Post by hawkeye on Nov 1, 2007 6:56:06 GMT -5
www.carolinapeacemaker.com/News/article/article.asp?NewsID=83174&sID=42
N.C. A&T men’s and women’s hoops picked third in MEAC poll
by Joe Daniels
Carolina Peacemaker
Originally posted 10/19/2007
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) recently held its annual Basketball Tip-Off at Raleigh’s Sheraton Hotel. The Lady Aggies’ Amber Bland, a 5’10” junior guard, was named to the 2007-08 All-MEAC first team. Bland led the conference in scoring with a 19.6 average, and was 21st in the nation scoring.
N.C. A&T Women’s Head Basketball Coach Patricia-Cage Bibbs
Peacemaker: How did last year’s team finish?
Bibbs: We finished tied for second place (Delaware State) with a 12-6 MEAC mark and 17-13 overall.
Peacemaker: How many players do you have returning?
Bibbs: We have 8 or 9 players returning from last year. I did not lose any players.
Peacemaker: Do you have some impact players that are going to help junior All-MEAC guard Amber Bland and sophomore point guard Ta’ Wuana Cook?
Bibbs: What we are going for is 28-0. This year we brought in three freshmen. We brought in a girl by the name of Jalessa Sams. She is from New Castle, Pennsylvannia. She will be an impact player at 5’11”. We feel really good about Sams. She is a highly recruited young lady. The only thing about freshmen is they have to get acclimated, but I think with her work ethic that we have seen thus far, it will not be a problem with her.
Brittane Neely a 6’2” post player comes from Alexandria, Virginia. She is going to help us a lot, because you know we were hurt a lot in that post position last year, we just were not deep. Also, Taryan Russ, she is from Virginia.
Peacemaker: How big is she?
Bibbs: Taryan is a guard, a point guard, so that will help Ta’ Wana Cook in that guard position. But we do have two ladies that were with us last year, both transfer students. One was a junior college player, Nancy Rembert, who didn’t play for us last year but she is ready now.
Peacemaker: Is she frontcourt?
Bibbs: Yes, she can play the combo 1 & 2 or 2 & 3 and then we have Tyronnica Alford, who is from Thomasville, four time state champions and she transferred in from Asheville.
Peacemaker: What happened to the young lady who got hurt at the end of the season?
Bibbs: LaMona Smalley. She got hurt in January. It really hurt us because she was leading the conference in rebounding. She has worked extremely hard over the summer. Smalley has gotten in rehab and they have given her the clearance to play. She is definitely in better shape than she was last year.
Peacemaker: Have they done anything this summer that is going to improve their game – maybe conditioning, somebody works on the jumping, little fundamental things like boxing out?
Bibbs: We understand the fundamentals we are involved in. The last thing we told them when they left in April was to make sure they work on their weaknesses. Everybody always works on their strengths. You do not have to do that. Someone like Bland, you would think that she doesn’t have any weaknesses, yet there is always some room for improvement. So we just told them to work on those things. And over the summer, the girls that were in summer school, you could see them working out hitting the weights. We have a great strength coach this year. He has really been pushing them through the conditioning. It is really great.
Peacemaker: When you look at the conference, who are the teams that you would say are 1, 2, and 3 or have the coaches and SIDs already made a selection to the placements of the team?
Bibbs: Yes, pre-season picks, I am sure they have. We will probably get that. They have not announced it but every team has improved, they have gotten better players and that’s what you always want to see in your conference. But, you have teams like Delaware State who did not lose any players. They have everybody returning. Coppin State players, Florida A&M picked up some great players. You have all these teams. Anybody can beat you. I would say that they have done a great job at recruiting.
Peacemaker: If you do not have any injuries and you can hold court and steal some on the road, you can be in the pie mix.
Bibbs: Now, we are going to have a piece of that pie – A big piece of that pie, that’s what we are looking for. And, you have to get your kids thinking like that. They are motivated; I see that in their work ethic. I would like to have the whole pie. That’s what we are going for, but you know how things could happen, no injuries and free from sicknesses and just keep them all healthy. That should be really good for us.
