Hoops (M): Chris Flemmings rewarded with scholarship

UNCW's Chris Flemmings will be on scholarship next season. (Matt Born/StarNews)

UNCW's Chris Flemmings became the first walk-on to make the All-Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball first team last season. The rising senior guard won't get the chance to do it again. He'll be on scholarship next season, coach Kevin Keatts announced Thursday.

Flemmings bet on himself in joining UNCW after two seasons at Division II Barton College. The Cary native showed he belonged and then some in leading the Seahawks in scoring (16.2 points per game) and rebounding (5.8 rebounds per game) on the way to their first NCAA appearance in a decade.

He didn't know why Keatts called him to his office for a morning meeting Thursday. The coach started off by asking about finals and summer classes before turning to the good news.

"It just signifies that the hard work paid off," Flemmings said prior to an evening shooting session at Trask Coliseum. "All season I was playing as hard as I could regardless, scholarship or no scholarship. That was just my focus to give us the opportunity to win games. That's not going to change."

UNCW played its best after the 6-foot-5, 170-pound Flemmings moved into the de facto power forward role. He was among the most efficient players in the country, hitting 51 percent from the floor and 81 percent from the foul line.

His smooth game and unique backstory started getting more national attention after he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the CAA Tournament. He followed that up by posting 18 points in 39 minutes in the NCAA Tournament loss to Duke, despite a tough matchup with top NBA prospect Brandon Ingram.

"Chris has been a huge part of our success," Keatts said. "He's been a great ambassador for UNCW and the basketball program, both on and off the court. He's the type of kid that you like to coach. We're very excited about what his future holds for him."

Even though Flemmings surged past scholarship players on the depth chart to claim a starting spot and more than 30 minutes per game, there was no guarantee he would get one next season.

UNCW only lost two of its NCAA-allotted 13 scholarship players to graduation from last season, and Keatts secured commitments from four newcomers to the roster for 2016-2017. The math became simpler once Mark Matthews announced plans to transfer Monday.

Flemmings will be expected to carry a similar load on a squad well-positioned for a repeat run to the NCAA Tournament. He just won't be paying his own way to do it this time. With finals finished, his Thursday afternoon included phone calls with both parents and a slew of messages from excited teammates.

"They're just proud of me that I stuck through it, tough times and everything," Flemmings said. "A lot of people had a major part in it. I couldn't have gotten it done without them."

The rest of the scholarship puzzle seems to have shaken itself out, as well. Keatts said Chuck Ogbodo — who had requested release to seek a transfer — will be with the Seahawks when summer school starts May 16. He's now expected to return for his senior season.

C.J. Gettys won't be participating in those team workouts. The 7-footer is a summer internship short of securing his degree and likely will move on, Keatts said. He set career bests last season averaging 5.3 points and 5.1 rebounds in 24 games but was never an ideal fit for the coach's up-tempo system.

Here's a look at the updated scholarship chart heading into the summer:

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