hbcugameday.com/2020/05/01/ncat-basketball-recruiting-transfers-big-south-mouth/North Carolina A&T coach talks transfers and new recruiting strategy heading into Big South
North Carolina A&T, like most of the MEAC, is heavy on transfers. But that may change as it heads to the Big South.North Carolina A&T’s latest crop of basketball signees is in the books, and like many programs in HBCU basketball, it’s a group of well-traveled players.
The 2020 class includes one Power Five transfer (Blake Harris), two JUCO players (Jeremy Robinson, Quentin Jones) and one grad transfer (Tyler Jones) with Rock Creek (MD) Christian Academy’s Milton Matthews as the lone high school senior.
Acting head coach Will Jones says that in the MEAC (and SWAC) transfers are the name of the game.
“You have to be able to build chemistry every year getting two year transfers from junior college, or grad transfers that only have one year with a program because these are older leagues,” Jones said.
“Our league, we have older kids — grown men — so to compete on a year-to-year basis, recruiting high school kids is probably not a recipe for success,” he said.
A quick scan of the top HBCUs at the Division I level bear that out. One need look no further than A&T’s archival North Carolina Central. It has won the past three MEAC Tournaments with just one player who started and finished his career in Durham. And this season’s squad featured zero.
“If Norfolk is gonna go out and get two or three of the top JUCO players in the country and we get all high school kids, then they’re gonna have a head start on us because of the age of their roster.”
A WELL-TRAVELED TALENT
The golden nugget in A&T’s most recent basketball haul is Blake Harris. He’s a talented, but well-traveled player. The former four-star player played at three high schools before signing with Missouri out of Word of God Academy in Raleigh.
He stayed at Missouri for one semester before moving to NC State. He averaged 3.1 points and 1.5 assists in his lone season in Raleigh. Jones said A&T was able to get Harris and his parents on campus, and they were impressed.
“Our staff just did an excellent job connecting with the people around him, letting him know where his skills would be beneficial to our program and what opportunities he’d have,” he said.
“Him and his parents were blown away. He was comfortable with the coaching staff and what we’re doing and the guys we had on the team. He’s looking forward to coming out and having an unbelievable year.”
BIG SOUTH OPENS UP BIG OPPORTUNITIES
While Jones acknowledges transfers are the name of the game in the MEAC, don’t be surprised if the program shifts its focus to the high school ranks. Especially as it moves to the Big South.
“Our emphasis now in our program, now that we’re going to the Big South the following year, we’re gonna continue to recruit JUCOs and transfers when we can but we’re really focusing our efforts on going out and trying to sign some of the better high school players in the country and we’re going to a league that’s going to allow us to do that,” he said.
SHOOTING FOR THE (SONS) OF STARS
A&T isn’t waiting to move to start trying to hone in on top talent. Waves were made earlier this year when A&T offered Zaire Wade — son of Dwyane Wade — along with LeBron “Bronny” James Jr.
“We wanted to really be aggressive in recruiting,” Jones told HBCU Gameday. “Coach (Ahmad) Dorsett he went out to LA, watched Zaire Wade play, their team. We offered those guys in their gym just to let them know that we’re going to go after the top players that we have a connection with.
“And if we do have a connection, we’re gonna try to work that connection until they say ‘you know what coach, you’ve done a heck of a job and it’s hard for me to tell you but I’m gonna go to Arizona or I’m gonna go to Kentucky.” As long as I’m captaining the ship, we’re gonna be aggressive in recruiting.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Five months in to 2020, Jones is still listed as the acting head coach of the program. But with the COVID-19 pandemic keeping things up in the air throughout college athletics, Jones and his staff are keeping one eye on the future while keeping the current players locked in.
“We just wanted to make sure our guys finished strong first and foremost. We started to do weekly team meetings and build some positivity into the guys and explain to them what’s going on as far as the real world is concerned outside of basketball,” Jones said.
“We’ve been turning all the negatives into positives in Aggieland to let our guys know that we’re gonna get back out there one day soon,” he said.