Charlotte Basketball is a program rich in history with 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, 16 regular season conference championships and 1 Final Four appearance. There have also been 6 All-Americans, 20+ NBA Players, and nearly 100 professional basketball players that have come through the program.

Starting with the 2023-24 season, Charlotte Basketball will open a new chapter in the program’s history going in to the American Athletic Conference with league opponents such as Memphis, Temple, Tulane, SMU, and East Carolina to name a few.

NORTH CAROLINA'S FASTEST GROWING UNIVERSITY

Our thriving university of over 30,000 students leverages its location in the state's largest city to offer internationally competitive academic programs.

♔ CHARLOTTE: THE QUEEN CITY ♔

  • 15th largest city in the U.S. - 5th fastest growing large metropolitan area

  • Voted the 2nd best area for job-seeking college-graduates

  • Headquarters to 7 Fortune 500 companies and 15 Fortune 1000 companies (2nd Largest Banking Center in the U.S.)

  • Home to 6 professional sports teams (NBA, NFL, AAA Baseball, Soccer, Hockey)

  • UNC Charlotte's light rail system allows students to ride to Uptown Charlotte for free (11 stations in all, with 2 being on campus)

AAC on ESPN

AAC & ESPN Ink Media-Rights Deal through 2032

Other AAC Schools: Memphis, Wichita St, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UTSA, UAB, Temple, SMU, Tulane, South Florida & Tulsa

OUR HOME: EVERYTHING YOU NEED

Charlotte 49ers Director of Athletics Mike Hill announced on Feb. 14 the official appointment of Aaron Fearne as the 14th head coach of the men's basketball team. Fearne had been serving as the interim head coach since June 2023.

"From the moment he took over the basketball program last summer, Aaron Fearne has demonstrated that he is the right man for this job," Hill said. "In our first year in the AAC, he has our team competing for a league championship and has completely re-energized our fan base. The players believe in him and so do we. This is a great day for Niner Nation." 

UNC Charlotte Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber said: "Coach Fearne has done phenomenal work since assuming the role of interim head coach. In just a few months, Coach Fearne, his staff and players have won the hearts of students, alumni and Niner fans everywhere. We look forward to a bright future under his leadership."

Highlights of the season so far include: 
● The first eight-game conference winning streak in program history. 
● A historic victory over No. 17 Florida Atlantic, 70-68, the first triumph over a ranked opponent at home since 2010 and the first overall since 2013. 

Under Fearne's leadership, the community and student body have rallied behind the team, highlighted by a sold-out crowd of 8,201 at Halton Arena for the rivalry game against ECU on Feb. 3, the first capacity crowd in 11 years. The night before the game, students created Fearneville, camping out to secure prime seating in the packed student section.

Predicted to finish 13th out of 14 teams in the AAC, the Niners have defied expectations, holding the top position for nearly three weeks. Beyond the halfway mark of the conference slate, Charlotte sits in second place, just one game out of the lead. Furthermore, Fearne has achieved the best start through 23 games for a first-year head coach at Charlotte since Bobby Lutz in 1998-99.

Prior to his appointment as interim head coach, he had a successful tenure as an assistant coach with Charlotte spanning five years, and was promoted to associate head coach before the 2022-23 season. During his time as associate head coach, Charlotte achieved significant milestones, including 22 victories, the most since the 2000-01 season, and the program's first postseason tournament title with a victory in the CBI Tournament. 

Prior to his arrival in Charlotte, Fearne spent nine seasons as head coach and eight seasons as an assistant coach of the National Basketball League's Cairns Taipans, which plays in Australia's top professional league. As head coach, he led the team to the NBL finals twice and was named Coach of the Year in 2015. In 2018, he served as head coach of New Zealand's U-19 National Team.

HELPING PLAYERS ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS

ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT

Patrick Lewis is entering his first season as the Director of Sports Performance for Men’s Basketball. Below are some key highlights to Charlotte’s performance training approach:

  • Highly individualized program that places athletes in small groups (3-4 players) based on position, goals, training experience, and individual needs to maximize overall athletic development

  • Utilization of Kinexon, Hawkins Force Plates, DEXA Scans, Polar Heart Rate Monitoring, Red Light Therapy, Infrared Sauna, and Vald technology to maximize human performance.

  • Performance model includes a full-time nutritionist, sports science and data analytic team, massage therapist, chiropractor, Athletic Training Team, and multiple Team Physicians.

  • Partnership with ATP Labs, Designs for Sport, Thorne, and Nutridyn provides all of our recovery and supplement nutrition.

NINERS WEAR NIKE