2009-10 Lady Aggies Preview

The Lady Aggies of North Carolina A&T will hit the ground running to start the 2009-10 season.

They’ll start off by playing in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament, beginning with a match-up against Marist in Poughkeepsie, NY. They will then head to a prestigious tournament in New Mexico, and then come back home to face Auburn in Corbett on December 1st.

Coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs will say hello to some old friends in Norfolk (having coached at Hampton University) and then will head to Louisiana (having coached at Grambling), to play in an LSU tournament.

The MEAC Champs are not competing against pretenders, they are going after contenders. The A&T fans are realizing that something special is happening now with the Lady Aggie program.

Who’s gone?

The key losses to this team are Amber Bland and Brittanie Taylor-James. These two potential Hall of Famers will definitely be missed.

Who’s New?

Five new faces will grace the Corbett/Irvin court this year. They have two possible centers to choose from in redshirt junior Lonise Coulter (6-2) and true freshman Nikia Gorham (6-2). A&T also has a tall guard/forward in sophomore Crystal Murdaugh (6-0), and two athletic guards in freshmen JaQuayla Berry (5-11) and Amber Calvin (5-8). Speed and height will allow the Aggies to diversify the attack and defense.

The Aggies looked small against Florida State in the ‘big dance’ and had to use their quickness to pull within three pts in the second half. They just ran out of steam. This new edition will have more options.

Who to watch:

The Aggies return five seniors in guard Tyronnica ‘Wudi’Alford ( 5-8); guard Ta’Wuana ‘Tweet’ Cook ( 5-8); forward Shantar Waddell ( 6-1); guard Reisha Bullock ( 5-9); and power forward Lamona Smalley (6-0). This five would hold its own against most league foes. But the Aggies still have guard/forward Jaleesa Sams G/F, (27 mins, 9.2 ppg); guard Tierra Thomas (17.4 mins, 4.5 ppg.) and center Nakia DeBlanc (14 mins, 4.3 ppg). With this roster Coach Bibbs will definitely be giving some opposing teams a work out. I have seen her team press an opponent for almost an entire game. They Lady Aggies caused 23.9 turnovers per game last season, and averaged 12.2 steals per game. They were 10-0 at home and 15-1 in the conference.

These sisters can flat out ball!


Final Projection:

The Lady Aggies should repeat as MEAC Champs. I can’t wait to see the new faces, and I will love the fire of the returning players. That defensive ‘trap’ is a thing of beauty! They averaged 1,030 fans last season at home, and with Auburn coming to Corbett to open the season it should make for a special game.

I suggest that you ‘hit the ground running’ to see this team this year.



part two:

2009-10 Men's Basketball Preview

The North Carolina A&T men will start the 2009-10 basketball season looking to build on last year’s 16-16 overall record.

The Aggie faithful found a few things to cheer about last season, with the team winning 10 out of 12 home games and also embarking on an eye-raising eight game winning streak during the month of February.

Fans remembered the 2005 accolade given by Street & Smith’s magazine that ranked the A&T men’s program 62nd best of all time. For a while last season it looked like the team might be getting back to that former glory and peaking at the right time. However, a couple of close losses against Hampton (58-59) and at Norfolk (61-74) took away some of the late season steam. Then, the 63-66 loss to Coppin State in the quarterfinals of the MEAC Tournament left the fans wanting and wondering.

But now it’s a new season for the NABC District 15 Coach of the Year, Jerry Eaves.

The Aggies have two starters returning in senior guard Tavarus Alston (11.1 ppg, 4.1 apg.) and forward /center Thomas Coleman (7.7 ppg., 6.3 rebs., 2.7 blks. ). With those two stars, it looks like the Aggies will be poised to challenge Morgan State for the MEAC title.


Who's Gone?

The key losses to the roster are forward Ed Jones ( 12.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and forward Nicholas Wilson (10.3 ppg., 4.5 rpg.) These two players hit some big shots last season and will be missed.

Who’s New?

This is a tall class of incoming freshmen, who are all 6-foot-3 or better. This seems to be a solid unit.

