Perfect CIAA season within reach for Shaw

Two minutes after tip-off against Johnson C. Smith last week, Shaw point guard Malik Alvin delivered a perfect alley-oop pass to forward Karron Johnson, who was poised above the rim for a thunderous two-handed dunk.

The crowd crammed into Shaw's small C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium erupted in applause for what turned out to be the first in the Bears' dunk-a-thon. That's what fans had come to see.

"Once they see one dunk, you know they want more," Johnson said.

The Bears have provided plenty of crowd-pleasing moments during this season and enter tonight's road game against rival St. Augustine's College with the best record in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association conference.

Shaw is 23-2 overall and 15-0 in conference play. The team is also riding a 19-game winning streak. The Bears are ranked No. 6 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches NCAA Division II poll - the program's highest ranking ever.

They look to finish the season undefeated in conference play for the first time. And with momentum on their side, the Bears are looking ahead to the start of the CIAA tournament Feb. 28 in Charlotte and the possibility of repeating as conference champions.

This after winning just one conference game in 2006-07.

Shaw coach Cleo Hill Jr. returned to the program in 2008 with the promise of helping the team reach the success he helped build as an assistant in 2001-02 when the Bears finished 28-5 overall, won the CIAA tournament and earned a berth in the NCAA Division II Final Four.

This group, molded by Hill and his staff, consists mostly of talented transfers. It has the potential to go deep into the postseason and collect new accolades.

The Bears are athletic and are shooting a conference-high 52.0 percent from the field this season.

During his job interview with former university president Dr. Clarence G. Newsome, Hill posed a question: Do you want to wait to build the program?

"He emphatically said, 'No, let's do it now,' " Hill recalled. "That kind of worked in our favor."

Key recruits

Hill coached five seasons at Cheyney and bolstered his reputation as a program-builder. He took over Shaw's program three seasons ago with the goal of recruiting 70 percent transfers from junior colleges and Division I programs.

"We knew he could recruit," Shaw athletic director Al Carter said.

Hill understood what recruiting talent can mean for a Division II team. In 2000-01, he recruited Ronald "Flip" Murray to play for the Bears.

Murray, who arrived in Raleigh from Meridian Community College, scored 1,266 points and led the Bears to their first men's CIAA championship in 2001-02 before he was drafted by the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks.

That Shaw team was coached by Joel Hopkins, though Hill played a major role in landing top transfers.

"When you look back at that 2001-02 team, while he was there, a lot of that talent he brought in," said Donal Ware, host of radio show "From the Press Box to Press Row." "If anybody knows how to put a championship program together, it's coach Hill."

Murray was named the CIAA and NCAA Division II player of the year in 2001-02. His legacy is evidenced by the retired jersey hanging in the school's gymnasium.

"They don't win the CIAA championship without 'Flip'," Ware added. "It's that simple."

This season, Hill's staff brought in Johnson - a 6-foot-8 power forward transfer from Midland College in Texas. He played a semester there before leaving that program and is now a junior at Shaw.

Johnson, who attended Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham and The Patterson School, entered 2011 as one of the top junior college players. He averages 12.7 points and five rebounds per game for the Bears.

Senior point guard Malik Alvin, who was named conference player of the year on Wednesday, arrived at Shaw from Binghamton for one season. He's averaging a team-best 20.4 points and shooting 55.8 percent from the field.

He's led the nation in 3-point field goal percentage - 53.8 percent.

Offense taking shape

Hill's recruited a team in his likeness. At N.C. Central from 1984-88, he scored more than 1,000 points, garnering a reputation as a shooter.

"I like to have some guys who shoot the ball like I shot it," Hill said.

This year's Shaw team can fill the basket from the outside. They own the sixth-best 3-point shooting percentage in the nation - 41.2 percent - and have made 170 of 413 attempts.

Still, the Bears want to play inside-out basketball.

"We're struggling through execution on both sides, but the talent has caught us like a safety net," Hill said. "I think for the first time against Johnson C. Smith, we began to take on the shape of offense that I wanted from the beginning."

That's pounding the basketball inside to Johnson or forward Junius Chaney in the half-court set.

The first option, of course, is scoring in transition. Johnson and others have been the recipient of numerous outlet passes from Alvin or senior guard Tony Smith - who leads the conference with 6.1 assists per game.

"Once [Johnson] dunks, everybody wants a dunk," Alvin said. "We get stops and we get out on the break."

Chasing history

Hill said he sells recruits on the fact that something special can happen at Shaw.

Last season's team, led by CIAA tournament MVP Raheem Smith, won the school's second men's conference championship.

This team, Hill said, has more depth.

Before the season started, players met for open gym games, hoping to bring a team of transfers closer together. Everyone learned what they brought to the table.

Then Hill talked to players individually and assigned roles. He told Johnson, an NBA prospect, he expected defense, rebounding and leadership, even though scoring was his strength and he was often first-option.

"To create a championship team you have to have guys play their role," Johnson said. "I think we're doing an okay job doing that. We can always be better."

The Bears have won four overtime games, including a 92-84 double-overtime victory over Fayetteville State on Jan. 30.

The Bears are trying to become the first team since Virginia Union during the 1992-93 season to go undefeated in conference play. That Panthers team was 19-0 against CIAA foes and also won the title.

"We have to stay poised, stay together, remembering that role," Johnson said. "We all need to stay in line and remember what's getting us here: Playing together and defense."

And dunking.