GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- The women’s basketball program at North Carolina A&T has earned the reputation of being one of the best teams in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and one of the best mid-majors in America. In the MEAC, the Aggies have finished lower than second just twice in the last nine years and below third just once in the same time period.
Five of those players who have helped the Aggies further that tradition under fourth-year head coach Tarrell Robison will leave after this season, therefore Robinson and his staff wasted no time in bringing in new players to take the program to even higher levels. The Aggies singed five players during the early signing period. It is a diverse class that includes a forward, shooting guard, center, combo guard and point guard.
Le’on Hill (6-foot-2, F, Columbia, S.C., Keenan HS), Kiara Harrison (5-10, G, Greensboro, N.C., Dudley HS), Alexus “Shugg” Lessears (6-5, C, Cleveland, Ohio, Shaw HS), Cinia McCray (5-9, G, Maywood, Ill., Proviso East HS) and Shantell Bostick (5-7, G, Cleveland, Ohio, New Tech East HS) makes up N.C. A&T’s recruiting class. “I would like to congratulate my staff and current players for the excellent job they did this year with securing one of the most talented and academically-gifted classes we’ve had in my tenure as head coach at this university,” said Robinson.
Hill averaged 8.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 blocks as a junior under head coach Reggie McLain. She was second in the state of South Carolina in blocked shots, and her AAU team is IDreams. Robinson foresees Hill as a do-it-all defender while the staff develops her into a small forward. Hill can play both forward positions and enjoys playing defense.
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“What more can a coach ask for in an athlete?” asked Robinson. “She’s also an excellent student. Le’on will give us added length and athleticism on the interior and the perimeter next year. I envision her being on the top of all our single front presses and zones. She will also be someone ideally we see becoming a defensive stopper for us.”
Harrison is putting up some impressive numbers at nearby Dudley High School, where she averaged 14.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.7 steals and 1.7 blocks per game under head coach Frank McNeil last season. Harrison is member of the Greensboro Galaxy AAU team. Robinson said she can play all three perimeter positions with a smooth handle and court vision to go with it.
“It’s always great to keep local talent home,” said Robinson. “In Kiara’s situation, we not only kept the local talent home, we also lured one of the best players in the state of North Carolina to Aggieland. As she continues to get stronger in terms of her strength, her ceiling is very high. She too is a scholar athlete.”
Lessears looks to follow behind some of the outstanding bigs the Aggies have had in the program lately. She averaged 13.0 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.3 steals under head coach Dana Jeter in Ohio. TNBA is Lessears’ AAU team. Lessears has a chance to be the replacement for two-time All-MEAC center Aprill McRae. Robison wanted Lessears from Day 1.
“That makes signing Shugg so special,” said Robinson. “We knew we had to recruit someone of equal ability to impact the game as Aprill has done during her career.”
She chose the Aggies over numerous BCS level institutions. She is known for being a dominating inside presence on both ends. Like the other Aggie signees, she loves to play defense, but she has an unbelievable ability to rebound and block shots.
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SAVANNAH, Georgia -- Earnest Wilson remains optimistic about building a winning football program at Savannah State. He’s in it for the long haul like a marathon runner stepping up to the starting line.