* Lawrence Smith (F) 6-5, 195 lbs.
* R J Buck (G) 6-3, 192 lbs.
* Adrian Powell (F) 6-6, 188 lbs.
* Austin Witter (G/F) 6-8 195 lbs.
* DeMetrius Upchurch (F) 6-7 210 lbs.

Players to watch:

* Senior Tavarus Alston got the needed minutes last year and hit some big shots. I expect him to really shine and to display some of the gained confidence from the Pro-Am Summer league.

* Senior Dwane Joshua played in the Pro-Am Summer league also and he is not afraid to take a shot. He got many open looks last year and should be set up nicely by the offensive scheme this year.

*Junior forward/center Thomas Coleman may be the true nightmare for the foes in the league. His shot blocking skills had the fans hyped. Coleman had 85 blocks last year, and finished 14th in the nation. (http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-baskbl/stat....s-per-game.html). He and Tavarus Alston revealed a ‘two-man game’ late in the season that showed the potential of what is possible this year.

*Senior center James Porter did not play last season but should help in the middle and free up Thomas Coleman defensively. Porter needs to attack the basket for points, draw fouls and rebound.

*Sophomore guard Marc Hill (3.2 ppg, 1.6 apg) will push the ball with speed. He needs to get his points thru the fast break. His minuets will be valuable to the running and pressing team.

*Senior Robert Johnson (F) 9.8ppg, 4.5rpg is the key. I expect him to really become a leader on the team. Rob can ‘finish’ the play and defend. I feel that he will have a big year.


Final Projection:

Well I think that this team has the potential to win the MEAC if these things happen:

* Limit the turnovers (they had an 18.1 turnover average per game last year).
* Improve the field goal percentage (they had a 42% average last year).
* Improve the free throw percentage (they had a 63% average last year), but lost a few close games with misses down the stretch.
* Continue to play good defense (they caused 17.1 turnovers per game)

Even when we struggled offensively last season, we still got open looks and played good defense. Of course I expect Coleman to be improved offensively, and if one or more of the newcomers can really contribute I can see Coach Eaves using a wave of defensive pressure to get some easy points for the freshmen. Now add the atmosphere of the Corbett Center crowd that averaged 2,272 fans per game, along with the Aggie Maniacs and Live Wires, and you have a tough team to beat.

I think that A&T can turn the corner and win a title. Mind you, I’m still spoiled from that 1981 NIT game against a Duke team featuring Gene Banks and Kenny Dennard, when we only lost by a score of 69-79. A&T's Joe Binion had 18 points in that contest and James Anderson added 19. The only A&T player to have an off night in that game was Harold Royster, who recorded four points and 10 rebounds. But back then, we would lace them up and ball with anyone!

Hopefully, this year's team can perform on the same level as the 1981 squad. Let's get it started!



part two:



Part three:

Reflections on the MEAC Tournament

Overall, I think the best teams won last weekend. The N.C. A&T Lady Aggies and the Morgan State Bears were just the better teams. The Lady Aggies showed true heart and won the title for the first time since 1994. Here are just some quick thoughts that I want to hit you with. Sorry, but I need to do it like this because I’m still running on fumes. I feel like I've just done back-to-back ‘2-to-6’s (2am to 6am parties).

The Lady Aggies:

• Coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs represented the school and MEAC well. She made history with her third conference title at three different schools. C. Vivian Stringer’s work has some parallels, but Bibbs is unique.
  
• The Lady Aggies play defense and block shots
  
• This team will dive for loose balls and try to achieve a jump ball.
  
• Brittanie Taylor-James and Amber Bland are so humble off the court. It's funny, but when A&T starts to build a lead the other teams in our conference try to get physical and/or fight the Lady Aggies. Bibbs said her players knew that if they retaliated they would hurt their team and get suspended for the next game. The sisters walked away from it and just huddled. Then they went on a run! Enough said!
  
• The Lady Aggies’ bench really came in and added to the lead, therefore our squad next year looks like it will continue to be a good one.
  
• The Aggie Fans showed much respect for women’s basketball in Winston Salem last weekend. There were many people from other schools that said that they liked this about us.

By the way, check out my exclusive interview with the 2009 MEAC Champion Lady Aggies after their win in Saturday's title game:



A&T Men:

• The Aggie Men had a good year…pound for pound. They surprised everyone with their midseason winning streak.
  
