Men's Basketball | 10/2/2025 7:14:00 PM
GREENSBORO – The North Carolina A&T men's basketball program heads into a third straight season where there is not much information to glean from the previous season to predict how the upcoming season will fare.
That is perhaps why the head coaches of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) picked the Aggies to finish last in the 13-team CAA league. There might not be a Division I men's basketball program more affected by the new normal in college athletics than the North Carolina A&T Aggies. A&T's top five scorers from a year ago all transferred. Before third-year head coach Monté Ross coached his first game at A&T, three of A&T's top four scorers transferred.
Last season's turnover left the Aggies with five returning players. Guard Bryson Ogletree and center Efstratios Kalliontzis became starters after tremendous turnover occurred during last season. Returning guard Jalal McKie came off the bench, center Will Felton had his season cut short for the third straight year because of an injury, and Chandler Montgomery played sparingly.
Redshirt sophomore guard Uchenna Kellman-Nicholes returns to the roster after sitting out last season. Therefore, to fill out the 2025-26 roster, Ross and his staff brought 10 newcomers to the largest HBCU in the country, including eight transfers and two freshmen. Ross embraces the new dynamic in college athletics, but not without conditions.
"That's one thing we've done as a staff. We've embraced the way things are now because it's not going anywhere," said Ross. "It's here to stay. Your recruiting never ends now. You used to get a break during the summer, but now you're always trying to construct a roster. One of the things we try to do is to up the character of our team.
We had some missteps in that direction in the last couple of years, but I feel good about this group. We have good chemistry with this group. They get along with one another, and I like the character of our group. The character of a group is one of the things that often gets overlooked in getting so many pieces and new parts every single year. We've really put a premium on character. I think our staff has done a good job of that."
The Aggies brought in a variety of new weapons, including UMass transfer Lewis Walker, who was ranked as a top-60 forward nationally coming out of Winston-Salem Christian School. He was the No. 11-ranked player in the state as a prep standout. A&T also welcomed Trent Middelton Jr. to the Aggie family. During his one year at Ball State and his one season at the University of Delaware, Middleton scored 354 points in 61 games played. He also knocked down 35 of 98 3-pointers.
UMass transfer Amadou Doumbia will give the Aggies some much-needed height at 6-foot-11, along with Cleveland State transfer KJ Debrick at 6-9. But what Ross is looking for from all of his players is defense.
"Defensively, we are where we want to be in terms of length, great athleticism, and size in terms of rim protection," Ross said. "Those are things that are hallmarks of a good defensive team. That's where we want to rest our hat. We want to rest our hat on the defensive end of the floor every single night."
The Aggies open the season on Tuesday, November 4, at the University of South Carolina.
