PJ's Perspective

Lady Aggies Enjoy New Role As "The Hunters"

2011-03-10T06:49:00.000-08:00

The Lady Aggies are ready to ball. They are being overlooked. Coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs probably likes it like this.

On senior night she had five freshmen on the floor at one time to see how they worked together. But this team has gotten tougher, thanks to Jaleesa Sams. The sister grinds for every point and rebound. She has been great for the program. Reisha Bullock is playing well at the right time and Lillian Bullock will help with running the team.

Jaquayla Berry, first team ALL-MEAC, will be ready. She can take over a game. Winston Salem will get a treat.

The Aggies can win it all.

Keys to the win:

It’s funny but I think that Nikia Gorham will come alive again like she did during the WNIT run last year. The upperclassmen will need to produce until the freshmen get comfortable on this big stage. Now is the Time!

Now is the Time!

2011-03-10T06:37:00.000-08:00

The Aggie Men will roll 30 minutes west on I-40 tonight to take on Morgan State. Tip-off is at 8pm. The Lawrence Joel Coliseum will come alive as the Aggie faithful find out if ‘now is the time’.

Now is the time!

The writers picked the Aggies to finish 8th and the Aggies finished 5th. They really could have finished higher but they stumbled a few times during the season. This team is not afraid of anybody. They have played everyone in the league close and have improved along the way. The freshmen are getting minutes and their roles are defined. This team can win the MEAC Tournament. That’s right, I said it! I don’t know when this dawned on me. It could have been me saying ‘we should have beaten team xyz’, or me saying that ‘the top team is just squeaking by the other league foes’. Be that as it may, it is what it is. Now is the time!

Thomas Coleman will give the Triad one last look. He will dunk in your face and will not grimace. He keeps a poker face. I have never seen him get a technical foul. If anything, it would be for hanging on the rim trying not to step on a foe below. His style is his style. We may not see another player who will block as many shots in Aggie blue and gold. He could not catch Marvin Webster (839 blks (http://www.morganstatebears.com/hof.aspx?hof=1&path=&kiosk= ) to Coleman's 300 blks), but that was asking too much. Now is the time to see him.

Coach Jerry Eaves has the team playing good basketball at the right time of the season. They seem to play better in front of the Aggie Fans. Winston-Salem will be a good fit for motivation.

This team can win it all.

Keys to the win:

The opponents will double team Coleman. The outside jumper or the cut to the basket pass will be key. I expect the Aggies to attack the rim. They got many teams in foul trouble this season. The Aggies will need to hit their free throws, to keep making the opponent pay for their fouls.

Tobacco Road II

2011-01-24T09:29:00.000-08:00

First things first, the Aggie Men must stay focused on South Carolina State (1-3) when the Bulldogs visit Corbett on Saturday. The Aggies are 3-2 in the conference and need to keep pace with the top teams in the league. The top teams will play one another on Saturday and once the dust settles, the Aggies hope to be sitting near third place. SCSU is not a bad team and the Aggies have found weird ways to lose games - with turnovers or poor shooting from the foul line for instance. However, the Aggies have consistently shot well from the field and behind the 3-pt arc. This team needs the crowd at Corbett to give them an easy win for a change.

On Monday night, NCCU returns to the Dawg Pound for the first time in nearly 20 years. This matchup could be billed as the battle of Tobacco Road II since Durham was home to the former American and L&M tobacco factories and Greensboro is the headquarters of Lorillard. It is a legendary rivalry that finally will give Corbett another sellout. Plus the A&T men’s basketball squad will perhaps see more home support on Monday night than homecoming provides for the football team. Get your popcorn ready!

