Hornsby transfers from UNC Asheville to LSU

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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VBAKXYNRYKGDMXK.20121218023012Just didn’t want to let this one slip by without noting it: One of the best players on the men’s basketball team at UNC Asheville announced he was tranferring to LSU last week. Keith Hornsby, the son of well-known musician Bruce Hornsby, made the move after former UNCA head coach Eddie Biedenbach announced he was leaving to go work as an assistant coach at UNC Wilmington earlier this year.

From ESPN on Hornsby:

Keith Hornsby, the son of Grammy Award winner Bruce Hornsby, is headed to LSU.

The 6-foot-4 sophomore decided to transfer from UNC Asheville after two seasons and a campaign in which he averaged 15 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest. He opted to leave shortly after coach Eddie Biedenbach departed UNC Asheville to become an assistant on Buzz Peterson’s staff at UNC Wilmington.

Hornsby also considered NC State and Saint Mary’s, but Mark Gottfried and the Wolfpack received a commitment from Alabama transfer Trevor Lacey earlier Monday and Hornsby opted to choose the Tigers hours later. He will sit out next season and then have two remaining to play under Johnny Jones at LSU.

“Coach Jones and the other coaches were what sold me,” Hornsby told ESPN.com. “He has high expectations of me.”

Hornsby was considered a mid-major recruit coming out of high school at Oak Hill Academy — where he played on the same team as projected lottery pick Ben McLemore. Hornsby averaged just four points in limited minutes as a freshman under Biedenbach before emerging as a go-to guy last season, where he finished second on the Bulldogs in scoring and also shot 38 percent from 3-point range and 92.5 percent from the free throw line.

Hornsby said his father played a key role in his decision and went on his visit to Baton Rouge, along with his mother.

There are going to be some long, lean years for UNCA basketball. Sigh.

Background on Biedenbach here. The coach’s decision raised questions for some over the leadership of UNCA’s chancellor. The new UNCA coach is here.

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

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2 Comments

  1. UNCA Alum June 28, 2013

    A current UNCA faculty member writes on a blog, “When I arrived in 1998, faculty participation in governance was energetic. There were groups of faculty who put together slates of candidates for Senate and most faculty were very much involved in the direction of the university. There was a sense of ownership. But today? If I had a dollar for every time a colleague has told me that he or she is ‘just keeping my head down and teaching my classes’ I’d be rich. It’s now the go-to response to the question, ‘How’re you doing?’ ‘Fine. Fine. Keeping my head down and doing my job.’ Senior faculty members who have made major contributions to the history of campus retire in disgust or, worse, are run off campus and I hear nary a peep.”
    http://uncafreemail.wordpress.com/2013/04/10/back-in-bizness/

    Reply
  2. UNCA Basketball Fan June 25, 2013

    Ashvegas was fearless and relentless some years ago in exposing a toxic environment at Mission Hospitals. That exposure ultimately forced the Mission board to step up to its responsibility to investigate and then fire its CEO. So it is puzzling that the Ashvegas blog has not dug deeper into the toxic environment at UNCA. It would be ironic if mistreatment of staff and faculty were to go unnoticed, but the loss of a few star basketball players gets Ashvegas and the public concerned. Two comments from earlier postings say it.

    George Thomas says:
    April 23, 2013 at 8:12 pm

    Sigh – Chancellor Ponder is simply milking the system. At near $250,000 a year, with a house, a car, etc. provided by the taxpayers, she is prepared to leave UNCA as the least popular chancellor in the school’s history. With over $1,000,000 in the bank thanks to the citizens of NC, she’ll cry all the way to the bank (or to her home in Mountain Air or her home in Florida). Even her most ardent supporters (KF, BB, JP, CO, BH) will privately tell you the emporeress has no clothes and her only leadership qualities are the abilities to fire people who disagree with her. You stay classy UNC Asheville.

    Ivyleague says:
    April 24, 2013 at 8:08 am

    Agree with Mr. Thomas. This school is being poorly run and losing so many talented people because they might disagree.
    University departments have so many managers and no one to do the actual work.

    The school has lost my respect because it treats the lower employees/staff with little regard.

    Reply

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