Men's Basketball | 10/18/2024 9:57:00 PM

GREENSBORO – Injuries derailed a promising start in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play for the North Carolina A&T men's basketball team last season. But the Aggies have retooled, adding significant depth during the offseason to offset such an occurrence as the 2024-25 season approaches.

The CAA held its Media Day on Friday, October 18. In the process, the conference released its preseason accolades and predictions. The Aggies were 7-25 overall and 5-13 in conference play in 2023-24. The Aggies are predicted to finish 10th in the 14-team CAA this season via a vote from the league's head coaches.

Meanwhile, junior guard Landon Glasper was a unanimous first-team preseason selection. His backcourt mate, junior point guard Cam Shell, earned honorable mention preseason all-conference honors.

Glasper was the leading cause of worry from an injury standpoint a year ago. Four of A&T's five conference wins came in January when the Aggies started league play 4-2 thanks to a three-game winning streak that included wins over Hampton, Northeastern, and William & Mary. But on an unlucky night in Newark, Del., against the Delaware Blue Hens, Glasper sustained a leg injury that caused him to miss seven CAA games.

In addition to Glasper missing time, forward Jeremy Robinson sustained a season-ending injury in February. Starting forward Nikolaos Chitikoudis missed time with injuries and starting center Jason Murphy did not play in the Aggies' final three games of the season. All of that is behind A&T and second-year head coach Monté Ross as the 2024-25 season approaches. Glasper, Chitikoudis, and Murphy are back. Plus, the Aggies had an impressive offseason where they signed some talented transfers.

"I am really excited to embark on a new year," said Ross. "We want to continue to develop these young men not only as basketball players but as solid citizens. We want to continuously establish our culture with this program, and that means doing things the right way on and off the court."

Towson is picked to win the CAA this season. The Tigers received 10 first-place votes and 166 total points. The College of Charleston is predicted to finish second after receiving three first-place votes and 157 points. UNC Wilmington received a first-place vote and is expected to finish third. Hofstra and Delaware round out the top five preseason predictions.

The Aggies received 67 total points to earn their preseason prediction, but they return one of the most prolific scorers in mid-major hoops in Glasper. Glasper averaged 20.9 points per game in his first season as an Aggie after transferring from Coffeyville Community College. It marked A&T's highest scoring average since Jamain Williams averaged 21.4 points per game during the 1992-93 season. A&T's scoring machine scored 30 or more points four times last season.

Shell, who played at Coffeyville CC with Glasper, had an outstanding first year as an Aggie, becoming Ross's coach on the floor. He started all 31 games he played in last season, averaging 12.3 points, 4.1 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.

The Aggies also return their bigs in 6-foot-9 Chitikoudis (7.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.4 bpg) and 6-9 Murphy (6.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg). Murphy and Chitikoudis were 1,2 in rebounding last season for the Aggies. Another post player the Aggies hope to incorporate this season is 6-9 sophomore Will Felton, who has missed the previous two seasons with injuries. In addition, sophomore guard Jalal McKie and Uchenna Kellman-Nicholes earned valuable minutes as freshmen last season. The Aggies also have valuable experience returning in senior guard Kyle Duke.

Hoping to avoid getting controlled by the injury bug in 2024-25, the Aggies also added some talented pieces, starting with transfer guard Ryan Forrest (6-4, 190, Marion, Ark.). Forrest played 10 games last season for Northwestern State, averaging 11.8 points on 38.5 percent shooting.

University of Maryland transfer Jahnathan Lamothe is also an excellent addition to the team. Lamothe played 16 games for the Terrapins last season after becoming a standout at St. Frances Academy, where he once scored 57 points. Ross added a little more height with the addition of 6-11 LaSalle transfer Efstratios Kalliontzis.

A&T opens the season Monday, November 4, against Cheyney, at Corbett Sports Center starting at 7 p.m.