The Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball team did not meet expectations last season, in which they were picked to finish third in the pre-season Conference USA rankings. Fast forward to May, and things are very different around the program.

Alan Major and his staff were let go, making room for the splashy hire of former NBA great, Mark Price. The loss of multiple starters has also left scholarships open, which the new staff is currently working on finishing.

Who is left? Bernard Sullivan, Cameron Blakely, Ivan Benkovic and Braxton Ogbueze are the only returnees that saw a good amount of playing time last season.

We caught up with Ogbueze, who accepted my challenge to play a game of HORSE. We also talked about his former college coach, Billy Donovan, last season’s performance and the upcoming basketball season.

Lastly, I wanted to thank everyone for a tremendous year. I’ll be graduating in May, and this was one of the greatest experiences of my life. The Niner Times has treated me well, and Niner Nation even better.