UNCG Basketball Opens Season With New Men's Coach and 15-19 Record to Beat

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro men's and women's basketball teams begin their 2026-2027 seasons on November 3 at Bodford Arena. The Spartans host Milligan College on the men's side and open their schedule with a competitive slate on the women's side. This marks the start of a new era for the men's program under head coach Jerod Haase, while the women's team continues under veteran coach Trina Patterson.

Haase was hired earlier this year to lead the men's squad. He previously served as head coach at Stanford from 2016 to 2024 and at the University of Alabama at Birmingham from 2012 to 2016. His background includes roles as an assistant coach and director of operations at the University of Kansas and UNC Chapel Hill. Roy Williams, who coached Haase at Kansas, called the pairing between Haase and UNCG fantastic. Williams stated he is ecstatic to see Haase back as a college head coach and anticipates a positive impact on the players.

The men's team enters the season with a roster featuring Braxton Stacker, a transfer from Southeast Missouri State. Stacker is a 6-foot-5, 205-pound guard who played in all 33 games last year. He averaged 11.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. The Spartans finished the previous season with a 15-19 overall record and a 9-9 conference mark. The team aims to improve those numbers this year. After hosting Milligan on November 3, the men's team travels to Elon later in the week.

Trina Patterson enters her 11th season as head coach of the women's team. The Spartans finished last year with a 14-16 overall record. Their home record was 10-4, while they went 4-11 on the road. Patterson said the team's goal is to make Bodford Arena one of the toughest places to play. She noted the team appreciates the support and energy the crowd brings to each game.

Key returning players for the women include sophomore Leyla Minor and Kristina Rakotobe. Minor played in all 30 games last year and shot 41% from the field. She scored a season-high 17 points against Carolina University. Rakotobe also played in every game and shot 53% from the field. She recorded a double-double against Carolina University on January 1. The team also added Nina Stavrov, a guard from Slovenia. Stavrov was the leading scorer in the Under 20 Slovenian league and played on the national team.

The women's schedule includes out-of-conference games against Virginia Tech, Clemson, and Richmond. All three of those teams earned NCAA tournament invitations last year. The men's team will face Elon on the road following their opener. Both programs have scheduled games for the week of November 3 to kick off the season.