Familiar Opponent Awaits Bears in Big Sky Opener

Sunday, March 9

Boise, Idaho

5:30 p.m.

University of Northern Colorado

Weber State

3/8/2025 10:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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UNC and Weber State Meet for the Second Time in Six Days

By: Michael High, Assistant Athletics Director for Strategic Communications

UNC won the program's first Big Sky Conference regular season title with its 68-63 victory over Weber State in Ogden, Utah, Monday.
The Bears earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament, claiming the tiebreaker over Montana.
UNC finished in the top four in the Big Sky Conference four times under Steve Smiley.
The Bears placed second last season before bowing out in their first game against Idaho State.

SERIES HISTORY - WSU

UNC trails Weber State 25-16, with the Bears sweeping both games this season.
The teams split the last 10 games, winning three of the last five games.
UNC won the last meeting in the Big Sky Championship, an 80-55 victory in Reno, Nev., March 8, 2018.
The Bears and Wildcats split the two meetings in the conference tournament.

CHASING HISTORY

The 15 wins against Big Sky matched the most in program history since joining the league before the 2006-07 season.
UNC posted a 15-5 mark during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.
The Bears set the highest winning percentage in program history against conference foes at .833 since joining the Big Sky.
UNC registered a .750 winning percentage in league play during the 2009-10, 2018-19 and 2019-20 campaigns.
The 23 wins rank fourth-most in a single season.
Jeff Linder's 2017-18 squad holds the all-time mark with 26 victories.

Steve Smiley's 87 wins ranked for fifth on the all-time coaching record in program history.
He has the most wins in the NCAA Division I era, which began with the 2003-04 campaign.
Smiley is tied with George E. Cooper. Cooper posted an 87-47 mark with the Bears in nine seasons (1922-1931).
Thurman Wright owns the school wins record with 156 in 15 seasons from 1960 to 1983.
Smiley trails Jeff Linder for the best winning percentage in the NCAA Division I era.

MILESTONE WATCH

Jaron Rillie surpassed 1,000 points and 450 assists in his career in the win over Eastern Washington Feb 20. He registered his 450th rebound in the win over Idaho Feb. 22.
Quinn Denker needs one point for 1,000 and two assists for 250 in his career. He netted the 250th rebound of his career in the victory over Idaho Feb. 22.
Zach Bloch is 58 points shy of 500 in his career.
Isaiah Hawthorne needs 108 points for 1,000 in his career.
Langston Reynolds is five points shy of 500 in the campaign.

LEADING THE WAY

UNC knocks down 50.8% of its field-goal attempts, the best in the nation.
The Bears 58.2 effective field-goal percentage ranks second in the country.
The Bears lead the Big Sky in assists per game, scoring margin, scoring offense, 3-point percentage and winning percentage.
The Bears rank second in the league in assists-to-turnover ratio, fastbreak points and defensive rebounds per game.

SUITS AND SNEAKERS

Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Week is a nationwide event in which 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, and averaged 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 career highs of 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 the 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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