Peacemaker: How did your team finished last year record-wise overall?
Bibbs: We went 17-12 or 17-13 something like that.
Peacemaker: When is your first pre-season game or exhibition game?
Bibbs: Exhibitions start on the 3rd of November.
Peacemaker: Are you all playing at the coliseum or is that the guys?
Bibbs: I didn’t think the guys were playing in the coliseum this year, it’s not us. I know we play UNCG in their tournament over Thanksgiving. On Christmas, we are on our way to Texas to play Texas A&M and Baylor.
Peacemaker: Is the UNCG tournament an elminination tourney?
Bibbs: Yes. It is a tournament. We were at their tournament last year. I’m hoping that after this year that they will be coming to the dog pound. We don’t really need to be on the road as much as we are. We need someone coming to Corbett Sports Center.
Peacemaker: Do you have any seniors?
Bibbs: Rembert is a senior. She sat out last year and is the only senior.
Jerry Eaves,
N.C. A&T State University’s men’s head
basketball coach.
Peacemaker: Last year’s team finished what record-wise?
Eaves: 15-16
Peacemaker: Conference?
Eaves: 10-8 and third in the tournament.
Peacemaker: Tell me about this year’s team. What are you looking for?
Eaves: Primarily, senior laden team. We have six young men. Four of them have been with the program for four years, so they understand the program. They know what we have been trying to build since we went to A&T with the 1-26. It’s a year where our young men are not going to be afraid to go out and win the conference.
Peacemaker: Do you have any players that are going to be impact players?
Eaves: I brought in three young men. I think all of them will contribute. A junior college player named Ed Jones from Butler Community College; 6’7” can shoot the perimeter shot. Thomas Coleman is a 6’8”, 235 lb. young man from Louisville, Kentucky. He is going to help us in the pivot. We also brought in another 6’8” young man from Orlando, Florida, Cameron Shepherd, who is very skilled, he just has to learn to play the college game. We have brought in three kids who will help us size-wise, because we were so small last year.
Peacemaker: Guards Austin Ewing, Steven Rush and forward Jason Wills – will that be the core for this year’s team?
Eaves: Absolutely. They are definitely going to be the core of the team. They are the senior leadership. We have a lot of players that help us do things, but definitely they are going to have a large leadership role making sure the three players we brought in understand what we are trying to do here and they will be playing to the best of their ability because they are seniors.
Peacemaker: Will your lineup depend on the style of the team you are playing or will you have a set line up?
Eaves: I have always had a set up. I never change for my opponents. I prepare for what we are going to do and it really doesn’t make any difference if we have three seven footers or if they were all guards. We are going to play the same way. We are going to press ninety-four feet. We are going to play our way and that’s the way we have always done. I’m not really concerned with the opponent.
Peacemaker: Is your game still going to be up-tempo?
Eaves: Absolutely.
Peacemaker: When you look at the conference this year (taking your team out of the mix) is this going to be one of the most balanced MEAC?
Eaves: Well, there is a lot of talent, S.C. State has a lot of talent, Hampton has a ton of talent, Delaware State has a ton of talent, and FAMU has always had a ton of talent. I don’t know what’s happened with their recruits. I heard they lost two after Mike Gillespie left. I know about the four when they were there and they had a ton of talent. So I want to say again that Morgan is going to have a nice selection of talent. I want to say that there are about six teams in our conference that are very talented. Last year I think I lost three home games and won 4 or 5 on the road. I would like to limit that down to two home conference losses out of the nine that we have and the two at home, eight and one at home somewhere in that ballgame and try to win four or five of our road games. That’s what I would like to do in the conference.
Peacemaker: Do you have a crazy schedule where you travel on the road across the country – better known as money guarantee games?
Eaves: Oh yeah, I have to play to get paid games and I really don’t mind. That’s a good gauge for your team, you can see a lot of things that you are supposed to work on in November and December. I tell my staff all the time, championships are not won in November and December, championships are won in February and March so we go out and we learn a lot for those games.
