Phil Spence said he already has seen the valleys plenty of times in life, and he has
             seen mountaintops as well.

             So the N.C. Central men’s basketball coach didn’t fret much when his fellow CIAA
             mentors picked this edition of the Eagles to finish last in the conference’s Western
             Division.

             Really, where else could they have been picked?

             The Eagles finished in last place in Spence’s rookie season as a college head coach
             with an 8-20 record last season, lost their best player in center Jimmy Boston and
             have only three returnees.

             All of that would seem to be a prescription for a lot of trouble, right? Especially since
             the Eagles might have an even tougher schedule than last season.

             But Spence said he has some surprises for the rest of the conference.

             "My mama always told me that it’s not where you’ve come from, it’s where you’re
             going,’’ said Spence, who was on N.C. State’s 1974 NCAA title team that ended
             UCLA’s unmatched run of seven straight championships. "I came from the ghetto
             and I played on a team that won a national championship.

             "One thing I will guarantee you is this: we will not finish last in the division this
             time.’’

             Even accomplishing that might be a lofty goal on paper, but Spence said his team
             has the talent to do it. And their chemistry, he said, will be a surprise.

             Last season Boston had the leadership responsibilities on and off the floor. This
             time, Spence said, they will go to junior swingman Shawn Ray, who transferred from
             Voorhees after his freshman season and is clearly the Eagles’ leading returnee.

             Ray, like Spence a Raleigh native (he played at Athens Drive High), averaged 15
             points and 6.5 rebounds last season.

             Spence said that with numbers like that, it’s a travesty Ray wasn’t included on the
             12-man preseason All-CIAA team. And Ray isn’t arguing with his coach.

             "Disappointed would be an understatement,’’ Ray said. "I’m one of the elite players
             in the conference and should be on the team. I guess I’ll just have to go prove it on
             the court.

             "But it isn’t just me. We’re going to have a good team this year. I’m very confident
             of that.’’

             The other returning starter will be 6-9 center Dekendric Perry, who was Spence’s
             center back when the latter was head coach at East Wake High. Perry averaged six
             points and 5.5 rebounds last season.

             "I’m ready to take over in the middle,’’ said Perry, who blocked 44 shots last
             season. "Maybe I should have stepped it up a little more last year, but Jimmy was
             our leader then, and it was important for him to be able to do his thing. We’re just
             not a last-place team. Now it’s up to us to go out and prove it.’’

             The only other returnee is Gary Cobb, the sophomore out of Rocky Mount who
             handled a lot of the point-guard duties last season. Spence said Cobb, who
             averaged 6.8 points and 3.3 rebounds, will be his top reserve at the point.

             That’s because, the coach said, junior transfer Michael "Petey" Noel out of Surry
             Community College is going to be a big surprise for the conference.

             "He was a junior-college All-American,’’ Spence explained. "He can really handle the
             ball and plays excellent defense."

             Added Ray, "Petey can flat out play. He’s more like a two guard sometimes because
             he can score. But he can just play.’’

             Spence said his other starters will both be transfers from Hagerstown (Md.) J.C. —
             6-3 guard Corey Tabron and 6-6 forward David Covington. Tabron played his high
             school ball at Wake Forest-Rolesville while Covington, who attended N.C. A&T for a
             short while but did not play, is a Riverside High graduate.

             The coach said his top freshmen are 6-3 Greenville Rose product Curtis Knight and
             6-6 Charlotte Vance alum Wilburn Oziogu.

             "Curtis is flat-out shooting the ball,’’ Spence said. "And with Wilburn in the paint,
             anything that comes in there is going to be rejected. He’s fearless.’’

             Travis Rogers, a 6-9 freshman from Northern Nash High, will back up Perry at center.
             Sophomores Jermond Debro and Justin Crawford and freshman Bernard McCain
             provide depth at the forward spots, while 5-9 freshman George White is a reserve
             guard.

             "One of our overall strengths is going to be our outside shooting,’’ Spence said.
             "Plus, I like our chemistry and cohesiveness. These guys like each other, and I’m
             having a lot of fun coaching them.

             "We’re going to run, and we’re going to press. But we have to be more careful with
             the basketball. I told our guys we were the only team in the CIAA to miss a
             thousand shots last season, and we averaged nine more turnovers than assists. If
             we do better in those areas, we’ll win a lot more games this season.’’