Rough Road For Lady Aggies

2011-01-24T09:10:00.000-08:00

The Aggie Women (3-2) lost both road games against Howard and Hampton last weekend. When was the last time that happened? Wow! I forget that this team is young and if the veterans have an off night or get foul trouble, the Lady Aggies could struggle. The good thing is that the new players are getting all of the work that they need this year. Mikala Scott had a team-high 21 points against Howard. I view this as a minor bump in the road and Coach Bibbs will have them ready for the upcoming home games against South Carolina State (2-2 in the MEAC) and NCCU (2-15 overall). This team can definitely ball; they will be in the mix during tourney time.

Welcome home, Lady Aggies!

2011-01-07T11:15:00.000-08:00

Wow! The Lady Aggies has been on the road a long time. They played at home against UNC-Charlotte and Norfolk State back before the holidays ... and that’s it!

They have taken their lumps on the road and tested the young players. Veterans Jaleesa Sams (16.2ppg., 5.2 rpg) and Jaquayla Berry (10.7 ppg, & 7.1rpg ) have held it together while the team grows and learn. Nikia Gorham always has her hands full playing center. She does the dirty work and sometimes picks up too many fouls. One thing for sure, she will help win at least one game for the Aggies like she did during the post-season run last year.

The young players can ball. They still have this nervous vibe sometimes, but they will take the shot if needed. The home court advantage in Corbett will be good for this team.

It will not be an easy conference road ahead, but the Aggies have the makings of a good team. They lost 77-71 at Clemson and will come home to Corbett this weekend.

Welcome home Sisters!

Eighth Place for the Aggie Men? No way

2011-01-07T11:02:00.000-08:00

This is not an eighth place team. Some preseason polls said that the Aggie Men would finish in eighth place because of the loss of last year’s top scorers but based on how they have played thus far in 2010-11, I think we can finish near the top of the MEAC.

One thing I can say about last year is that if you got in the game, you had a chance to shoot. The 3-point shot was king and it scared a lot of conference teams we played. The Aggies were in most games they played, however, it was the finishing of the games that ultimately hurt them. Now Thomas Coleman (13.8ppg, 11.1 Reb, 3.3 blocks) has emerged as the league’s best big man in my opinion. He always possessed defensive skills, but now he has added rebounding and scoring to his resume. More importantly, the Aggies can now command a double team inside which opens up the offense.

FAMU and Bethune-Cookman come into Corbett Sports Center for the Saturday/Monday games not knowing what to expect. Will the fans inside the Dawg Pound be hyped? Will the Aggies be ready to play? Will the Aggies’ 3-point shot fall? Well, I don’t know, but it has the makings of a potential double sweep, with the A&T men and women winning both games.

Nic Simpson (13.7ppg) and Marc Hill (11.4 ppg, 3.5 apg) have provided the stability in the backcourt that the young team needed. The few turnovers that they have made this year have occurred while trying to make a play, instead of throwing the ball away facing a new defensive look. The team is playing better. The team looks better. It averages 70.1 points per game and 42 rebounds per game. First and second place in the conference respectively, as of Jan 5. And while Simpson went for 20 points at Stanford and 17 points at Arizona St., it seems like he has still been cool and will soon catch fire.

Eighth Place is reserved for someone else. This is a good time for Aggie Basketball.

The Promise

2010-04-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

This Aggie basketball season is over and it put me in the mind of a song by jazz great John Coltrane: “The Promise”.

In that piece ‘Trane and his band mates play the "head" (or theme), and then ‘Trane lays back and lets the piano player (McCoy Tyner) take over for the first five plus minutes of the song. Eventually, he comes back in with power, heart and soul. He is playing the soprano sax now instead of his normal tenor sax.

The Aggie men started off the season with a big win at Norfolk State and the Aggie faithful were excited. But it seemed as the season wore on their shooting percentage suffered and the other teams were able to exploit A&T’s pressure defense and score.

The league appeared to like playing at a faster pace against A&T. Quicker shots, open looks, contested looks - it was all there for anyone who wanted some.

And at times it was an “outside in” approach instead of an “inside out” approach. High percentage shots rule down the stretch. It’s funny, but this Aggie team had talent and concerned every league foe that they faced.