• The men will have some key people returning next year.
  
• Eaves and company made the Aggie Fans proud this year; the team made some big shots and they are good students.
  
• Coach Eaves was really disappointed with the tournament loss.
  
• I really look forward to seeing how the men will bounce back next year. I felt that we could have probably given Morgan trouble in the MEAC Tournament if we had gotten past Coppin State.

The Tournament:

• Winston-Salem was glad to get the tournament this year.
  
• The league needs more activities for the youth.
  
• The weather was rough, but the men’s championship game was nearly full in the bottom of the arena.
  
• The Micheal Baisden/ Ledesi show fooled everyone. It seemed like it would be a show and after party. The show ended at 11PM and they turned it out! WTF! People were looking around at one another. The Doug E Fresh gig did it correctly. It was a show and an after party. Club 411 had the Thursday night R&R production with live music and after party. It was worth the money. I’m letting the other $25-$30 promoters have their stuff. They have to learn the hard way that one needs to keep the prices low.The Tom Joyner party started too late (11- something I heard) and ended too early (2 AM). Maybe all of the Aggieland parties have spoiled me. I, at least, expect a 3 AM party.
  
• The businesses on 4th street did not do that well.
  
• The league should request that the hotel add ESPNU to the lineup (for the delayed women’s championship broadcast. I had to hunt around town just to find it, and the game was played in Lawrence Joel!
  
• The timeouts during the games were balanced very well. They were not top heavy with commercials. Therefore, the bands showed out and entertained many of the younger fans. Plus, they can play everything and chant as well. They also played some gospel songs before the games started.
  Morgan State’s band and others started the wave. The changed the directions, made it fast and slowed it down…causing the announcer to remark, “the MEAC is in slow motion”.
  
• Mr. MEAC (who dances), and Mr. CIAA (who styles in suits) were both there. Man, they are something! They made the older sisters smile and the younger brothers shake their heads in admiration.
  
• WSSU and NCCU represented the future of the conference. They played a scrappy game, and both had their bands and cheerleaders in attendance. It meant a lot to these schools to be there, especially NCCU who is still without a conference home.
  
• The ticket prices need to be lowered for the upper deck…just to pack the place with families.
  
• The demographic seems to be 45+.
  
• The conference needs to do more to get the ‘city folk” involved. The CIAA has a fan expo in the convention center with facials, cooking, contests, cars and a sound stage with the line-up posted. They also had the "turnstiles" and the doors. There were kiddies everywhere. The MEAC could have the top of the Benton Convention Center full of the local beauticians (paid by the league) doing eyes, ect. and maybe have some barbers cutting hair … along with a gaming area and kiddie stuff. Also, give the vendors a low price and make it a market place.

Lastly, congrats to both Aggie basketball teams this year. They made us all proud.

May I have this Dance?

The fine and talented Lady Aggies are on a mission.

Are you the type of guy who’s afraid to ask the “fine” woman for a dance? Or are you the type who says “#%*k it!, you only live once. Come on Baby, lets do it. I like this song” - and then you go grab her hand!??

The Aggies want to go to the Big Dance (the NCAA Tournament) this year. They have played hurt, they have been helped by their bench, and they have beaten teams by 20 points or more. They beat ECU & UNCC after a noted rough-house battle.

Now here they are. Ready for their chance. Delaware State and Hampton are nipping at their heels, but the Lady Aggies want to dance.

They owe it to Coach Bibbs and to the entire Lady Aggie basketball program. We have been shut out of the dance too long. The A&T football team is rebuilding and the fans are noticing the greatness of this squad. The Lady Aggies will take the floor today at 12:30 PM against the Howard Lady Bison, who knocked off Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday. These A&T women want to Dance. They do not want to sit at home during March.

They are too “Fine” of a team to be wallflowers.

The Battle in Tobacco Town

The A&T men will journey to Winston Salem, N.C. this week to seek the MEAC basketball crown.

It’s been a good year for the Aggies, but unfortunately they lost their hold on second place during the last weekend of the regular season. Ironically, Hampton started our winning streak when we were struggling, and Hampton stopped our willing streak when we were rolling.

