North Carolina Central University

BASKETBALL

     RALEIGH, NC -- North Carolina Central University senior guard Tiona Beatty and junior guard Curtis Knight have been voted to their respective 2003-04 Pre-Season All-Conference Basketball Teams, as chosen by the CIAA Basketball Coaches Associations.
     Beatty, a 5-foot-5 point guard from Queens, NY, led the Lady Eagles in scoring last season with 17.4 points per game, while adding 56 assists and a team-high 30 steals. During her standout career, she has amassed 855 points, 149 assists, 143 rebounds and 111 steals.
     Knight, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard out of Greenville, NC, is the Eagles top returning scorer, averaging 9.6 points per contest a year ago. He also recorded 93 rebounds, 36 assists and 21 steals during his sophomore campaign.
     After winning the 2003 CIAA Western Division Championship, the NCCU men have been picked to finish third in the Western Division race this season. Knight is the Eagles only returning starter among the four letterwinners back on this year's roster. Senior guard James Tucker (6-0, 175, Durham, NC), senior forward Jermond Debro (6-7, 215, Enfield, NC), and sophomore forward Surrell Evans (6-6, 180, Durham, NC) are the other Eagle returnees. 
     NCCU head coach Phil Spence, the 2003 CIAA Men's Basketball Coach of the Year, has added five transfers that are ready to start in the fall, with at least three others joining the squad in the second semester.
     The Lady Eagles have been predicted to finish at the bottom of the CIAA Western Division standings after placing fifth in the division last season. NCCU head coach Joli Robinson is looking to turnaround the 8-19 record from a year ago with a host of newcomers.
     Beatty, senior guard Adija Beaty (5-2, Landover, MD), sophomore forward Natasha Bailey (5-9, Berkeley, CA), and sophomore center Shante' Collins (6-4, Plymouth, NC) are the lone returning letterwinners among the 16 student-athletes on the 2003-04 roster.