They just could not complete or close out many of the games.

The good news is that they did show flashes of playing a complete game and some of the freshmen started or played all year. The bad news is that this should have been the year to make a deep run for a title. The balance was there … on paper. “The Promise”.

The Aggie women, like ‘Trane, laid back and exploded on teams in the post season.

Laid back is unfair because they got after it every night during league play. The faithful got spoiled after the women knocked down each challenge. Besides, they had Auburn in Corbett and played them tough. I don’t know if or when Tweet Cook and Lamona Smalley will make the Hall of Fame, but I do know that they gave us their all.

Now back to the spoiled vibe and explosion.

Everyone felt that the Lady Aggies would win the MEAC tournament title. They lost. The Aggie nation was hurt. Everybody wanted one more chance.

It showed everyone that they could be gotten!

Everybody else it seemed, was having fun while his or her teams still played in the tourney. Blue Death Valley regrouped, the Aggie Nation regrouped. The team regrouped, and went on a run that reminded me of that solo by ‘Trane in “The Promise”.

They all came back against Wake Forest and UNC- Charlotte, with power, heart, soul, and focus.

The Aggie Nation took over the gym. They did not come to watch, they came to push the team. I saw fans that normally just checked out the action, open up and get loud. And it became infectious.

The players that hit their first shots and the show was rolling. And just as the ‘Trane solo finally stops, the Lady Aggies could not beat the eventual WNIT finalist Miami. “The Promise.”

So, where are we?

We have an Aggie nation that has turned heads in North Carolina. This is old news to us, but it allows others to market to us or schedule to us and hence, we can wedge our influence.

We have to promise that we will turn it on again, and support it from the hip.

The A&T administration has to support the teams with needed staff and equipment. It must keep the promise with the fans. The work of Ten Web TV and the broadcasting of the men’s and women’s games has been great. Cast down your buckets again and make Corbett an truly unique experience. The Maniacs need to come back. Keep creating. The graduation of the players is a given and is going at a good clip.

The coaches and players must continue to get better. The league has a lot of young talent and is growing. The women are being gained upon and the men have to gain on Morgan. We have good recruiting classes coming in.

So here we are. What a great year to be an Aggie. And with “the promise” of next year looming, I can rest my pen for now.

Belief and Suitcases

2010-03-23T16:29:00.000-07:00

In my freshman English class at A&T, I read “The Autobiography of Malcolm X.” In it, Malcolm said that his wife Betty kept a packed suitcase for him because he was on the road so much.

Well, the A&T women’s basketball team is wearing me out trying to follow them!

They are still winning in their postseason play and the faithful will either need a lot of vacation days, frequent flyer miles or just “have it like that” in order to keep up with them. Miami is next!

But wait, I’ve got to back up.

I want to ask you like George Clinton (Parliament/Funkadelic) used to ask the crowd after he realized that he was getting ahead of himself. So he backed up to the beginning and said, “Do you believe in the Mothership, first off?!”

The crowd, caught off guard, mumbled back “Yeah!”

George, louder this time, said “do you believe in the Mothership?!!!” And the crowd yelled “Yeah!”

And then George went to work knowing that the foundation was there.

This Lady Aggie team reminded me of the A&T/NCCU football game the past year when, during the end of regulation, NCCU was on the A&T 10 yard line and was set to kick a field goal to win the game.

The Aggie Nation started to yell “Defense”… boom, boom …”Defense”, and it swelled and built up around Aggie Stadium. And then, in miraculous fashion, Jarrell Herring broke through the line and blocked it!!! The Aggies would eventually go on to win that game in overtime.

Now in Charlotte last Sunday, the 49ers mounted a comeback on the Aggies and it was crunch time. Our legs were tired, and the ball was getting heavy.