The city of Winston-Salem is known for its tobacco heritage. Greensboro is just 20 minutes away and the conference hopes that the MEAC tournament grows while it’s there. The MEAC needs a good A&T team to boost the attendance. The Aggies play on Thursday night at 8pm against Coppin State and this is going to be a tough contest.

The Aggies do not want a “one and done” appearance. And Winston-Salem does not want it either.

Morgan State is unquestionably the team to beat this week but South Carolina State has some very tough inside players. But guess what - the Aggies themselves are tough to match up against.

They sport a balanced attack and will cause problems for every team they face. You can also expect Hampton, Norfolk and pesky Delaware State to keep things interesting.

The majority of tobacco road crowd will be pulling for A&T this week. And personally, I expect the Aggies to handle Coppin in the first round.

Silence of the Rams II

Look out! The Lady Aggies just lost a game this week to a conference team, Delaware State.

I never saw the movie, but I know that The Silence of The Lambs was supposed to be very scary. This game will not be scary for the Lady Aggie basketball fans, but it will be scary for Winston Salem State.

Tip-off is at 2pm. The Lady Aggies are still playing good ball. Plus, this is being designated as a Pack the House Challenge game.

I expect a big crowd but a 'Silent' one ... at least from the WSSU fans as they watch the surgery.

A&T is still a special team.

Tobacco Road II

Well, well, well. The Aggie men will face Tobacco Road foe Winston-Salem State this Saturday at 4pm.

Whenever one picks tobacco (called priming) you do a “round the world” type of sweep with your hand on the stalk, which grabs three or four leaves at one time.

Also, you start with the bottom leaves first, and you come back later for another sweep in a week as the remaining leaves that are higher on the stalk ripen. Your back is bent for the entire row (except to load the wagon), as opposed to bobbin’ up and down for each stalk.

The Aggie men have now faced all the MEAC teams and went from losing to those at the bottom, to climbing into a log-jam for second place. Just as you cannot pick the tobacco leaves too early, this team had to ripen on its own. We are now poised the play the same teams again in OUR place (except Norfolk), and we''ll go down the row again ... starting with WSSU.

This will be a good game. This game will sell out. This game turned away people last year who were chilling with their friends and decided to walk over to the gym five minutes after tip-off. They got turned away.

This is Clarence “Big House' Gaines /Cal Irwin/ Don Corbett”, big.

I still remember Carlos Terry and James "The Bird" Sparrow from those games of yesteryear. Both were drafted in the fifth round that year(The Phil Ford Draft). http://www.insidehoops.com/nba-draft/1978.shtml

This will be the only sell-out for us this season. We need the money this match-up brings and so does WSSU. The Rams will come across the Yadkin River searching for a win on Saturday. They'll be led by Brian Fisher (13.8 ppg) and Jamal Durham (13.3 ppg). And I have not seen A&T at .500 this late in the season in a long, long time.

Tobacco road … with another row to work. Where hard work comes with every job, the hot sun becomes sweat, and a song in your head becomes your best friend.

This will be THE game of the Triad this weekend.

Rear-view mirror

The Lady Aggies are rolling (11-0 in conference play). But so is Delaware State (9-2).

This game is on ESPNU at 4:30 PM, so don’t go straight home after work. You may want to head right over to the sports bar for this one.

During the last meeting against these two teams in Greensboro, A&T had to come back from 15 points down in the second half, before prevailing 56-51. I expect the Lady Aggies to win again tonight, and this could be the best game of the evening.

Even though Delaware State is tough at home (10-1), this Lady Aggie team deserves to be on TV.

They are driving towards a title and must make sure DSU remains in the rear-view mirror.

Aggie men on TV

The Aggie men will play Delaware State on ESPNU tonight at 7pm. This is a big game. A&T needs to win in order to stay in the race for 2nd place.

The Hornets, with their controlled offense which makes you play defense for the entire shot clock, are a pain.

If they miss and get the rebound, then there you go again. The next thing you know, it's five minutes left in the game and you still haven't gotten into an offensive groove. Then, every shot or free throw you attempt becomes a big one. It gets magnified.

