#CAAHoops Preview: North Carolina A&T Men's Basketball
Miles McQuiggan
EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Oct. 29, 2022) - New things don't faze the North Carolina A&T men's basketball program.
A new conference? Been there, done that. A new coach? Ready for the challenge.
The Aggies, in their third league in as many years after a brief stop in the Big South that followed a long run in the MEAC, have learned to adapt to new road trips, new gyms, and new rims.
Their interim head coach,
Phillip Shumpert, is able to lean on his tenure as an assistant during that experience to help guide North Carolina A&T in its first year in the CAA.
"It's an exciting time for us," said Shumpert. "It's our third league in three years, but we've moved a step higher, and then another step higher. It says a lot about our university and our athletics programs. We've prepared as normal for this season, because this has been something that's been the norm for us."
Marcus Watson and
Demetric Horton return as two double-digit scorers who navigated a similar path from one league to another last winter. Plenty of fresh faces arrive for the Aggies to help that duo in their first year in the CAA, including junior college stars
Love Bettis and
Kam Woods, Arizona State transfer
Will Felton, and high school recruits
Duncan Powell and
Tyrese Elliott.
This group of Aggies will be tested early on with trips to Iowa, Iowa State, and Houston before closing non-league play with multi-team events in Las Vegas and El Paso. A challenging schedule, though, is nothing different for North Carolina A&T.
New challenges await North Carolina A&T in its first year in the CAA, but that suits the Aggies just fine.
North Carolina A&T
Head Coach: Phillip Shumpert (interim)
2021-22 Record: 12-20, 6-10 Big South (9th)
Postseason: Big South Quarters
Returning Starters (2)
Marcus Watson, G 12.6 ppg, 39.8% FG, 2022 All-Big South Tournament Team
Demetric Horton, G 10.7 ppg, 34.4% 3FG
Notable Newcomers
Duncan Powell, F 21.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 5.0 apg as a junior in high school, No. 85 recruit in 2021 class according to ESPN, highest-rated recruit in program history
Tyrese Elliott, G 16.0 ppg, 3-star recruit, No. 11 player in Georgia, 45.0% 3FG
Kam Woods, G 11.0 ppg, 38.5% 3FG, Top-100 JUCO player and NJCAA national champion
Love Bettis, G 18.1 ppg, 43.0% FG, NJCAA 2nd-Tm All-American
Will Felton, F 15.6 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 74.0% FG, Transferred from Arizona State after redshirting as a freshman
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