Coach Bibbs said something during the time out, and the Aggies took their time and were facing the greatest defensive pressure that UNC-C could muster.

Meanwhile, their home crowd was chanting, the shot clock was running down, it was in their house. The Aggies worked their reads and Freshman Amber Calvin hit a big shot.

BAM! I think that she bounced up and down like a boxer who just entered the ring on new legs!!

I looked around and the Aggies were bouncing. The pep band, the bench! Wow!

At that very moment, it said that WE BELIEVE!

We believe in the young players. We believe in the team. We believe in the coach and staff. We believe in the school, and we believe in ourselves!

God is a given, in the mixture. This team is still playing. It does not want to go home. It climbs the rough side of the mountain by having to go on the road to win. The Aggies are leading again.

Now, back to the suitcase. I can’t make the Thursday Miami trip with a turnaround to Providence or Maryland for Sunday. I can still believe though. I want those who have a chance to grab an ear of a player or Coach, to say “we are with you”, and put a shoebox layered with wax paper and laden with chicken, in their hands.

Then look in their eyes and say ‘do your best’!

What a journey…Aggie Pride!

The Lady Aggies and History

2010-03-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

I have to pick up my pen to write about this team. I am running on fumes after a wild night of not being able to sleep thinking about this team making history.

They won 73-49, beating Wake Forest in the first round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT). It was the first postseason win in a national tournament for the program, I've been told. The larger schools have their pick of the best players, and can offer those players TV, radio, web support, etc. But its funny how it pans out.

A&T offers a great education and tradition. Now if you are a star do you want to go to a big school and sit the bench, along with a possibility of your replacement being recruited the next year? Some are changing the model. They want to play now! A&T is making a name for itself; it is getting players.

Now, about last night. The game was in a small gym on the campus of Wake Forest. The Wake men were playing on TV later that night in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Hence, most of the interest and attendance would have been in the dorm rooms and bars around the Triad. The majority of the Wake Forest pep band may have been on the road with the men. In any case, they only had a few members in Reynolds Gymnasium that night.

Their crowd was 1/3 of the gym. A&T packed the house. The game was sold out. The Pep band was at full strength and it blew the roof off of the gym. The Wake Forest crowd looked at one another once A&T finished its first song, with that "what's this?" type of expression. The Aggie crowd was loud and cheered the players who made plays and went to the bench for a rest.

It was electric!

It was like yesterday meeting today. A throwback gym, the secret game between Duke & NCCU (NCC at the time, during segregation), the Woolworth store vs. the four A&T freshmen, the status quo vs. the promise of the new thing.

It was not as Smokey Robinson says in the song 'quiet storm': "butterfly caught up in a hurricane", it was the flower coming up through concrete.

The A&T women's basketball team showed the faithful that we must continue to believe. We must continue to provide for those coming after us.

History springs forth!

TV Timeout

2010-02-25T15:51:00.000-08:00

The Aggie men return to the road, looking for some wins on Saturday. But Coppin State (2-11 in the MEAC) is never an easy team to beat.

The Eagles may not have the ballers from yesteryear, but they seem to hang around in most games. The Aggies better not take them lightly. A&T should jump right on them in the first half and make it a stress free night. In the last meeting between these two teams - a 67-62 A&T victory in Greensboro - the Aggies found themselves trailing at the half 24-32. However, I expect A&T to win this one again.

Morgan State (12-1 in the MEAC) will be waiting on Monday. ESPNU (9 PM) wants to see this. As a matter of fact, I do too! I want A&T to stop Kevin Thompson. He is not Moses Malone, but when he came to Greensboro he acted like it by getting 20 rebounds. Morgan beat us 74-65, and they walked out of the Corbett Center with 51 rebounds! To be fair, we had 33.

That was then, this is now.

I believe that we can beat Morgan if we go inside. Besides, it will be the last week of the regular season and the Aggies need to make a statement to the A&T faithful. The loss to Winston Salem had many fans wondering what’s next.