Plus DSU has what I call a “jump trap” which appears at first like a normal zone and then traps your guards while your other players are in motion and setting picks with their backs turned. They rock you to sleep with a zone … and then spring the jump trap!

The Hornets are at home tonight will be led by Donald Johnson (12.0 ppg) and Frisco Sandidge (11.2 ppg). Memorial Hall Gym should be packed.

The Aggies on the other hand, must position a man in the middle during this jump trap, and attack it. DSU is tough on both offense and defense. Thomas Coleman will be the key. He has to have a good game and get offensive rebounds. We will win this game if we play solid ball. I can’t put a spin on this one. This is the mid-term exam and the next-to-last road game.

It’s showtime!

The Lady Aggies are hot!

By the time I made it to the Bethune-Cookman/A&T game this past Monday, the A&T starters were already finished. The commute from Raleigh/Durham, along with the time it took to mix that ole Scott Hall recipe, set me back a little!

But honestly, this is not a bad thing. The Lady Aggies’ bench is really stepping up and contributing down the stretch. What can you say? A&T is just playing extremely well right now. This team is Hot! It’s hot like that “physical plant steam” cutting through the hawk at 3 AM in the winter, as you walk over a steam man-hole across campus.

Brittanie Taylor-James is playing at a very high level. According to ESPN, she currently ranks 37th in the nation in scoring with a 17.9 ppg average thru Feb 8th ( http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/leaders?year=2009&cat=1&type=1 )

Right now, this A&T team is creating its own history in Aggieland. They will face Maryland-Eastern Shore on Saturday at 2pm. The UMES Lady Hawks lost to the second placed Delaware State Lady Hornets by two points back in December, and they also suffered a two-point defeat to Coppin State on February 2nd. However, when UMES faced the Lady Aggies in Greensboro earlier this year, they were blown out.

UMES may show up, but don’t forget that steam is water that has heated up. It can run you out of a room like a Scott Hall radiator, and these Lady Aggies will run you off of the court.

The Aggie Men are on the Move

Man, I thought we already played UMES up in Maryland! (Blame that on to my summer at UNC-G).

Shucks. Well anyway, let’s just go up there and sweep this team again.

The Hawks will have to bring back Art Shell to hold the “Dawgs” off this time. This A&T team has found something special. They will march into Maryland-Eastern Shore with a belly full of Greensboro cornbread and farm milk, FAMU snake meat and BCU sweet potato pie.

It’s like a man who just won big at last week's crap game. He’ll go back to the game with a little money to burn and he’ll be loose with it.

A&T dodged a bullet in Hampton and then found itself back in the hunt for a first-round bye in the upcoming MEAC tournament. It swept the Florida teams like a hurricane and looked around and thought, ‘hey, we might not be winning pretty (free throws and turnovers) … but here we are!”

Yes, this current winning streak is the best news we’ve had since the Norfolk win. Can our Dwaine “Pee Wee" Board disciples push back their ‘Art Shell’ protégées? Can we 'move' on up into second place?

We need to kick in the door, and not play with this team! UMES is led by junior forward Neal Pitt (6-6, 230 lb/16.6 ppg). Tip-off is at Saturday at 4 PM

Move over, second place. Here we come!

The Spring Break is Over

The Lady Aggies will meet Bethune-Cookman on Monday night at 6 PM.

Aaaah ... BCU, with Daytona Beach and Black College Spring Break Weekend. The good life!

However ...(waking up)... we are on tobacco road now. With the blues as a neighbor and hard work in every direction. A&T has a farm, with dirt and grit. It’s where you plant, wait for it to grow, work to harvest it, THEN you eat - in that order!

The Lady Aggies grinded out a win against FAMU on Saturday, with the A&T starters struggling and the team taking 78 shots! Were the Lady Aggies on break? Well the "Spring Break" is over.

One should expect this A&T team to start rolling again. They learned that their bench, with Tierra Thomas (10 points) and Reisha Bullock (9 point), can help down the stretch in case of foul trouble or an off night by the top scorers.

Meanwhile, the Lady Wildcats, led by Sarah Bolden's 22 points, had all of their starting five in double figures in a win against Norfolk this past weekend. But in all honesty, NSU is struggling.

