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Puttingood
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Preseason polls for the magic ’77 season saw Charlotte ranked No. 19 in the nation. No one ever imagined how well the season would eventually turn out in the end. Everyone knew the team was good, but exactly how good? A 28-5 record and perfect 13-0 at home was something 49er fans definitely didn’t expect.
The ’77 squad was led by Maxwell who was already a United Press International All-American and would go on to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. To this day he still is tops in several categories of 49er basketball history. The 6’8” senior from Kinston, N.C., led the team averaging 22.2 points and 12.1 rebounds per game.
Lew Massey, a 6’4” junior added to Charlotte’s firepower with 19.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. The other starting forward opposite Massey was 6’7” Kevin King [there should be a comma here] who was known for his incredible defense. He didn’t get as much praise as the top scorers, but still managed 11.1 points and five rebounds per game.
The 1976-77 49ers were an offensive threat as players like Chad Kinch and Lew Massey utilized team play and passed the ball. PHOTO COURTESY OF Charlotte SID
Chad Kinch was an immediate impact in the scoring department coming in from the start. [This is confusing with all the ‘ins’] The 6’4” freshman guard averaged 15.3 points a game with a killer long ball. He finished the season with 18 of 19 games in double figures, including six games with 20 or more points.
Team Captain Melvin Watkins rounded out the starting five. He rotated between guard and forward positions and was always a presence on the court. He was the fuel that kept this powerhouse moving forward and was a huge factor in Charlotte’s first NCAA Tournament appearance.
Charlotte (then just UNCC) finished the regular season 25-3 and were on their way to the first NCAA Tournament in school history.
The 49ers squeaked by Central Michigan 91-86 in overtime in the first round and then simply rolled over a stunned No. 6 Syracuse team. If anyone had never heard of the UNC Charlotte 49ers, they were about to become a household name when they played No. 1 Michigan and wound up winning 75-68. With this shocking upset, Charlotte found itself playing in the Final Four in Atlanta with teams like UNC-Chapel Hill, Marquette and UNLV. For the most part, the Charlotte players were not concerned with being called “the other North Carolina team in the tournament,” they were just proud of their success. Second year coach Lee Rose came into the first round game with Marquette with a 52-10 record since taking over for the Niners.
Though Charlotte lost a hard-fought 49-51 battle to Marquette (who would eventually go on to win the entire tournament), the 1977 season still remains one of the greatest in 49er basketball history.
The ’77 squad was led by Maxwell who was already a United Press International All-American and would go on to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. To this day he still is tops in several categories of 49er basketball history. The 6’8” senior from Kinston, N.C., led the team averaging 22.2 points and 12.1 rebounds per game.
Lew Massey, a 6’4” junior added to Charlotte’s firepower with 19.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. The other starting forward opposite Massey was 6’7” Kevin King [there should be a comma here] who was known for his incredible defense. He didn’t get as much praise as the top scorers, but still managed 11.1 points and five rebounds per game.
The 1976-77 49ers were an offensive threat as players like Chad Kinch and Lew Massey utilized team play and passed the ball. PHOTO COURTESY OF Charlotte SID
Chad Kinch was an immediate impact in the scoring department coming in from the start. [This is confusing with all the ‘ins’] The 6’4” freshman guard averaged 15.3 points a game with a killer long ball. He finished the season with 18 of 19 games in double figures, including six games with 20 or more points.
Team Captain Melvin Watkins rounded out the starting five. He rotated between guard and forward positions and was always a presence on the court. He was the fuel that kept this powerhouse moving forward and was a huge factor in Charlotte’s first NCAA Tournament appearance.
Charlotte (then just UNCC) finished the regular season 25-3 and were on their way to the first NCAA Tournament in school history.
The 49ers squeaked by Central Michigan 91-86 in overtime in the first round and then simply rolled over a stunned No. 6 Syracuse team. If anyone had never heard of the UNC Charlotte 49ers, they were about to become a household name when they played No. 1 Michigan and wound up winning 75-68. With this shocking upset, Charlotte found itself playing in the Final Four in Atlanta with teams like UNC-Chapel Hill, Marquette and UNLV. For the most part, the Charlotte players were not concerned with being called “the other North Carolina team in the tournament,” they were just proud of their success. Second year coach Lee Rose came into the first round game with Marquette with a 52-10 record since taking over for the Niners.
Though Charlotte lost a hard-fought 49-51 battle to Marquette (who would eventually go on to win the entire tournament), the 1977 season still remains one of the greatest in 49er basketball history.
