GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- North Carolina A&T men’s basketball is coming off their first 20-win season in five years and their first undefeated season at home in 30 years. They will try to keep the program’s momentum going with 10 new players heading into the 2018-19 season.Fourth-year head coach Jay Joyner announced his 2018-19 recruiting class on Monday. It includes four players coming straight from the high school ranks, two junior college transfers, three graduate transfers and one Division I transfer who sat out last season.
In November, the Aggies added prep standouts Ed Ferguson (6-foot-5, 190-pound, G/F, Saint Francis Academy, Baltimore, Md.) and Tyrone Lyons (6-6, 180, G/F, St. Anthony’s HS, Amityville, N.Y.). Joyner also added Webster Filmore (6-6, 200, F, Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology, Charlotte, N.C.) and Travon Mayo (6-5, 190, G/F, Piedmont Classical HS, Greensboro, N.C.)
Junior College transfers Ronald Jackson, Jr. (6-8, 205, PF, Hillsborough JC, C.C. Ellison HS, Killeen, Texas) and Andre Jackson (6-4, 175, G, Manatee-Sarasota JC, East Stroudsburg HS, Charlotte, N.C.) will look to make an immediate impact during the 2018-19 season.
Devin Haygood (6-8, 175, F, Youngstown State, Lincoln HS, Ypsilanti, Mich.), Terry Harris (6-6, 215, G/F, Eastern Michigan, Half Hollow Hills West HS, Dix Hills, N.Y.) and Nelson Nweke (6-9, 235, C, Arkansas State, Grandview HS, Grandview, Mo.) will look to have a one-year impact in Aggieland. Quavius Copeland (6-1, 178, PG, Middle Tennessee State, Greenville, S.C.) transferred to N.C. A&T last season and sat out per NCAA rules addressing Division I transfers.
Four players from the 2017-18 season where the Aggies finished 20-15 return to the roster. Aaren Edmead (5-10, 165, R-Sr., G, Deer Park, N.Y.) will serve as the Aggies returning leading scorer at 9.6 points per game. He will be joined by 2017-18 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference all-rookie team member Kameron Langley (6-2, 205, So., PG, Greensboro, N.C.), D'Andre Johnson (6-10, 225, So., Washington, D.C.), Milik Gantz (6-3, 180, Sr., G, Harrisburg, Pa.) and Amari Hamilton (6-1, 165, R-Sr., G, Durham, N.C.).
“I’m really excited about the new members of our basketball program,” said Joyner. “We were able to add some talented young men. I believe they will help the returning players build upon last year’s success. I look forward to having them on campus so we can get to work.”
Ferguson was a part one state championship team, three Catholic League championships and three region championships. He was ranked as one of the top players in the city of Baltimore. Lyons hails from one of the most famous high schools for boys basketball in the country, St. Anthony’s. During his career, he was named second-team All-Long Island. He helped St. Anthony’s win a Catholic League title and was considered a Top-25 player in the area. He averaged 14.3 points and made the Long Island All-Star Game.
Filmore had a solid senior season in high school where he averaged 9.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Mayo finished off a solid high school career by averaging 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. He also averaged 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds as a junior.
Jackson, Jr. had a superb sophomore junior college season where he averaged 13.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. He shot 49 percent from the field, 33 percent from 3-point and 83 percent from the line. He scored a season-high 22 points three times last season. He led the Florida College System Activities Athletic Association in rebounding. Jackson Jr., finished the season with National Junior College Athletic Association Region 8 All-State and All-Suncoast Conference honors.
Jackson comes to Greensboro with a reputation as a scorer. He was the second-leading scorer in the FCSAA at 21.2 points per game last season. He scored 30 or more points twice during the 2017-18 season including 37 points against St. Petersburg on Jan. 24 and 32 points against Hillsborough on Feb. 14. Jackson finished the season with National Junior College Athletic Association Region 8 All-State and All-Suncoast Conference honors.
The Aggies final four additions have loads of experience. Haygood was an all-conference and all-state performer before signing with Youngstown State in 2015. He was a three-year letterman for the Penguins where he averaged 5.4 points and 3.5 rebounds. He shot 55.5 percent from the floor. Harris entered Houston Baptist in 2014 after earning a starting spot on the varsity squad at Half Hollow Hills West High School as an eighth grader. He averaged 25.3 points and 11.0 rebounds as a high school senior. After two years at Houston Baptist, he transferred to Eastern Michigan. In his one season at Eastern Michigan in 2017-18, he averaged 2.7 points in 15 games played.
Nweke was a first-team all-conference performer in high school before attending Seminole State junior college in 2014. As a sophomore, Nweke earned all-region honors by averaging 15.0 points and 10.0 rebounds while shooting 69.8 percent from the floor. He led the NJCAA Division I Region II level in field goal percentage and rebounding. Nweke signed with the Arkansas State Red Wolves out of Seminole State in 2016 where he played 21 games during the 2016-17 season.
Copeland also has vast collegiate experience. Copeland played in 65 games over two seasons at Middle Tennessee State and averaged 3.0 points and shot 42 percent from the floor. He transferred to MTSU after playing one season at Gulf Coast State junior college.
Joyner looks to take his mostly new roster to further the Aggies’ success after they reached the MEAC tournament semifinals and earned a postseason bid to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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