North Carolina Central University

BASKETBALL

     CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- In North Carolina Central University's final basketball season in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the conference head coaches predicted the NCCU women to finish second and the men to place third in the CIAA Western Division race.
     During the annual CIAA basketball press conference held at the Charlotte (N.C.) Convention Center, the conference also announced Lady Eagles senior forward Cassie King and Eagles senior center Jason Hervey to the 2006-07 Preseason All-CIAA Team.
      King, a 6-0 native of Wendell, N.C., earned all-conference, all-state, all-region and honorable mention all-America honors after finishing her junior campaign with 551 points (18.4 ppg), 271 rebounds (9.0 rpg), 68 steals (2.3 spg), 46 assists (1.5 apg) and 27 blocked shots. Her 551 points ranks third on NCCU's single-season record list. She was also the No. 1 free throw shooter in the CIAA, connecting on 80 percent from the charity stripe. 
     In just three seasons, King has become the Lady  Eagles' all-time leading scorer with 1,623 career points, an average of 18.7 points per game.  King also boasts 822 career rebounds and is just the fourth Lady Eagle to reach the 800-rebound career milestone.
     King led NCCU to its third-best season in school history with a 23-7 overall record and its fourth NCAA playoff appearance (1984, 2001, 2002, 2006).
     Hervey, a 6-9, 270-pound native of Arlington, Texas, returns to the Eagles after missing last season with a knee injury. As the team's starting center in 2004-05, Hervey averaged 9.8 points and 5.8 rebounds to help guide the Eagles to a 16-12 overall record. Without Hervey in the line-up last season, the Eagles finished 10-18.
     "I am not sure what kind of team we have because we have not started practice yet, but we should be very competitive," said third-year head coach Henry Dickerson. "Jason Hervey is returning - someone we desperately missed last year."
     As far as the areas of improvement, Dickerson said, "We have to find a way to score more points and make more free throws."
     Lady Eagles head coach Joli Robinson said she was "surprised, but glad" to see her squad picked second in the division. After all, the Lady Eagles lost 11 letterwinners, including four starters, from last season's team.
     "We have had a great preseason," Robinson said. "The student-athletes have worked hard during preseason workouts."
     She said the team's motto for the season is "Fly As One," while adding, "This is it for NCCU in the CIAA, so we are going to fly each night we hit the floor."
 

Eastern Division
Elizabeth City State University
Shaw University
Bowie State University
Saint Paul's College
Virginia Union University
Virginia State University

Western Division
Johnson C. Smith University
North Carolina Central University
Saint Augustine's College
Fayetteville State University
Livingstone College

CIAA Men's Basketball Predicted Order of Finish
(as selected by the CIAA head coaches)

Eastern Division
Virginia Union University
Bowie State University
Virginia State University
Elizabeth City State University
Shaw University
Saint Paul's College

Western Division
Saint Augustine's College
Johnson C. Smith University
North Carolina Central University
Fayetteville State University
Livingstone College