Area teams ready to go

Camels christen a new arena; Eagles travel 22,000 miles

It might take sinking a clutch free throw, draining a last- second 3-pointer, or making a key defensive stop.

Whatever the challenge, St. Augustine's men's basketball team hopes to draw motivation from its motto: "Find A Way."

Just find a way, baby.

That's also what Shaw, N.C. Central and other area basketball teams will be striving to do during the next four months of hoops and hoopla.

First year St. Augustine's coach Lonnie Blow Jr. and Shaw's new coach, Cleo Hill Jr., face stout challenges based on the CIAA's preseason poll. St. Aug's is picked fourth and the Bears fifth in the five-team West Division.

"That's much too low for our expectations," said Blow, adding that he wasn't surprised at the rating. "We kind of like flying under the radar. ..."

But soaring when it counts.

Meanwhile, N.C. Central's men will continue in their role as college basketball's version of the Harlem Globetrotters.

The Eagles will fly and ride 22,000 miles on 20 road trips this year as a Division I team that is independent and not in a league. It's about the same distance they traveled last season.

Elsewhere around the area, Division I teams Campbell and East Carolina and D-2 powers Barton and Mount Olive are revving up as well.

There's more excitement at Campbell, which has moved out of tiny Carter Gym into the $34 million John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center and Gilbert Craig Gore Arena.

The 3,095-seat facility should provide a recruiting bump for sixth-year coach Robbie Laing, who brought in eight new players this year.

They will join a handful of veterans led by 6-foot-5 Jonathan Rodriguez, who paced the Atlantic Sun Conference in scoring (20.9 ppg) and rebounding (10.1 rpg) last season. But the Camels need more than J-Rod to reverse the 10-20 overall record of a year ago.

After a season as interim head coach at East Carolina, Mack McCarthy is the permanent boss with a multi-year contract.

He needs time. The Pirates were 11-19 last season and this year's roster is composed of two seniors, two juniors, five sophomores and five freshmen.

"We're more talented than we were, but we are awfully inexperienced," McCarthy said at Media Day on Oct. 20.

He likes the team chemistry and senior leadership provided by Sam Hinnant, the lone double-figure scorer returning (11.0 ppg), and James Legan. McCarthy also called that duo "two of the best shooters in Conference USA."

At Mount Olive, former Trojans assistant Joey Higginbothan is succeeding retired Bill Clingan, who had a long, distinguished career.

The Trojans, led by All-American Kendrick Easley, are ranked No. 21 in the Division II preseason poll.

They won the Conference Carolinas regular-season and tournament titles last year and recorded five straight 20-plus win seasons under Clingan.

Barton, Division II national champions in 2006-07, looks Bulldog tough again.

Coach Ron Lievense lost first-team all-league center Brian Leggett, but has 14 players back from a squad that went 19-10 overall and 14-6 in Conference Carolinas.

The returnees include senior Bobby Buffaloe, a first-team all-league guard, his backcourt buddy Errol Frails, point guard Greg Mammel and forward L.J. Dunn.

They could be singing "Who Let The Dogs Out?" once again.