The Lady Aggies are 12-1 in the conference. They will face Coppin State (4-9 in the MEAC) on Saturday at 2pm. This should not be a tough task for the Aggies. A&T has displayed that consistency of a champion, and seems to be able to turn on the power when needed.

Now Morgan State (9-4 in the MEAC) will provide a bigger test for the Lady Aggies. A&T beat them 67-56 in snow-laden Greensboro, but now it should be a closer game.

The Lady Aggies have been looking good. I expect to see them on TV during the MEAC Championship.

Payback, Aggie style

2010-02-24T12:18:00.001-08:00

The Lady Aggies have the gym by themselves today. Normally they are a part of a doubleheader with the men. I remember the Auburn game in the Corbett Center where the Aggies lost 76-63. That next game against Norfolk State the Aggies strapped a 81-51 spanking on the Spartans.

Well now the Aggies are coming off a 90-80 road loss to Hampton, and South Carolina State is in town at 4pm. They are 3-9 in the conference, and seem like an easy foe, but SCSU lost to A&T 67-60 on January 23.

Everyone is stingy with the Aggies. But now the script has flipped. The Aggies are looking to payback whoever walks into the gym.

To be honest, the team has played well. The bench, the starters, the desire and the fun of the season have been there.

I remember thinking to myself during the Winston Salem State game during a span that Winston was hustling and guarding everyone, that the Rams were all on our freshmen and running around playing defense, and then here is ‘Tweet’ Cook with a three point shot. Bam! They did it again, and here is Tweet again, Bam! It was like they had forgotten about her and it seemed like Tweet knew when to turn it on during the crunch. To make it so bad, Tweet made it look so easy with a Michael Jordan shrug after knocking them down.

We have a lot of weapons. The Aggie Fans should give the props to the seniors. The season is winding down.

The Aggie Men have their sights set on playing Winston Salem State Monday night at the Greensboro Coliseum. They have been up and down all year. One thing for sure, if you are in second place the Aggies will beat you. They beat Delaware St, 65-54, and South Carolina State, 87-69, this past Wednesday. They will rest Saturday and let the conference feed off of each other.

On the other hand, the WSSU trap has probably kept the team from resting. I forgot the numbers, but in the first matchup between these teams this season A&T could not get the ball up court time after time, and WSSU gained momentum. The Aggies finally solved it but lost 59-57.

Payback. This will be the biggest Aggie game in Greensboro this year. Also, it will be interesting to see how the standings are on Monday night once the dust has settled. This could not have come at a better time as the team has won two in a row. They beat Hampton, 69-65, on the road Monday night, before the SCSU win on Wednesday.

What will we see? I believe that we will see James Porter and Thomas Coleman waking up for the last run of the season. This has been the best we have looked in a long time. This is the best time for the payback.

Big Bad Morgan

2010-01-29T12:16:00.001-08:00

The Morgan State men’s team is 6-0 in the conference and they are on their way to Corbett on Monday. Provided, that is, if they can make it through the pending winter storm. Meanwhile, the Aggie men are wounded from a two point loss to Winston Salem State, and they need to have a good weekend of wins in order to heal.

But first things first. Morgan has to get through Norfolk, and A&T has to get through Coppin State on Saturday.

If there are games played this weekend ( storm), then we have the edge. Not only because of the home crowd, but because no one can rest on a bus going through snow! Well, I guess you could if you are dog tired.

Now, the Corbett crowd will possibly be weak, with just students and staff in attendance, if that! But to be honest, Corbett was already missing the ‘Aggie Maniacs’ and therefore failed to rattle Howard and Hampton last week. They behaved just like casual fans. They once were dreaded by teams as they mentally got into the heads of the players with their antics. The leadership of the group is trying to regroup before it’s too late, so the burden is where is has always been: on the team. They need two wins this weekend. Coppin is 0-6 in the conference and wants to face an Aggie team that struggles. Morgan comes in on Monday with hopefully, red eyes and tired legs.

