The UNO men’s basketball program underwent plenty of changes this offseason with first-year head coach Stacy Hollowell taking over for Mark Slessinger.
Hollowell’s hiring marks a new era for a UNO program that had some success under Slessinger — including making the NCAA Tournament in 2017 after winning the Southland Conference tournament — but the Privateers had a disappointing 10-23 record last season.
“This is a group that will develop and be developed as we go,” Hollowell said. “We put a group together pretty much in two-and-a-half weeks. We got everybody into summer school and started building the foundation, building the culture. I feel good about what we’ve built to this point.“
Guard appears to be the deepest position with a pair of returning players in Jamond “Turk” Vincent and Jah Short leading the way.
UNO guard Jamond Vincent goes for a layup during a game against Birmingham-Southern on Dec. 14 at Lakefront Arena.
Vincent is in his fourth season at UNO, and he averaged 8.4 points per game last year along with 5.7 rebounds. Short averaged 6.3 points and 3.5 rebounds. Vincent also will see some time at forward.
“Last year, I didn’t really get to explore the jump shot side of me, but I feel like I’m going to have a great year shooting the ball,” Vincent said. “We’ve got a lot of progress in, but I feel like we’ve still got more (to make).”
Transfers JR Jacobs and Dae Dae Hunter also will have important roles in the backcourt, with Jacobs set to play point guard for what’s expected to be a fast-paced team.
“I feel like we get better each and every day,” Jacobs said. “Coach Stacy (Hollowell) makes it easy for me. He lets me do whatever I need to do as a point guard. He helps me work on things I need to work on, but he gives me freedom to play how I like to play.”
Minutes at the forward position are up for grabs with Omarion Henry out for the season because of an injury. James White, who transferred from UAB after previously attending Ole Miss, is expected to play a big role at shooting guard and small forward.
“We play really fast, so it gives me a lot of opportunities to get in transition and show my athleticism,” White said. “I feel like we’ve got a lot of guys that can step up (at forward). We play a lot of smaller ball, but we’ve got a lot of guys that are active, athletic, play hard and play big.”
Freshmen Leland Coleman and MJ Thomas will see minutes at power forward and center, with transfers Kerwin Prince and Luke Davis also set to contribute down low.
“Leland (Coleman) is a true leader and is a guy that you’d want to build a program around,” Hollowell said. “He’s a culture guy, great energy. Kerwin Prince has a ton of college experience. His motor is good.”
UNO has an exhibition game scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Lakefront Arena against Southern Miss before opening the regular season Nov. 5 at Kansas State.
The nonconference schedule appears challenging with opponents such as LSU, Texas and Baylor, but the hope is that it will prepare the Privateers for conference play.
“We’ve just got to keep working and becoming more efficient,” Hollowell said. “Whether the wins show up right away is to be determined, but we’ve got a group that gets out here and works hard every day. I think they’re going to give their best effort for the university and the city.”
