2023-24 North Carolina Sports Network
NC Basketball Spotlight, 10-Year Snapshot:
North Carolina A&T
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
Updated Dec. 17, 2023
School: North Carolina A&T
Location: Greensboro, N.C.
NCAA Division I Member Since: 1978-79
Conference: Coastal Athletic Association (CAA)
CAA Member Since: 2022-23
CAA Ranking Among 32 Leagues (KenPom): 26th (2023), 14th (2022), 19th (2021), 18th (2020)
NCAA Tournament Bids: 10 (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1994, 1995, 2013)
Conference Titles: 10 (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1994, 1995, 2013 in MEAC)
Conference 1st-Place Finishes: 9 (1979, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1992, 2021 in MEAC)
Head Coach: Monté Ross (53 years old, 1st season at A&T)
As A Player: Winston-Salem State (1988-92)
Record as Head Coach (Through Dec. 16): 1-9 (.100) in 1st season
Previous Head Coaching Experience: 10 seasons at Delaware (132-184; .418)
College AC Experience: Lehigh (1993-94), Drexel (1994-96), St. Joseph’s (1996-2006), Temple (2019-23)
Assistant Under: Dave Duke, Bill Herrion, Phil Martelli, Aaron McKie
2022-23 Record: 13-19, 8-10 (6th in 13-team CAA)
2023-24 Preseason Prediction (Coaches): 14th in 14-team CAA
2023-24 Record (Through Dec. 11): 1-9, 0-0 CAA
2023-24 Midseason Ranking (KenPom): #358 nationally (14th in CAA)
Upcoming Schedule Highlights: vs. Jackson State in Las Vegas (12/17), at Coastal Carolina (12/21), at George Mason (12/30)
CAA Opener: Campbell (1/4)
During North Carolina A&T’s first 17 seasons (1978-79 through 1994-95) as a Division One program, it was a low-major juggernaut. The Aggies dominated the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and made nine NCAA Tournament appearances from 1982-95.
The last 29 seasons, on the other hand, have been mostly miserable … and occasionally embarrassing and/or bizarre.
For example, the Aggies have had three head coaches over the last three seasons. Last year’s coach, Phillip Shumpert, carried an interim tag. His predecessor, Will Jones, was fired in August 2022, an extremely odd time on the calendar for a coaching change. Jones’ predecessor, Jay Joyner, was suspended in the middle of the 2019-20 season and never returned. Joyner’s predecessor, Cy Alexander, resigned in the middle of the 2015-16 season. Bizarre, indeed.
Meanwhile, A&T is playing in its third conference in the last three years (MEAC to Big South to Coastal Athletic Association), and the competition has become much tougher, just as the Aggies have been dealing with their significant internal adversity. The MEAC was considered a low-major league; the CAA is a quality mid-major conference.
Want more? The Aggies’ two best players from last year’s 13-19 team, Kam Woods and Marcus Watson, transferred during the offseason to NC State and Towson, respectively. Neither has played for his new team in 2023-24, thanks to eligibility and injury complications, respectively.
Overall, it would be difficult to find a more disruptive past decade anywhere in major college basketball. Sure enough, the 2023-24 Aggies are 1-9 and ranked 358th nationally among 362 DI teams (KenPom).
A&T’s new head coach, Monté Ross, had a modest level of success (one CAA title, one NCAA Tournament bid) during his 10-year tenure as the Delaware head coach, but after his 2016 firing by the Blue Hens, he was out of the college game for several years, and his entire 30-year coaching career had come in or near Philadelphia (Lehigh, Drexel, St. Joseph’s, Temple), which is his hometown.
Ross was candid in his preseason assessment of the Aggies, whose roster continued to change well into the summer months.
“Who knows where we’re going to be?” he said. “I know what we have to do on a daily basis to put ourselves in position to be good. That’s the beauty of the experience of being a head coach before: You learn what’s important to winning, you learn what’s important to success.
“Does that mean you’re going to be able to attain that in the time frame that you want to? No, not always, and for us, probably not right now.”
The Aggies’ eight-man rotation this season includes six newcomers, including three true freshmen. They are among the only teams in the entire country with zero players who had significant starting experience at the major college level prior to this season.
2023-24 North Carolina A&T Aggies
(1-9, 0-0 CAA; through Dec. 11)
Starters
PG Camian Shell, So. — 34 mpg, 9 ppg, 3 rpg, 31% FG, 79% FT, 32% threes, 60/25 ATO, 1 block, 12 steals
(5-10/170); 2023 Coffeyville CC transfer (starter); from Parkland HS and Winston-Salem, N.C.