N.C. A&T men’s and women’s hoops picked third in MEAC poll
by Joe Daniels
Carolina Peacemaker
Originally posted 10/19/2007
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) recently held its annual Basketball Tip-Off at Raleigh’s Sheraton Hotel. The Lady Aggies’ Amber Bland, a 5’10” junior guard, was named to the 2007-08 All-MEAC first team. Bland led the conference in scoring with a 19.6 average, and was 21st in the nation scoring.
N.C. A&T Women’s Head Basketball Coach Patricia-Cage Bibbs
Peacemaker: How did last year’s team finish?
Bibbs: We finished tied for second place (Delaware State) with a 12-6 MEAC mark and 17-13 overall.
Peacemaker: How many players do you have returning?
Bibbs: We have 8 or 9 players returning from last year. I did not lose any players.
Peacemaker: Do you have some impact players that are going to help junior All-MEAC guard Amber Bland and sophomore point guard Ta’ Wuana Cook?
Bibbs: What we are going for is 28-0. This year we brought in three freshmen. We brought in a girl by the name of Jalessa Sams. She is from New Castle, Pennsylvannia. She will be an impact player at 5’11”. We feel really good about Sams. She is a highly recruited young lady. The only thing about freshmen is they have to get acclimated, but I think with her work ethic that we have seen thus far, it will not be a problem with her.
Brittane Neely a 6’2” post player comes from Alexandria, Virginia. She is going to help us a lot, because you know we were hurt a lot in that post position last year, we just were not deep. Also, Taryan Russ, she is from Virginia.
Peacemaker: How big is she?
Bibbs: Taryan is a guard, a point guard, so that will help Ta’ Wana Cook in that guard position. But we do have two ladies that were with us last year, both transfer students. One was a junior college player, Nancy Rembert, who didn’t play for us last year but she is ready now.
Peacemaker: Is she frontcourt?
Bibbs: Yes, she can play the combo 1 & 2 or 2 & 3 and then we have Tyronnica Alford, who is from Thomasville, four time state champions and she transferred in from Asheville.
Peacemaker: What happened to the young lady who got hurt at the end of the season?
Bibbs: LaMona Smalley. She got hurt in January. It really hurt us because she was leading the conference in rebounding. She has worked extremely hard over the summer. Smalley has gotten in rehab and they have given her the clearance to play. She is definitely in better shape than she was last year.
Peacemaker: Have they done anything this summer that is going to improve their game – maybe conditioning, somebody works on the jumping, little fundamental things like boxing out?
Bibbs: We understand the fundamentals we are involved in. The last thing we told them when they left in April was to make sure they work on their weaknesses. Everybody always works on their strengths. You do not have to do that. Someone like Bland, you would think that she doesn’t have any weaknesses, yet there is always some room for improvement. So we just told them to work on those things. And over the summer, the girls that were in summer school, you could see them working out hitting the weights. We have a great strength coach this year. He has really been pushing them through the conditioning. It is really great.
Peacemaker: When you look at the conference, who are the teams that you would say are 1, 2, and 3 or have the coaches and SIDs already made a selection to the placements of the team?
Bibbs: Yes, pre-season picks, I am sure they have. We will probably get that. They have not announced it but every team has improved, they have gotten better players and that’s what you always want to see in your conference. But, you have teams like Delaware State who did not lose any players. They have everybody returning. Coppin State players, Florida A&M picked up some great players. You have all these teams. Anybody can beat you. I would say that they have done a great job at recruiting.
Peacemaker: If you do not have any injuries and you can hold court and steal some on the road, you can be in the pie mix.
Bibbs: Now, we are going to have a piece of that pie – A big piece of that pie, that’s what we are looking for. And, you have to get your kids thinking like that. They are motivated; I see that in their work ethic. I would like to have the whole pie. That’s what we are going for, but you know how things could happen, no injuries and free from sicknesses and just keep them all healthy. That should be really good for us.
