2023 New Year’s resolutions for red-hot Charlotte 49ers

The Charlotte men’s basketball team beat Davidson on the road in overtime on a buzzer-beating 3.

It notched a comeback win at home against Appalachian State.

It then put together an overtime win against Detroit Mercy at home — a win that redeemed its only ugly loss of the year and preserved an undefeated record at Halton Arena (5-0) — and then followed that up with a dominant win over Monmouth this past weekend.

The 49ers, in other words, have seen enough suspense and joy and luck to fill an entire basketball season. And there’s still a “new season” to go.

Conference USA play begins on Thursday at Alabama-Birmingham — so well before Jan. 1 — but in the spirit of “new seasons” and taking stock of who you are: here are five New Year’s Resolutions for the 49ers basketball team, with exclusive commentary from head coach Ron Sanchez.

1. Give space for a star to emerge — if one has to at all.

Heading into its rivalry game against Davidson, Charlotte’s leading scorer came off the bench. At present, only one player is averaging double figures and four others average at least eight points per game.

That’s about as balanced as it gets in college basketball.

Does a star need to emerge for the 49ers to be an NCAA tournament-level team?

Sanchez offers a resounding answer: No.

“The reason why I’m really happy with the balance is because, well, they are really happy with the balance,” Sanchez said, referencing his players. “It’s not about what I want, it’s about what they enjoy — and I think that the group right now … they all know they have to show up for all of us to have success. And I think there’s a level of commitment to performing from each individual to where they can’t take a night off if we want to have some success. And I think it’s allowed us to play good basketball.”

This balance is a bit of a departure from the 2021-22 season, when so much of what the 49ers did and who they were flowed through Jahmir Young, who averaged 19.6 points and 3.7 assists a game. (The guard transferred to Maryland this past offseason and is doing a little bit of everything in the Big Ten — averaging 14.5 points a game on 40% shooting, 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists this year.)

That’s not to say “balance” replaces expectation. Sanchez said that one of his wishes in Conference USA play is to see a boost in some players who don’t start but are virtually playing starter minutes. That perhaps includes Brice Williams — the aforementioned reserve who once led the team in scoring — as well as Robert Braswell, Isaiah Folkes, Josh Aldrich and other guys who “aren’t getting starter’s minutes but who are contributing tremendously.”

“I’m not sure up to date we’ve had everybody play to their abilities completely,” Sanchez added. “And that’s the exciting part. Because it means your team still has so much room to grow.”

2. Start talking on defense.

Attend any Charlotte practice, and you’ll invariably hear Sanchez beg his players to talk on defense.

Ask Sanchez about his players’ communication habits himself, and he’ll chuckle and offer a tongue-in-cheek societal evaluation: “I almost feel like it runs counter to today’s youth, today’s culture, to be as good as you can be at communicating.”

Despite the team not communicating the way its coach wants, the 49ers have turned in a decent defensive performance. They’re allowing only 58.1 points a game on average and holding teams to just under 40% from the field. It helps, too, that they’re not fouling a ton: Their opponents are only averaging 12 free throw attempts a game.

Sanchez, a former assistant and philosophical disciple of Virginia coach Tony Bennett, still sees places in which the team’s pack-line defense can improve. His No. 1 priority is simple, though.

“It’s two things: One is talking, the other is listening,” Sanchez said. “So for us to be the defensive team that we want to be, there has to be excellent communication.”

He added with a laugh: “Today I told them, ‘Some of you have been talking for 18, 19 years of your life — that’s all I’m asking you to do.”

3. Welcome great 3-point shooting.

The 49ers are shooting 37.4% from 3 on the year — and the deep shot has turned into an undeniable strength on the team’s five-game winning streak.

This isn’t a “normal” result for a team that runs the Princeton offense, but Sanchez said that this year’s offense is malleable to the players that run it.

“I think like anything as a coach, you want to allow your players to evolve your offense,” he said. “It can’t be just up to the coaches. You can’t manipulate control with every basket. You help them when they’re struggling, but it’s their responsibility to find where they fit into the offense, and then to play to those strengths. … I think it’s a fine balance of allowing them to transform the offense into whatever this group can create out of it. And all we are trying to do and teach and emphasize is the spacing and good decision-making.”

4. Keep ushering the rise of Igor Milicic Jr.

Milicic has been the surprise of the season for the 49ers. The 6-foot-10 big transferred from Virginia this offseason and has brought hot shooting and strength to this 49ers team, fitting in like a puzzle piece.

Milicic is averaging 25 minutes per game, just under Lu’Cye Patterson, Aly Khalifa, Montre’ Gipson and Jackson Threadgill. And in addition to leading the team in scoring (with 10.5 points per game), he’s also the team’s second-leading rebounder and one of the team’s best defenders.

Did Sanchez expect Milicic to be so impactful so fast?

“One thing that I did know was that he was a phenomenal teammate, and that he would fit in really well into our culture, and that he had legit size, and that he could hit some shots,” Sanchez said. “And I think that he’s just gotten better and better to be able to be on the floor and to play through some mistakes.”

5. Stay healthy and ‘play with joy.’

Of all the “resolutions” Charlotte should probably have heading into conference play this season — Sanchez holds a “wish,” too.

And that’s to get everybody healthy.

That includes the players who are generally banged up, Sanchez said, and those like Musa Jallow — the Ohio State transfer who is still recovering from an ACL tear he sustained last season.

“That’s my one wish for the new year — for everybody to be healthy and for everybody to find a way to enjoy what we’re doing,” Sanchez said. “To really enjoy the season, enjoy the journey, to play with a level of gratitude and just embrace it and be thankful for it.”