Four players transferring from NC Central men's basketball program
North Carolina Central will lose four players from its men’s basketball team, head coach LeVelle Moton confirmed Thursday.
Reserve guards C.J. Wiggins, Alex Mills, Alston Jones and Brandon Goldsmith will transfer from the program. All four would have been seniors next season.
“At this time, Alex, C.J., Alston and Brandon concluded that it was in their best interest to play their senior year elsewhere,” Moton said. “It was indeed an honor to coach these outstanding young men. Their character, unselfishness and personalities will be truly missed. These young men will leave as champions and are all on track to receive their degree. They've made me a better coach and I wish them nothing but success at their new institutions. NCCU Basketball is better because they were a part of it.”
North Carolina Central went 19-16 overall and 9-7 in the MEAC. They entered the league tournament as the No. 6 seed, but got hot at the right time, winning the conference tournament with a 71-63 upset win over No. 1 Hampton. The Eagles advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time under Moton, and all four players saw action during a 64-46 loss to Texas Southern.
Goldsmith, who played at Millbrook High in Raleigh, is the only one of the four who played in the MEAC title game, logging eight minutes. Goldsmith started 20 games during his one year in Durham after transferring from Walters State (Tenn.) Community College. He averaged 4.1 points per game this season.
Wiggins, a point guard from Richmond, Va., was the most experienced of the group. He started 17 games in three seasons, including eight in 2017-18, with a career average of 3.5 points per game. He appeared in 69 games in three seasons.
However, with the emergence of freshman point guard Jordan Perkins, Wiggins saw his minutes decline throughout the year. Wiggins scored a career-high 15 points in a blowout win over Warren-Wilson, 101-76, on Nov. 17.
Jones, also a point guard, transferred to N.C. Central from Dakota State College. The Kansas City native started two games for Moton, but like Wiggins, saw his playing time decrease as Perkins took over the point guard duties. With Perkins and Boston College and St. Louis transfer Ty Graves on the roster next year, minutes at the point would be hard to come by for Jones and Wiggins.
Injuries never allowed Mills to get into the rotation for the Eagles. After redshirting the 2016-17 season due to an ACL tear, Mills appeared in seven games last season.
This story was originally published April 6, 2018 at 12:08 PM with the headline "Four players transferring from NC Central men's basketball program."