Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2007 16:08:10 GMT -5
Editor's Note: ESPN Insider has teamed with Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook to provide a comprehensive look at all 328 Division I teams. To order the complete 2007-08 edition of Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, visit www.blueribbonyearbook.com or call 1-866-805-BALL (2255).
(Information in this team report is as of October 1.)
COACH AND PROGRAM
There was a time not so long ago that the MEAC was dominated by one team -- North Carolina A&T, which won title after title in the 1980s under legendary head coach Don Cor-bett.
Eventually the MEAC got a little better and teams like Coppin State and South Carolina State emerged as legitimate threats to North Carolina A&T. Those programs even won some MEAC Tournaments and went to the NCAA Tournament a couple of times only to see the Aggies rebound and win the 1994 and '95 tournaments.
NCAT advanced to the 1997 MEAC title game before falling in overtime to a great Coppin State team that would come within two points of going to the ''Sweet 16.''
And that would be the last great memory for the Aggie program for a while as teams like Hampton, Florida A&M and others would roar pass North Carolina A&T. The Aggies were simply an afterthought in the MEAC race. They hit rock bottom four years ago when they went 1-26 and lost all 14 of their home games.
Enter former Louisville great Jerry Eaves, who came to North Carolina A&T in the spring of 2003 for his first head-coaching job. He would begin the painful process of trying to bring the Aggie program back.
Eaves would do it the hard way. No quick fixes. Build with freshmen, take a transfer here and there, but do it the right way.
It wasn't easy for Eaves, because like most teams in the MEAC, the Aggies had to play a demanding non-conference schedule to make money for the athletic department to sur-vive. They won just three games in his first year and then got six wins the next two seasons.
Finally last year, Eaves got to see some results. North Carolina A&T was one of the most improved teams in the country as the Aggies finished with a 15-17 overall record. The 15 wins were as many as North Carolina A&T had won the previous three years. Eaves' club advanced to the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament, where it lost a close game to even-tual champion Florida A&M.
And it could be like the old days this season. The Aggies return three starters and 11 letter-winners from last year's club. Everyone you talk to in the MEAC expects North Caro-lina A&T to be one of the teams to beat this year. Eaves expects his club to be a contender, as well.
''This year is a year where we definitely do have an opportunity,'' Eaves said. ''I think that we're one of the top three teams in the conference. That's the first time I've been able to say that in five years.''
PLAYERS
The core of this team is in the backcourt. North Carolina A&T returns both of its starters but also returns a first-team all-conference performer who doesn't start. Five-foot-11 sen-ior guard Steven Rush (17.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg) set an Aggie record for three-pointers made with 115 and was ranked third in the nation for three-pointers made in a game with 3.8. The UNC Asheville transfer made 40 percent of his 287 three-point attempts.
''Steven is a game changer,'' Eaves said. ''He has the ultimate confidence to make any shot he takes. You can knock him out of bounds and he can still hit the shot. He's an instant-offense guy.''
North Carolina A&T also returns 6-3 senior Angelo Hernandez (5.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and 5-11 senior point guard Austin Ewing (10.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg). Hernandez shot 52 percent from the field a year ago, but a puzzling 45 percent from the free-throw line.
Ewing was the Aggies' third-leading scorer and handed out 60 assists.
Six-foot sophomore Tavarus Alston (1.9 ppg, 0.6 rpg) and 6-3 senior Glenn Nelson (4.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg) provide depth in the backcourt. Alston played sparingly last year. Nelson started five times. Too bad he didn't attempt enough free throws to qualify for NCAA statistics. Alston shot .923 (36-of-39) from the line.
The frontcourt will be led by 6-8 senior Jason Willis (13.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg) and 6-6 senior Trahern Chaplain (5.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg). Willis earned second-team all-conference honors last year. He shot 51 percent from the field and was second on the team in assists with 71. Chaplain started 20 games.
Eaves and his staff went looking for inside help on the recruiting trail because the Aggies graduated two of their larger players last season in Walter Booth and Greg Roberts.
Eaves believes they'll be replaced by three of the signees: 6-7 junior college transfer Ed Jones, 6-9 freshman Thomas Coleman and 6-8 freshman Kam Shepherd.
Jones journeys to Greensboro after an excellent JUCO career at Butler Community College in Kansas. He averaged 10 points and four rebounds last season.