Have you ever taken the trip to Norfolk from N.C. via the I-85 connection?

Well you can drive at a fast clip on 85, then you take HWY 58 east towards the coast and you can face a speed limit as slow as 25, if I remember correctly, in parts of Virginia. 25 miles per hour! And then factor in the snow and ice!

Man I could not take it. I took I-95 back and went through Rocky Mount to Raleigh/Durham. It was like taking the first non-stop bus out to my nearest city, rather than that stop and go, little town route.

So, Morgan, if they come, may just be getting in right before game time, and if the Aggies can jump on them, then we will all be happy. Besides, they are from the north which means they should know how to drive in the snow.

Lets not forget that Morgan has that big man Kevin Thompson who averages 12.8 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. Between him and Thomas Coleman, someone may break a rim in Corbett! And I may not be there to see it! Is this is the MEAC Finals Preview? Shaking my head, and rubbing my eyes… am I seeing things?

Now the Aggie women are 6-0 in the conference, and the Morgan State women are 5-1. Morgan’s only loss was at Hampton, 74-37. It seems like the Lady Aggies are tested every week. It is always ‘this team is hot and that team is hot’ type of talk. But the Aggies never panic. They just do the little things to win. They have a nice blend of youth and experience. They can all ball. They can all make plays.

Ta’Wuana “Tweet” Cook is just fun to watch. Lamona Smalley just does the little things well and she also has a nice handle in the paint. You had better watch them now, because they are seniors. Jaleesa Sams can explode for a big night at any time. Coppin is 3-3 in the conference and beat Hampton 58-52 in Virginia. So who knows what they will have on Saturday

Well, we will see if any ball is played this weekend due to the pending storm.

The Aggie Men will face ‘Big Bad Morgan’ and we will see if any rims need to be replaced.

Down and looking up

2010-01-22T13:43:00.000-08:00

The Aggie men are 1-4 in the conference. They are tied with FAMU, and ahead of Coppin State (0-4). Their work is cut out for them. South Carolina State (2-2) just beat down Coppin, 87-65, and lost to Morgan, 72-67.

The Aggies did not impress anyone by losing two games at home. Now, in an effort to make you feel better, I will say that they have been in every league game this season. And how in the world are both Howard and BCU currently 4-1 in the conference?

A&T is not a bad team. Didn’t they have BCU on the ropes with a last second shot? I think that they play so fast and they press so much, that it causes the opponent to get open looks, and quite often, at that. They will just make any opponent look good, even a D-II team. I ask where is the team that I saw against NSU? They came back during that game, and got over the hump for a win.

Well, the Aggies will travel down to the low country this weekend seeking a much-needed victory, and they will be looking to move up in the standings. Then, guess who’s waiting on Monday night? WSSU! I don’t know what will happen. I know that Winston wants to lace a big “L” on us! We have had their number in football and basketball the last few times, so the I-40 trip has been good to A&T.

I can’t wait to get over there and talk to some of the guys about their move back to D-II.

The Lady Aggies, however, are digging in. They are 5-0 in the MEAC and it seems like the line-up chemistry struggles are over. The team is back healthy for the most part, and Jaleesa Sams was just named MEAC Player of the Week. Lamona Smalley got a mention also. The Aggie fans were getting spoiled for a while until the ladies had a few close games this past week. Now the grind of the season is here. Everybody on the bench has been playing a part. This seems like an easy weekend with SCSU being 0-4 and WSSU at 0-5, but don’t forget that SCSU took NCCU to overtime before losing. Whereas, A&T just snuck by NCCU in Durham.

This contest should be interesting.

Now, as for the WSSU game, I would say get off work early for the 5:30 start. Otherwise, I think the second team may be dealing by the time you get there in the 2nd half.

