Eagles learning hard lesson on roadN.C. Central coach Henry Dickerson said that if his players can get through this season, they will be able to handle just about any hurdle they face in life. In its second season of Division I basketball, N.C. Central is traveling 25,344 miles for 21 road games in 14 states, including today's 7 p.m. game at N.C. State. The Eagles have scheduled seven teams from BCS conferences, including Wake Forest, South Carolina and Miami. When injuries hit on top of everything else, a dismal record became almost inevitable for N.C. Central.
The Eagles are 2-22 and ranked last among the 347 Division I men's teams in the Sagarin computer ratings through Sunday's games. NCCU was 4-26 last season. "No matter what they go through in life, this will truly prepare them," Dickerson said of his players. "It seems to me that everybody should go through it to see what it's like." N.C. Central was hurting before it even played its opener. Projected starting forwards Lamar Pittman and Dami Sapara suffered season-ending knee injuries.
In the Eagles' most recent game against Savannah State, 6-foot-9 center Stevy Worah-Ozimo broke an arm. The Eagles are a virtually guaranteed win for many of their opponents, which enrich N.C. Central's athletics budget for playing on the road without demanding a return trip. N.C. State (11-8) will pay N.C. Central $50,000 for playing at the RBC Center in Raleigh. Dickerson said players spend so much time on buses and jets that he has to cut short practice in order for them to keep up with their school work.
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