''Ed is extremely athletic and quick off his feet,'' Eaves said. ''He can knock down a jump shot and is the perfect fit for the style I like to play. Ed averaged 10 points at Butler and that translates to 20-23 points in our league.''
Coleman played at Jeffersontown High School in Louisville. Eaves knows that area well after playing for the Louisville program and leading the Cards to the 1980 national title. Coleman was a second-team all-state selection after averaging 13 points and 10 rebounds per game.
''Thomas will truly make us a very good team on the boards and offensively with his body and ability,'' Eaves said. ''He gives us a presence on the boards and makes us a better defensive team.''
Eaves believes he got a steal in Shepherd. The freshman power forward played at Osceola High School in Florida and averaged 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds last year.
''I think I stole one with Kam,'' Eaves said. ''When he comes in, he will be the big man we need to have. He can really do it all -- dribble, pass and shoot.''
And there are some returning players as well -- 6-9 junior center James Porter should improve from his 0.8 points and 1.0 rebound averages from a year ago, and 6-6 junior for-ward Nicholas Wilson averaged 3.3 points last season.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
BACKCOURT: B
BENCH/DEPTH: C+
FRONTCOURT: C+
INTANGIBLES: B
We don't want to put any pressure on the nice job Jerry Eaves is doing at North Carolina A&T, but if the Aggies are going to win the league, this better be the year. Seven seniors are on the roster, and you don't get a player like Rush every year, a player who can come off the bench to score like he does.
We think it'll be a race between North Carolina A&T and Hampton for first place this year, and of course in the wild and crazy world of the MEAC Tournament, anything can happen (and often does).
North Carolina A&T Aggies
Last Season 15-17 (.469)
Conference Record 10-8 (t-3rd)
Starters Lost/Returning 2/3
Coach Jerry Eaves (Louisville '86)
Record At School 30-89 (4 years)
Career Record 30-89 (4 years)
RPI Last 5 years 323-323-314-324-271
For the most comprehensive previews available on all 328 Division I teams, order the "Bible" of college basketball, the 2007-08 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, at www.blueribbonyearbook.com or call 1-866-805-BALL (2255).
I believe that this squad will sweep the MEAC Reg. Season and Tourney titles, win 20 plus games, go undefeated at Corbett AKA THE DAWG POUND!, and upset a major conference team with our style of play.
(Information in this team report is as of October 1.)
COACH AND PROGRAM
There was a time not so long ago that the MEAC was dominated by one team -- North Carolina A&T, which won title after title in the 1980s under legendary head coach Don Cor-bett.
Eventually the MEAC got a little better and teams like Coppin State and South Carolina State emerged as legitimate threats to North Carolina A&T. Those programs even won some MEAC Tournaments and went to the NCAA Tournament a couple of times only to see the Aggies rebound and win the 1994 and '95 tournaments.
NCAT advanced to the 1997 MEAC title game before falling in overtime to a great Coppin State team that would come within two points of going to the ''Sweet 16.''
And that would be the last great memory for the Aggie program for a while as teams like Hampton, Florida A&M and others would roar pass North Carolina A&T. The Aggies were simply an afterthought in the MEAC race. They hit rock bottom four years ago when they went 1-26 and lost all 14 of their home games.
Enter former Louisville great Jerry Eaves, who came to North Carolina A&T in the spring of 2003 for his first head-coaching job. He would begin the painful process of trying to bring the Aggie program back.
Eaves would do it the hard way. No quick fixes. Build with freshmen, take a transfer here and there, but do it the right way.
It wasn't easy for Eaves, because like most teams in the MEAC, the Aggies had to play a demanding non-conference schedule to make money for the athletic department to sur-vive. They won just three games in his first year and then got six wins the next two seasons.
Finally last year, Eaves got to see some results. North Carolina A&T was one of the most improved teams in the country as the Aggies finished with a 15-17 overall record. The 15 wins were as many as North Carolina A&T had won the previous three years. Eaves' club advanced to the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament, where it lost a close game to even-tual champion Florida A&M.
And it could be like the old days this season. The Aggies return three starters and 11 letter-winners from last year's club. Everyone you talk to in the MEAC expects North Caro-lina A&T to be one of the teams to beat this year. Eaves expects his club to be a contender, as well.
''This year is a year where we definitely do have an opportunity,'' Eaves said. ''I think that we're one of the top three teams in the conference. That's the first time I've been able to say that in five years.''