The Aggie Women are looking good. The Men are down and are looking up. Let’s get it started.

Corbett, sweet Corbett

2010-01-15T13:40:00.001-08:00

Well folks, the Aggie men and women basketball teams will both come home this weekend.

The men have found out that the road can be tough. They are 1-11 away from Greensboro and their last game was against Bethune-Cookman University. BCU had to shut the doors 15 minutes before the men’s tip-off due to the contest being a sell out. Everyone has it in for the Aggies these days. There will not be any easy nights from here on out, considering that each league team will bring its best effort against A&T and since our ‘top heavy’ three point shooting offense has us struggling at .316%.

But to be fair, our scoring offense (71.1 ppg) is second only to Morgan State’s (77.2 ppg. And those numbers didn’t just come against cup-cakes. We scored 78 at Tennessee and 82 at Ohio University (not Ohio State).

The one road win this season was at Norfolk State with a 93-84 overtime victory. It was a conference game on top of that. The men, however, are 4-0 at home. They beat a decent Middle Tennessee State team, 65-56, in the Corbett Sports Center in November. Overall, the Aggie men are 5-11 overall and 1-2 in the conference.

The Lady Aggies are doing better but they would like a little home cooking as well. The women are 8-7 overall) and 3-0 in the conference.

They have played only one game in Corbett this season and it was against Auburn! They lost 63-76. It really ended up being a moral victory, showing the Aggie fans how close we were to the ‘next level’. The Lady Aggies would bounce back with two wins against Norfolk St. 81-51, and Louisiana Lafayette 95-78, on the road. Things were looking good and everyone was riding high … until LSU hit them with a 75-33 punch in the gut. But it seems as though that was the ‘low water level’ for the season. They started to refill the reservoir with a close loss against Iowa St., 62-66, and a victory in Durham against NCCU, 78-74, and a close loss against Liberty, 51-57. They were playing better. The bench was playing better along with the newcomers. The showdown against FAMU was close, but the little things like free throws helped to put it away. The Aggies found a way to win. The road was tough. The average attendances from the last 10 games were 2,395. The Aggies had 1,527 at its lone home game.

Well, the Aggies are home now. Corbett will be kind. The weather will be warmer.

Here is what’s on the table:

Howard

Howard comes in on Saturday, and Hampton on Monday. The Howard men are 2-1 in the conference with wins over Hampton (56-54) and Coppin State (59-53). They lost to Morgan 90-58. Howard is in third place. The Howard women did the same thing. They beat Hampton (48-47), Coppin (59-45), and lost to Morgan (57-48). The Lady Bison are tied for third place along with Morgan and FAMU.

Hampton

The Hampton men are tied with A&T, FAMU and Norfolk for 5th place at 1-2 in the conference. They will tangle with a tough Norfolk on Saturday before the trip down I-85 to Greensboro. The Hampton women are tied for fifth with BCU and Coppin State at 1-2 in the MEAC. They beat Morgan (74-37), lost to Coppin (58-52) and Howard (48-47). They are an up and coming team. They lost to Georgia Tech (63-54) and beat William & Mary (71-66) earlier.

The Dawg Pound, Aggie Maniacs and the Live Wires will be in demand this weekend. The energy should help the tired legs. The family is back together.

It’s funny how good it is sometimes to get away from home, and it’s just as good to come back home!

2009-10 Lady Aggies Preview

2009-11-11T10:14:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-10T07:51:00.000-08:00

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

2009-03-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-03-11T06:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

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

2009-02-18T19:55:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-18T19:20:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-16T13:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-16T12:46:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-02-13T06:52:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-13T02:42:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-09T06:11:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-09T05:55:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-07T00:27:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-02-06T23:33:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-01T21:34:00.000-08:00

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"

2009-02-01T20:59:00.000-08:00

... 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

2009-01-29T13:07:00.000-08:00

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"

2009-01-29T13:06:00.000-08:00

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.