The Lady Aggies should be OK. The Spring Break is over. For BCU, it will be a rude awaking.

Bethune-Cookman and Sweet Potato Pie

Back in the day, the word is that Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune sold sweet potato pies to keep her young school open. Well, that definitely sounds like an enticing idea for the Aggie men right now, who could bring a thermos of their own "Aggie Farm" milk to the table (filled to the brim from the cafe and slipped out in a knapsack).

The Monday night meeting will feature a Bethune-Cookman team that is “fat” (the Wildcats are currently in 2nd place) and tired (guard C.J. Reed played 40 minutes and scored 12 points) in a win against Norfolk. A&T, on the other hand, had been surviving on scraps until recently.

They received no crab cakes from the Baltimore teams. The received no fish from the Eastern Shore and no Bison burgers in DC.

Weakened, and on the outside looking in, they finally stalked Hampton and "jumped them" with a last second shot. They had enough food to make it back to Greensboro, helped by the "dog -eat- dog" battles in the MEAC that left the pot unattended by everyone except for Morgan. Then FAMU offered some "snake meat", and Thomas Coleman came alive. Now, the desert...BCU sweet potato pie!

Pass that pie over here, Brother! The Aggie Dawgs want to join the pack, near the top of the league. The 8pm start will feature a Wildcat team with aforementioned C.J.Reed (14.3 ppg) and forward John Holmes (10.0 ppg). This is now a big game for a piece of the "big pie" - a seat at the table with the league leaders and a first-round bye in the tournament.

Save me some!

The Lady Aggies set their sights on FAMU

The North Carolina A&T women will face Florida A&M on Saturday at 2pm.

The Lady Aggies were tested by Hampton on Monday night, down to the last minute, and showed the heart of a champion with big shots down the stretch.

The "Let’s Pack the Pound Again" promotion is underway to showcase this MEAC- leading Lady Aggie squad. A&T has only had four home games this season and is running on fumes from its recent road trip. FAMU is paced by seniors Stephanie Foster (13.5 ppg) and Deidra Jones 12.9 (ppg.). A&T senior Brittanie Taylor-James had 28 points against Hampton, including a big 3-pointer with 48 seconds left. Sophomore Jaleesa Sams had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds to add to the victory.

This Lady Aggie team is good. Lets Pack the Pound Again on Saturday!

The HBCU Tobacco Road is Smoking!

Greensboro with Lorillard (Newport cigarettes) and Winston-Salem with RJ Reynolds will definitely be “smoking” with attention this weekend.

N.C. A&T will host Florida A&M on Saturday at 4pm, and WSSU will host Morgan State for an ESPNU match-up at 6pm that same night.

Last week, WSSU swept FAMU and Bethune-Cookman. Maybe the Aggie men studied those tapes because the same two schools are on tap in Greensboro, for A&T's next two games. Also, the Aggies would like to see if that hot Rams team can beat Morgan State Saturday night and if so, just how they do it!

A&T needs to win its next two games in order to stay in the hunt for league respectability. Home cooking with the "Dawg Pound" and Livewire cheering sections should help the Aggies play to win. Besides, the Aggies are riding high from a win at Hampton via a last second 3-pointer and another big shot that sent the Howard game into overtime in an eventual loss.

FAMU is paced by Lamar Twitty (10 ppg) and Dale Hughes (9.9 ppg).

This Aggie team needs to catch fire! Smoke is not enough. This team needs a big win. WSSU beat FAMU 80-66 on January 31 -- in the Rattler’s own house! Will Thomas Coleman catch fire? Can we cut down on our turnovers? Will we finally get an easy win?

Can we hold serve ... or am I blowing 'smoke'?

The Big Payback

The Lady Aggies head to Hampton on Monday, February 2nd, looking for "The Big Payback".

Hampton just routed the Norfolk State women by 30 this past weekend, and A&T just beat Howard on Saturday by 18.

Prior to coming to A&T, Coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs guided the Lady Pirates from 1997 to 2004. Last year, her Lady Aggies were riding a 14- game winning streak when Hampton unceremoniously ended it with a 85- 84 win at home. Folks, the rematch between these two teams on Monday night may shape up to be the game of the evening, men or women's.

