UNC Asheville hired Mike Morrell as its new men's basketball coach on Wednesday.
Morrell has been an assistant on Shaka Smart's staffs with Texas (2015-18) and Virginia Commonwealth (2011-15). He replaces Nick McDevitt, who left to become the head coach at Middle Tennessee State.
McDevitt won at least 20 games in three consecutive seasons at Asheville. He went to the NCAA tournament in 2016, the CIT in 2017 and the NIT this past season.
Smart congratulated Morrell in a statement tweeted by the Texas program.
Congrats @CoachMMorrell!!
— Texas Basketball (@TexasMBB) April 11, 2018
Coach Smart: "I'm extremely happy for Mike. He is driven, diligent & tremendously hard working. He does a phenomenal job connecting with student-athletes, parents, recruits & supporters. @UNCAbasketball is getting a terrific head coach!"#TexasFamily https://t.co/drTRqmTNax
Before joining Smart, the 35-year-old Morrell was on the staffs of two programs in South Carolina -- Charleston Southern (2010-11) and Clemson (2008-10).
"The UNC Asheville men's basketball program is one that I have always admired having grown up in the area. It's a program that prides itself on winning and doing things the right way. I look forward to continuing the already strong tradition of Bulldog basketball and helping to move it forward to hopefully even greater heights in the future," he said in a statement.