GREENSBORO – The North Carolina A&T men's basketball team has a pretty good three-man rotation working at the center position with sophomores Amadou Doumbia and Will Felton and graduate KJ Debrick.
Junior guard Trent Middleton, Jr. appears to be settling in as the Aggies' playmaker and junior Bryson Ogletree has developed into a good perimeter shooter. When the Aggies get Walker & Walker back on the court, the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) portion of their schedule could go well.
The Aggies wrapped up non-conference play on Saturday evening with a convincing 95-55 win over NAIA school Mid-Atlantic Christian University at Corbett Sports Center. A&T outrebounded the Mustangs 50-30, led by Debrick, who finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks, and two assists.
"I'm always nervous about the game before the guys go home because sometimes they leave before the game," said A&T head coach Monté Ross. "Sometimes they leave during the game. I want all of us to leave after the game. I thought the effort these guys gave was indicative of everybody staying until the game was over."
No, the Aggies were all there physically and mentally, totaling 21 assists as opposed to 11 turnovers. Four other Aggies scored in double figures, including Middleton, who finished with a game-high 16 points to go along with seven assists and five rebounds.
Ogletree went 5-for-5 from the field and 4-for-4 from 3-point range to end the evening with 15 points. Doumbia posted a career high in points (11) and blocked shots (3). He also had five rebounds and shot 4-for-5 from the field. Sophomore Zamoku Weluche-Ume added 12 points and eight rebounds. Felton, the other third of the Aggies' three-man rotation at center, finished with seven points and six rebounds on 3-for-3 shooting.
"The rotation works really well," said Debrick about sharing time with Doubmia and Felton. "You've got Amadou starting and then Wil going in and then me. It's like we all have different skill sets. We all feed off each other, and we're all good friends off the court. We all want each other to be great and make the next steps in our games to get better."
A&T improved to 7-4, matching their win total from last season. The Aggies shot a season-high 57.4 percent (31-54) from the field, including 67.9 percent (19-28) in the second half. They accomplished this despite playing another game without second-leading scorer Lureon Walker, as he continues to recover from an ailment that has forced him to miss six games. A&T's leading scorer Lewis Walker also missed Saturday's game. Five players in double figures, however, show the Aggies have some depth.
"It's important that these guys get a feel for playing on the court because we are going to need them," said Ross. "Once you get into conference play, anything can happen. The games are close together, so you need guys to get in there and step up. It's really good that these guys responded with Lewis and Lo being out."
The Mustangs had a little fight in them before Ogletree heated up from the perimeter. Debrick got him started by grabbing an offensive rebound and firing it out to him. Ogletree netted the three to give the Aggies a 29-19 lead. Sophomore Dwayne Pierce found Ogletree next, giving him the ball in the corner for another successful three. Ogletree's 3-point showing was a part of a 13-2 A&T run that gave the Aggies a 38-21 lead with 1:22 remaining in the first half. Debrick scored the final five points of the spurt.
"When I go in, I want to be aggressive, I want to play defense, get rebounds, and score the ball when I have the opportunity," said Debrick. "It's something that I strive to do, and coach Ross allows me to get out there and show that."
A&T got two free throws from Middleton to go into the half leading 44-27. Two more Middleton free throws completed a 10-2 spurt to open the second half. Six-and-a-half minutes into the second half, Ogletree splashed another three, giving the Aggies a 71-35 lead, and the rout was on.
It should be a Merry Christmas before the Aggies play their first Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) game of the season, a 7 p.m. home game against UNC Wilmington at Corbett on Monday, December 29. The game will air live on CBS Sports Network. A lovely gift for Ross and his staff would be for the players to return ready to fight for a CAA title.
"Don't just go home and lie around the whole time," Ross said. "Enjoy yourself and rest and relax, but find a gym and get some shots up. Find a treadmill and get some cardio in, so that we can hit the ground running when they come back right after Christmas because we have such a short turnaround with UNCW coming in here on the 29th."
