South Dakota State Nov. 14. The Bears visited Pullman, Washington, for a matchup with Washington State Nov. 18 and took on Cal Baptist in Riverside, California, two days later.

They ended the first month of the season at Texas Tech Nov. 29. UNC met North Dakota State in Fargo, N.D., Dec. 7 in the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge. The Bears closed out the non-conference slate at Denver Dec. 21.

BIG SKY TOURNY TICKETS
Tickets for the 2025 Big Sky Basketball Championships, presented by Idaho Central Credit Union, are on sale now. 

The men's and women's basketball tournaments will be hosted at Idaho Central Arena on March 8-12, marking the seventh straight year that Starch Madness will be held in Boise, Idaho. 

Fans can purchase all-tournament, all-session ticket packages for both the men's and women's sessions for courtside, reserved, and general admission seating.
  
Single-session tickets will be available for purchase Monday, Feb. 3. To purchase tickets, visit uncbears.com/tickets or call 970-351-4849.

Tickets can also be purchased at the Campus Commons Ticket Office, Monday-Friday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. TicketSmarter is the official resale marketplace of UNC athletics.

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