After almost two years of playing games off-campus, the University of Charleston basketball teams will get the chance to break in the new athletic facility at the Wehrle Innovation Center on Saturday as the Golden Eagles host West Virginia Wesleyan in an afternoon doubleheader.
The women's team will kick off the day at 1 p.m., followed my the men's game at 3 p.m.
"This is going to be a really, really fun day and a memorable day for our program. We're excited to get out there," UC men's coach Dwaine Osborne said. "It'll be nice because we've played nine in a row on the road but it's more than that to me. It's a relief because we haven't played a real, true home game in a lot longer than that. Our guys are going to have a home court where we can play where we practice and really take advantage of it.
"People don't always understand how significant it is to have a place your team can actually call your home."
It marks the end of a long wait for the Golden Eagles, who have been splitting time between playing home games at the Charleston Civic Center and the Charleston Catholic Athletic Facility since construction for the Innovation Center began in February 2015.
Coach Adam Collins' women's team (5-9, 4-4 Mountain East Conference) put an end to a five-game losing streak earlier this week, ending its run of four consecutive road games with a 16-point win over Shepherd.
"It's an excitement for sure, we're all ready for it," Collins said of playing in the new facility. "I know the team is really comfortable there now. They have a new locker room they get to go into every day and they can get into the routine of being there every day. I think that's helping them get better."
On the men's side, UC (9-5, 3-5 MEC) wants to head back in the right direction against the Bobcats. The Golden Eagles have lost four in a row, with three of those losses coming against nationally ranked Division II teams - No. 2 Fairmont State, No. 4 West Liberty and No. 8 Wheeling Jesuit.
The Golden Eagles' five losses this season have come against teams with a combined record of 56-10, but after allowing just 66.6 points per game through the first 10 games of the season, UC has allowed 96.3 in the last four.
"We're learning some things, and I think we'll learn a lot against Wesleyan," Osborne said. "This will tell us a lot about ourselves and where we're at."
nnn
While Charleston will be back at home this weekend, West Virginia State will hit the road. The Yellow Jackets men's team visits Glenville State, also looking to get on track after dropping four in a row.
WVSU (5-9, 2-6 MEC) has struggled in conference play and sits at No. 11 in scoring defense during league games and last in field goal percentage. Yet there have been some bright spots and for the Yellow Jackets as they try to navigate their way through a difficult slate to open MEC play.
Ernest Jenkins has continued to emerge as one of the league's impact freshmen. He's eighth in the MEC in scoring (17.8 points per game) and third in 3-point field goals made (42). Sophomore Brent Bauer is averaging close to 15 points per game and is sixth in the MEC in assists per game (4.79).
Veteran coach Bryan Poore said his team needs to come out strong in order to bounce back into the win column.
"I've been proud of them and the way they've approached practice this week," Poore said. "They're showing resiliency and bringing in energy every day.
"We're still a work in progress and we've got to try to get better every day. We've had some things to build on, but it doesn't cover up the fact that we didn't win the game. These guys want to win, they need to win so they can build that confidence up some more."
The Yellow Jackets will take on the Pioneers at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The WVSU women (7-7, 5-3 MEC) open the day at 2 p.m., attempting to climb back over the .500 mark after losing two in a row.
First-year coach Charles Marshall, who was formerly the coach at Glenville State, has the Yellow Jackets playing well offensively - currently sitting second in the league in scoring behind the Pioneers. West Virginia State comes into the contest averaging 89.7 points per game while Glenville State leads the MEC at 97.8 per game.
Contact Michael Carvelli at 304-348-4810 or michael.carvelli@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @carvelli3.