Mountaineers host

rival UNC Greensboro
By Steve Behr
sports@wataugademocrat.com

It’s always argued that any Southern Conference game is a big one, even if there are 20 of them to play this year.

But some are bigger than others. Appalachian State faces one of those Saturday when the Mountaineers host UNC Greensboro at 3 p.m.

The Mountaineers, winners of two straight in Charleston, S.C., played Wofford Thursday, but results were not available by press time. Still, Appalachian State has won three out of four, including a win over Arkansas, before the Mountaineers played Wofford.

They hope to turn that success into a win over UNC Greensboro, which has one of the top players in the SoCon in Kyle Hines. The senior is second in the conference in scoring with 17.5 points per game and leads the SoCon in rebounding with 9.0 per game.

Hines isn’t terribly big. He stands 6-foot-6 and weighs in at 230 pounds. But he is strong close to the basket and is also good at blocking shots.

“He is an exceptional player in our league,” Mountaineers coach Houston Fancher said. “He’s not only a great player, but he seems like he is a neat kid who has handled the whole process. He has put up great numbers and he’s handled it all with class and dignity knowing that he is going to be hacked every night. He’s shown a lot of character.”

Hines played a key role in the Spartans’ 80-76 victory in Greensboro last year by scoring 33 points and pulling down seven rebounds. In the rematch, an 80-66 Appalachian State victory played at the Holmes Center, he was limited to 18 points.

“I’ve seen us try to defend him numerous ways,” Fancher said. “You can try to front him or to zone him or use a double team on him.”

He’s not the only weapon the Spartans use. Kevin Oleksiak, a 6-4 guard, is second on the team in scoring with 12 points per game.

The Mountaineers are getting 12.5 points per game from 6-9 center Donte Minter and 10.2 points per game from point guard Donald Sims, who saw his streak of 28 straight converted foul shots snapped last Saturday at The Citadel. He has made 39-of-43 foul shots this season.

“He’s a shot maker,” Fancher said. “For somebody of his experience, he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes.”

The Spartans are in the middle of a five-game road stand that began Thursday with a game at Chattanooga. They’ll also play at Elon, College of Charleston and The Citadel before returning home Feb. 2 to face Elon.

Appalachian State begins a three-game homestand that continues next Thursday with a showdown against another North Division rival Chattanooga. The Mountaineers host Georgia Southern before heading back to the road Jan 24 at Furman.