Post by krazykev on Dec 16, 2006 8:15:22 GMT -5
By Rob Daniels
Staff Writer
Live from the desert, please welcome the N.C. A&T men's basketball team. Really.
"It's been a long time coming," coach Jerry Eaves said.
After playing shorthanded for more than a year, the Aggies are expected to welcome back guard Sean Booker, who led the MEAC in scoring in 2004-05, and swingman Demetrius Guions, who became the de facto go-to guy after Booker went out. Both have been suspended for academic reasons.
Eaves confirmed that Guions has been cleared to return after missing the past two semesters. The coach couldn't comment on Booker because of federal privacy laws, but paperwork is thought to be the only issue between the guard and his first game action since March 2005.
If all goes well, both players will join the team Sunday or Monday in Tempe, Ariz. The Aggies play today at New Mexico before heading for Arizona State's tournament.
The arrival of Guions and Booker figures to accentuate a theme that seems rather basic but hasn't been voiced around the Corbett Center in a while.
"We're starting to evaluate ourselves on wins and losses, and we haven't been able to do that before," Eaves said. "I used to tell them to play hard and to play the right way. Now I've told them there's a third thing we have added to the equation: You have to win."
Eaves said anybody who returns at this stage of the season will have to earn minutes to crack a rotation that has become more competitive.
The Aggies (3-5) have beaten only one Division I team -- Longwood -- but unlike recent seasons, they've hung with the big guys they've faced.
Leading scorer Steven Rush, a former Greensboro Day star, now is expected back from an injury that kept him out of three games. Wing guard Austin Ewing, who redshirted last season after a shoulder ailment, is shooting 36.5 percent from 3-point range, and walk-on point guard Angelo Hernandez has generally been solid with the ball.
That could translate into the deepest backcourt in the MEAC.
Forwards Jason Wills, Greg Roberts and Trahern Chaplin might find their roles altered with time, but they have benefited from minutes early this season.
The Aggies still lack a consistent natural post presence, but they survived last season's attrition without collapse. Now they can look toward to full-blown league play -- they dropped their opener at South Carolina State -- with reasonable expectations.
After playing Thursday at Arizona State, where former N.C. State coach Herb Sendek now runs the team, and another opponent Friday in the Sun Devils' tournament, the Aggies will make a trip to Texas for games at Baylor and Southern Methodist, coached by former North Carolina head man Matt Doherty.
The next MEAC game is Jan. 6 at home against Maryland-Eastern Shore.
"Things have really changed," Eaves said.
Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028
Staff Writer
Live from the desert, please welcome the N.C. A&T men's basketball team. Really.
"It's been a long time coming," coach Jerry Eaves said.
After playing shorthanded for more than a year, the Aggies are expected to welcome back guard Sean Booker, who led the MEAC in scoring in 2004-05, and swingman Demetrius Guions, who became the de facto go-to guy after Booker went out. Both have been suspended for academic reasons.
Eaves confirmed that Guions has been cleared to return after missing the past two semesters. The coach couldn't comment on Booker because of federal privacy laws, but paperwork is thought to be the only issue between the guard and his first game action since March 2005.
If all goes well, both players will join the team Sunday or Monday in Tempe, Ariz. The Aggies play today at New Mexico before heading for Arizona State's tournament.
The arrival of Guions and Booker figures to accentuate a theme that seems rather basic but hasn't been voiced around the Corbett Center in a while.
"We're starting to evaluate ourselves on wins and losses, and we haven't been able to do that before," Eaves said. "I used to tell them to play hard and to play the right way. Now I've told them there's a third thing we have added to the equation: You have to win."
Eaves said anybody who returns at this stage of the season will have to earn minutes to crack a rotation that has become more competitive.
The Aggies (3-5) have beaten only one Division I team -- Longwood -- but unlike recent seasons, they've hung with the big guys they've faced.
Leading scorer Steven Rush, a former Greensboro Day star, now is expected back from an injury that kept him out of three games. Wing guard Austin Ewing, who redshirted last season after a shoulder ailment, is shooting 36.5 percent from 3-point range, and walk-on point guard Angelo Hernandez has generally been solid with the ball.
That could translate into the deepest backcourt in the MEAC.
Forwards Jason Wills, Greg Roberts and Trahern Chaplin might find their roles altered with time, but they have benefited from minutes early this season.
The Aggies still lack a consistent natural post presence, but they survived last season's attrition without collapse. Now they can look toward to full-blown league play -- they dropped their opener at South Carolina State -- with reasonable expectations.
After playing Thursday at Arizona State, where former N.C. State coach Herb Sendek now runs the team, and another opponent Friday in the Sun Devils' tournament, the Aggies will make a trip to Texas for games at Baylor and Southern Methodist, coached by former North Carolina head man Matt Doherty.
The next MEAC game is Jan. 6 at home against Maryland-Eastern Shore.
"Things have really changed," Eaves said.
Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028
