North Carolina Central University

MEN'S BASKETBALL

NCCU MEN'S BASKETBALL RETURNS 11 FOR EXPERIENCED LINE-UP

     With 11 players returning from last year's CIAA Western Division Championship squad, the North Carolina Central University men's basketball team should benefit from a wealth of experience.
     "I was excited about last year with nine new players," said NCCU head coach Greg Jackson. "I thought we had enough talent to go a long way. But it's obvious they did not blend into the system as well as I thought they would."
     "The team will be better off this year though, because we will be relying on the experience from last season," said Jackson, one the league's all-time leading scorers and CIAA Player of the Year in 1981. "Their experience of playing in the CIAA, a very strong conference, will pay off."
     Among the top returning Eagles are senior forward D.J. Ward (6-5, 220, Baltimore, MD), junior center Jimmy Boston (6-6, 245, Washington, NC), senior forward Damon Lumpkin (6-6, 195, Washington, DC), senior guard Warren Bell (6-2, 190, Charlotte, NC), senior guard MarQus Johnson (6-2, 190, Raleigh, NC), senior point guard Troy Lewis (5-9, 165, Randallstown, MD), and senior guard Brett Harper (6-4, 195, Hampton, VA).  
     Four other former letterwinners, sophomore center Dekendric Perry (6-8, 205, Wendell, NC), sophomore guard Gordon Tucker (6-3, 170, Matthews, NC), senior guard Robert Dixie (6-1, 170, Rochester, NY) and senior forward Boswell King (6-8, 230, Rochester, NY), will return to the Eagle line-up.  With 15 returning letterwinners, there is only room for four new names on NCCU's roster, sophomore UNC-Wilmington transfer Kowone Merritt (6-3, 205, Chadbourn, NC), sophomore guard James Tucker (5-10, 175), freshman guard Tyrone Letnom (6-1, 185, Atlanta, GA), and freshman forward Anthony Buffaloe (6-3, 250, Raleigh, NC).
     The 1998-99 NCCU team finished 16-12 overall, 10-6 in the CIAA, and 7-3 in the Western Division. The Eagles were crowned CIAA Western Division Champions for the fifth time in Jackson's eight years as head coach, and advanced to the semifinals of the 1999 CIAA Tournament. 
     "It's hard to bring nine new players into the CIAA and have success," Jackson said.  "We started off the season in last place and ended up winning the Western Division.  The kids did a good job at the end of the year with understanding our offensive and defensive systems. We are hoping that it carries over into this season."
     "Our goals remain the same: to win the Western Division and compete for the conference title," Jackson said. "In order for us to have some kind of success, we have to play as a team.  The attitudes during the preseason have been great."

Last Revised:  Oct. 6, 1999