The contest is scheduled for a 6pm tip-off and will feature two of the MEAC's top players in Hampton's Chinyere Ukoh (10.3ppg), and Jerika Jenkins (8.1 ppg).

Some might wonder if former Bibbs' assistant and now Hampton head coach, Walter Mebane, remembers any of his former boss' old plays. Well, it may not even matter much because you can rest assured that this strong Lady Aggie team vividly remembers last year's loss.

Get ready for The Big Payback.

The Aggie men search for "freedom"

... freedom from being in the cellar of the conference, that is.

The trek to meet the Hampton Pirates, who just suffered a loss at home to Norfolk State this past Saturday, will take the Aggie men past the 'Emancipation Oak' and the Booker T. Washington statue, all the way up to the Hampton Convocation Center on Monday night for an 8pm tip-off.

As we all know, February 1 is a special date to Aggies everywhere and the entire world, thanks to the Greensboro Four and their lunch counter sit-in movement. The Aggie men will need to show the same kind of persistence on the basketball court on February 2nd against a tough Hampton team .

The Aggies' tired legs will surely get tested by a Hampton team that is led by guards Vincent Simpson (12.7 ppg ) and Christopher Tolson (8.3ppg). The Pirates lost to Norfolk 62-68 on Saturday in the "Battle of the Bay" , after being up by as much as 15. However, this Hampton team is very talented and has already beaten conference leader Morgan State earlier in the season.

A&T will be coming off an emotional overtime loss to Howard, but did get good games from both Ed Jones (19 pts) and Nicholas Wilson (21 pts). The Aggies hope to get "free" of all the turnovers (25) that plagued them last game, and they will also look to "free up" Thomas Coleman, who only took one shot against the Bison. Coleman needs to have a strong performance in order for the Aggies to have a chance.

One important lesson remains: "freedom" is earned.

By the way, Hampton will have live online stats during the games for fans to follow the action.
http://www.hamptonpirates.com/index.asp?path=mbball

The 2009 Lady Aggie Inaugural Ball

The Lady Aggies can flat-out ball. You won't find many people who will disagree with that.

This weekend, Washington, DC will be the site of the 'last dance' for the MEAC's top scorer, A&T senior forward Brittanie Taylor-James (18.4 ppg). She will be leading an Lady Aggie team that is giving no 'bailouts' this season. These Aggie ballers have already surprised UNC-Charlotte, East Carolina, and many of the other out-of-conference teams they've faced thus far. The Lady Aggies want to go to the "Big Dance" in March and they're looking to avoid any letdowns.

Right now A&T is playing at an extremely high level. However, the ladies from Howard are well aware of this. Zykia Brown, who was named the MEAC's Player of the Week on January 21, paces a Bison team that's currently 2-4 in conference play and 3-15 overall . She and her dance partners will try to bring their best. But honestly, I don't expect the Aggies to 'slow drag' at this “ball”. I expect a quick 'one -two step' victory when these two squads tip off Saturday at 2 PM.

DC-area Aggie fans, don’t miss your chance to see a special player & special team this weekend.

The Aggie Men head to the "Mecca"

The Aggie Men head to Howard University (a.k.a the Mecca) this weekend, searching for a renewal of "faith" and confidence after losing to a South Carolina State team that many in Aggieland felt they should have beaten. Now the Aggies prepare to face the Howard Bison at 4PM on Saturday in the tough 2,700-seat Burr Gym.

The Bison, with their red white & blue colors, are dangerous in their own gym. They have already beaten the Presidential Brother-in-Law's team, Oregon State, earlier this season. Howard also seems to usually have the Aggies' number in DC.

Their fan poll ('which home basketball game are you most looking forward to?') shows that A&T is 3rd on the list behind Oregon & Hampton ( http://www.howard-bison.com/current?pollresults=view ). Maybe that's because of the many A&T alums who live in the area.

The question is which Aggie team will show up Saturday. Heck, which Howard team will show up? I can't call it.

The Aggies have balance and should win, but I do know that their search for "faith" and confidence will continue, win or lose.