It's either a family affair, or a house divided, when UMO's women play at UNC on Monday

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on November 7, 2015 11:16 PM

• Print
• Email

rcoggins@newsargus.com

MOUNT OLIVE -- A house divided?

Not so says University of Mount Olive head women's basketball coach Wendy Lee when her team faces husband Billy Lee and North Carolina in an exhibition game inside historic Carmichael Arena on Monday evening.

Tip-off is 6 p.m.

"We're still a house united, but we'll be on different benches," said Lee, who begins her 16th season with the Trojans. "He's (Billy) been a very instrumental part of helping our program and he helps Carolina, too."

The roots of this meeting go beyond husband and wife, however.

Wendy played for Sammy Hatchell at Meredith College. He is the husband of UNC head Sylvia Hatchell, who is in remission after a bout with leukemia. Wendy was also a grad assistant in the women's basketball program at Campbell University when Billy served as the men's head coach.

Billy is a graduate of then-Mount Olive College.

"He's playing against his wife and alma mater," said Wendy, whose team dropped an 81-80 overtime decision to Division IUNC Wilmington on Saturday evening. "He's their scout coordinator and knows everything about our program. He probably feels a little guilty, but he's doing his job and they'll be ready for sure. We'll give them what we've got, go up there and play them really hard."

The Trojan women were picked second in the preseason Conference Carolinas coaches basketball poll. Back is 2014 all-CC performer Aerial Johnson, who averaged a double-double -- 12.7 points and 10.4 boards a game.

Johnson is joined by four full- or part-time starters -- Shy'Lia Buie, Tomarrah Harris, Ni'ya Styles and Ana Zjacic. The quintet helped lead UMO to a runner-up finish in the 2015 Conference Carolinas basketball tournament.

North Carolina returns just one starter, junior Xylina McDaniel, off of last year's team that posted a 26-9 record. McDaniel averaged 11.3 points and 5.8 rebounds a game.

Hatchell has seven letter-winners back.

"It's going to be fun to have this opportunity to play such a well-respected team, a legendary program and against a Hall-of-Fame coach like Sylvia," Lee said. "It may not resonate with our players about the opportunity now of how big of a deal it is to play against one of the best programs in the country. It will later on in their lives. We are obviously going in as the underdog and the smaller team.

"They started on Oct. 5 (and) are at a place where they are going to do a little things earlier that other teams may not have put in (their systems) yet. We are going to see a lot of different things and play against some of the best athletes in the country. We'll see where we measure up and where we have to get better (as a team)."

UMO opens its season Nov. 13 against Catawba in the SAC/Conference Carolinas Challenge. The Trojans play Queens University of Charlotte the following day.