Episode Details

Mike Morrell is in his sixth season at the helm of the UNC Asheville men's basketball program in 2023-24.

The 2022-23 season was one of the best in the history of the program for the Bulldogs. Morrell, the 2022-23 Big South Coach of the Year, has guided the Bulldogs to one of the best seasons in program history in 2022-23. Asheville not only posted a school record 27 wins on the season but also captured both the Big South Regular Season and Tournament Championships. It marks Asheville's fourth outright regular season championship and eighth overall. The tournament title for the Bulldogs is their sixth in program history and with it earned the Big South's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, their first appearance since 2016. The Bulldogs' 27 victories were tied for the fourth-most in Division I men's basketball and were tied for the most by any Division I school in the State of North Carolina.

Furthermore, Morrell's 2022-23 Bulldogs matched the school record with 16 Big South regular season victories and set a new single-season program record with 25 wins against Division I opponents. Additionally, Morrell has led Asheville to an 18-2 record during the 2023 calendar year. For his work, Morrell was named a finalist for the Hugh Durham Coach of the Year award, which goes to the top coach in mid-major college basketball. Morrell coached Drew Pember and Tajion Jones to All-Big South First Team honors. Pember became the first player in Big South history to be named the Preseason Player of the Year, Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Tournament MVP in the same season. Pember also scored a school record 48 points in a game vs. Presbyterian in late January. The 48 points were the most by any Division I player this season. He was also named to the Lou Henson All-America Team. Jones, meanwhile, became UNC Asheville's all-time leading scorer and all-time leader in 3-pointers made. Off the court, Fletcher Abee was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team and to the Division I-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete Team.During the 2021-22 campaign, Morrell led the Bulldogs to their first postseason appearance in four seasons as they were invited to compete in the College Basketball Invitational. At the Invitational, the Bulldogs tallied their first postseason win at the event, toppling Stephen F. Austin, 80-68. Asheville also got out to a fast 10-5 start to the season, which was the program's best start since 2015-16.

Morrell (pronunciation: more-ELL) is the seventh head coach in the history of UNC Asheville men’s basketball. Considered one of the top assistants in all of college basketball, Morrell joined UNC Asheville from the University of Texas. He is a native of Elizabethton, Tenn.