PLAYERS
The core of this team is in the backcourt. North Carolina A&T returns both of its starters but also returns a first-team all-conference performer who doesn't start. Five-foot-11 sen-ior guard Steven Rush (17.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg) set an Aggie record for three-pointers made with 115 and was ranked third in the nation for three-pointers made in a game with 3.8. The UNC Asheville transfer made 40 percent of his 287 three-point attempts.
''Steven is a game changer,'' Eaves said. ''He has the ultimate confidence to make any shot he takes. You can knock him out of bounds and he can still hit the shot. He's an instant-offense guy.''
North Carolina A&T also returns 6-3 senior Angelo Hernandez (5.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and 5-11 senior point guard Austin Ewing (10.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg). Hernandez shot 52 percent from the field a year ago, but a puzzling 45 percent from the free-throw line.
Ewing was the Aggies' third-leading scorer and handed out 60 assists.
Six-foot sophomore Tavarus Alston (1.9 ppg, 0.6 rpg) and 6-3 senior Glenn Nelson (4.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg) provide depth in the backcourt. Alston played sparingly last year. Nelson started five times. Too bad he didn't attempt enough free throws to qualify for NCAA statistics. Alston shot .923 (36-of-39) from the line.
The frontcourt will be led by 6-8 senior Jason Willis (13.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg) and 6-6 senior Trahern Chaplain (5.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg). Willis earned second-team all-conference honors last year. He shot 51 percent from the field and was second on the team in assists with 71. Chaplain started 20 games.
Eaves and his staff went looking for inside help on the recruiting trail because the Aggies graduated two of their larger players last season in Walter Booth and Greg Roberts.
Eaves believes they'll be replaced by three of the signees: 6-7 junior college transfer Ed Jones, 6-9 freshman Thomas Coleman and 6-8 freshman Kam Shepherd.
Jones journeys to Greensboro after an excellent JUCO career at Butler Community College in Kansas. He averaged 10 points and four rebounds last season.
''Ed is extremely athletic and quick off his feet,'' Eaves said. ''He can knock down a jump shot and is the perfect fit for the style I like to play. Ed averaged 10 points at Butler and that translates to 20-23 points in our league.''
Coleman played at Jeffersontown High School in Louisville. Eaves knows that area well after playing for the Louisville program and leading the Cards to the 1980 national title. Coleman was a second-team all-state selection after averaging 13 points and 10 rebounds per game.
''Thomas will truly make us a very good team on the boards and offensively with his body and ability,'' Eaves said. ''He gives us a presence on the boards and makes us a better defensive team.''
Eaves believes he got a steal in Shepherd. The freshman power forward played at Osceola High School in Florida and averaged 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds last year.
''I think I stole one with Kam,'' Eaves said. ''When he comes in, he will be the big man we need to have. He can really do it all -- dribble, pass and shoot.''
And there are some returning players as well -- 6-9 junior center James Porter should improve from his 0.8 points and 1.0 rebound averages from a year ago, and 6-6 junior for-ward Nicholas Wilson averaged 3.3 points last season.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
BACKCOURT: B
BENCH/DEPTH: C+
FRONTCOURT: C+
INTANGIBLES: B
We don't want to put any pressure on the nice job Jerry Eaves is doing at North Carolina A&T, but if the Aggies are going to win the league, this better be the year. Seven seniors are on the roster, and you don't get a player like Rush every year, a player who can come off the bench to score like he does.
We think it'll be a race between North Carolina A&T and Hampton for first place this year, and of course in the wild and crazy world of the MEAC Tournament, anything can happen (and often does).
North Carolina A&T Aggies
Last Season 15-17 (.469)
Conference Record 10-8 (t-3rd)
Starters Lost/Returning 2/3
Coach Jerry Eaves (Louisville '86)
Record At School 30-89 (4 years)
Career Record 30-89 (4 years)
RPI Last 5 years 323-323-314-324-271
For the most comprehensive previews available on all 328 Division I teams, order the "Bible" of college basketball, the 2007-08 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, at www.blueribbonyearbook.com or call 1-866-805-BALL (2255).
I believe that this squad will sweep the MEAC Reg. Season and Tourney titles, win 20 plus games, go undefeated at Corbett AKA THE DAWG POUND!, and upset a major conference team with our style of play.