Peacemaker: How did your team finished last year record-wise overall?
Bibbs: We went 17-12 or 17-13 something like that.
Peacemaker: When is your first pre-season game or exhibition game?
Bibbs: Exhibitions start on the 3rd of November.
Peacemaker: Are you all playing at the coliseum or is that the guys?
Bibbs: I didn’t think the guys were playing in the coliseum this year, it’s not us. I know we play UNCG in their tournament over Thanksgiving. On Christmas, we are on our way to Texas to play Texas A&M and Baylor.
Peacemaker: Is the UNCG tournament an elminination tourney?
Bibbs: Yes. It is a tournament. We were at their tournament last year. I’m hoping that after this year that they will be coming to the dog pound. We don’t really need to be on the road as much as we are. We need someone coming to Corbett Sports Center.
Peacemaker: Do you have any seniors?
Bibbs: Rembert is a senior. She sat out last year and is the only senior.
Jerry Eaves,
N.C. A&T State University’s men’s head
basketball coach.
Peacemaker: Last year’s team finished what record-wise?
Eaves: 15-16
Peacemaker: Conference?
Eaves: 10-8 and third in the tournament.
Peacemaker: Tell me about this year’s team. What are you looking for?
Eaves: Primarily, senior laden team. We have six young men. Four of them have been with the program for four years, so they understand the program. They know what we have been trying to build since we went to A&T with the 1-26. It’s a year where our young men are not going to be afraid to go out and win the conference.
Peacemaker: Do you have any players that are going to be impact players?
Eaves: I brought in three young men. I think all of them will contribute. A junior college player named Ed Jones from Butler Community College; 6’7” can shoot the perimeter shot. Thomas Coleman is a 6’8”, 235 lb. young man from Louisville, Kentucky. He is going to help us in the pivot. We also brought in another 6’8” young man from Orlando, Florida, Cameron Shepherd, who is very skilled, he just has to learn to play the college game. We have brought in three kids who will help us size-wise, because we were so small last year.
Peacemaker: Guards Austin Ewing, Steven Rush and forward Jason Wills – will that be the core for this year’s team?
Eaves: Absolutely. They are definitely going to be the core of the team. They are the senior leadership. We have a lot of players that help us do things, but definitely they are going to have a large leadership role making sure the three players we brought in understand what we are trying to do here and they will be playing to the best of their ability because they are seniors.
Peacemaker: Will your lineup depend on the style of the team you are playing or will you have a set line up?
Eaves: I have always had a set up. I never change for my opponents. I prepare for what we are going to do and it really doesn’t make any difference if we have three seven footers or if they were all guards. We are going to play the same way. We are going to press ninety-four feet. We are going to play our way and that’s the way we have always done. I’m not really concerned with the opponent.
Peacemaker: Is your game still going to be up-tempo?
Eaves: Absolutely.
Peacemaker: When you look at the conference this year (taking your team out of the mix) is this going to be one of the most balanced MEAC?
Eaves: Well, there is a lot of talent, S.C. State has a lot of talent, Hampton has a ton of talent, Delaware State has a ton of talent, and FAMU has always had a ton of talent. I don’t know what’s happened with their recruits. I heard they lost two after Mike Gillespie left. I know about the four when they were there and they had a ton of talent. So I want to say again that Morgan is going to have a nice selection of talent. I want to say that there are about six teams in our conference that are very talented. Last year I think I lost three home games and won 4 or 5 on the road. I would like to limit that down to two home conference losses out of the nine that we have and the two at home, eight and one at home somewhere in that ballgame and try to win four or five of our road games. That’s what I would like to do in the conference.
Peacemaker: Do you have a crazy schedule where you travel on the road across the country – better known as money guarantee games?
Eaves: Oh yeah, I have to play to get paid games and I really don’t mind. That’s a good gauge for your team, you can see a lot of things that you are supposed to work on in November and December. I tell my staff all the time, championships are not won in November and December, championships are won in February and March so we go out and we learn a lot for those games.