G Landon Glasper, So. — 37 mpg, 19 ppg, 3 rpg, 34% FG, 82% FT, 27% threes, 21/17 ATO, 2 blocks, 16 steals
(6-2/170); 2023 Coffeyville CC transfer (part-time starter); Fayetteville HS and Fayetteville, Ark.
G Uchenna Kellman-Nicholes, Fr. — 26 mpg, 7 ppg, 2 rpg, 31% FG, 45% FT, 30% threes, 12/9 ATO, 3 blocks, 4 steals
(6-5/180); very late (June 2023) addition; from Sanford Seminole HS and Orlando, Fla.
F Jeremy Robinson, Gr. — 26 mpg, 11 ppg, 4 rpg, 55% FG, 77% FT, 29% threes, 3/12 ATO, 2 blocks, 3 steals
(6-6/215); 2020 West LA CC transfer (all-conference); St. Paul VI Catholic HS and Raleigh, N.C.
F Nikolaos Chitikoudis, Fr. — 22 mpg, 6 ppg, 4 rpg, 57% FG, 46% FT, 50% threes (few), 2/10 ATO, 11 blocks, 9 steals
(6-9/215); 2023 Greece Junior National Team member; from East Thessaloniki, Greece
Key Reserves
PG Kyle Duke, Jr. — 21 mpg, 7 ppg, 2 rpg, 39% FG, 88% FT, 21% threes, 13/11 ATO, 3 blocks, 3 steals
(6-4/185); third-year reserve; from The Rock HS in Gainesville, Fla., and Toronto, Canada
G Jalal McKie, Fr. — 13 mpg, 5 ppg, 1 rpg, 37% FG, 86% FT, 33% threes, 2/3 ATO, 0 blocks, 4 steals
(6-5/195); spring 2023 signee; Atlanta Westlake HS, South Kent (Conn.) School, Atlanta, Ga.
F Evan Joyner, r-So. — 19 mpg, 4 ppg, 5 rpg, 29% FG, 60% FT, 21% threes, 7/7 ATO, 9 blocks, 11 steals
(6-8/180); 2023 Yavapai CC transfer (all-conference); Piedmont Classical HS, Greensboro, N.C.
F Jason Murphy, r-Jr. — 25 mpg, 9 ppg, 8 rpg, 50% FG, 50% FT, 0/0 ATO (only 1 game played)
(6-9/245); 2023 Frostburg State transfer (all-conference); also NJIT; from Owings Mills, Md.
*—returning starter (started at least 50% of current team’s games last season)
North Carolina A&T Aggies
10-Year Snapshot
Season — Overall, League (Place), Postseason
2022-23 — 13-19, 8-10 CAA (6th), no postseason (Phillip Shumpert)
2021-22 — 12-20, 6-10 Big South (9th), no postseason (Will Jones)
2020-21 — 11-10, 7-1 MEAC (1st), no postseason (Will Jones)
2019-20 — 17-15, 12-4 MEAC (2nd), no postseason (Jay Joyner)
2018-19 — 19-13, 13-3 MEAC (2nd), no postseason (Jay Joyner)
2017-18 — 20-15, 11-5 MEAC (4th), CIT 1st Round (Jay Joyner)
2016-17 — 3-29, 1-15 MEAC (13th), no postseason (Jay Joyner)
2015-16 — 10-22, 7-9 MEAC (6th), no postseason (Cy Alexander)
2014-15 — 9-23, 6-10 MEAC (9th), no postseason (Cy Alexander)
2013-14 — 9-23, 5-11 MEAC (8th), no postseason (Cy Alexander)
*—conference champion
NOTE: Please visit the North Carolina Sports Network’s 2023-24 profiles and 10-year snapshots for all 19 Division One men’s basketball programs in North Carolina.
Appalachian State Mountaineers, Sun Belt Conference
Charlotte 49ers, American Athletic Conference
Davidson Wildcats, Atlantic-10 Conference
East Carolina Pirates, American Athletic Conference
Gardner-Webb Runnin’Bulldogs, Big South Conference
High Point Panthers, Big South Conference
NC Central Eagles, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
North Carolina A&T Aggies, Coastal Athletic Association
UNC Asheville Bulldogs, Big South Conference
UNC Greensboro Spartans, Southern Conference
UNC Wilmington Seahawks, Coastal Athletic Association
Western Carolina Catamounts, Southern Conference
