After a second-place finish in the conference, the Aggies are ready to take the next step in the standings

North Carolina A&T women’s basketball coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs was adamant about receiving a second-place trophy.

“Our kids deserved it,’’ said Bibbs about the second-place trophy. “People kept telling our young ladies they finished third. It seemed to have eluded everyone that we finished in second place. In the regular season, (Delaware State’s) record in the conference was no better than ours.”

Bibbs won her argument and MEAC commissioner Dennis Thomas shipped a second-place trophy to Greensboro that was presented to the Aggies at N.C. A&T’s annual Athletics Award Banquet.

The Aggies finished tied for second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season with Delaware State at 12-6. During the MEAC Tournament, the Aggies played as the third seed because they lost the head-to-head match-up with the Hornets. Therefore, during the MEAC Tournament Banquet, the Hornets were awarded the second-place trophy and not N.C. A&T.

But Bibbs correctly pointed out that the Aggies No. 3 seed in the tournament was a matter of determining seeding for two teams who had the same record. It did not change the fact that the Aggies finished tied for second place during the regular season. 

Not that a coach who has won nine conference championships is enamored about second-place, but when you’re in the midst of rebuilding a program that hasn’t had major success since the mid 90’s, second place means something.

It shows the program is progressing. Bibbs went from sixth place her first year as the Aggies head coach to second place in her second year. She’s hoping first-place isn’t too far behind. 

“If you saw the look on those ladies faces when they were presented that trophy, it told you all you needed to know about why I fought so hard to get them that trophy,’’ said Bibbs. “It meant something to them. I wanted them to know when you work hard to improve, there are rewards. But they do know there is a crystal trophy out there.”

The 23-year veteran coach has put the pieces in place to go after the crystal trophy. She not only brings back all five starters from the second-place 2006-2007 team, but she perhaps put together the best recruiting class in the program’s history. If the Aggies can win the MEAC Tournament and advance to the Aggies first NCAA appearance in 13 years, it will go along nicely with Bibbs’ 400^th career win.

She comes into the season with 397 career wins and is expected to reach 400 early in the season.

“Getting 400 wins means I’ve been in this business for some time,’’ said Bibbs. “It means I have had some amazing people around me – coaches and players. It’s so amazing to me because those were 400 hard-fought wins. It feels good for me because I never ran away from any competition. It didn’t matter if it was the No. 1 team in the country or the 200^th.”

Bibbs has not stepped away from challenges this season either. She has two ACC schools and two Big 12 schools on the schedule, including Big 12 power Baylor. Then there is the MEAC schedule. Coppin State and Delaware State were picked ahead of the Aggies in preseason predictions.

The Eagles, who have gone undefeated in the conference the last two seasons, return MEAC Player of the Year Rashida Suber along with three other starters. The Hornets return two All-MEAC performers. Morgan State defeated the Eagles in the tournament last season and Hampton always possesses a lot of talent. Meanwhile, it was Florida A&M who defeated the Aggies in the conference tournament quarterfinals.

No one will feel sorry for the Aggies, however. They return first-team All-MEAC junior guard Amber Bland. Bland led the conference in scoring at 19.6 points per game and ranked 20^th in the nation in scoring. Bland broke the school’s single-season scoring record (589 points) along with the single-season records for points per game (19.6), field goals attempted (497) and minutes played (1,100). Bland was also named first-team All-State by the North Carolina Sports Information Association.

Bibbs also returns reigning MEAC Rookie of the Year Ta’Wuana “Tweet” Cook. Cook became the first Aggies women’s basketball player to win the award. She also became the first Aggies freshman to lead the MEAC in assists. The Fayetteville native also won MEAC Player of the Week during the season.

Second-team All-MEAC performer Brittanie Taylor-James provided the Aggies another offensive weapon, while forward Lamona Smalley returns from a knee injury she sustained 16 games into the season. Before the season-ending injury, Smalley was leading the MEAC in rebounding and field goal percentage.

Freshman Jaleesa Sams is expected to come in and make an impact as well. She ranked as high as No. 31 among high school basketball players nationally while playing at New Castle High. Junior forward/guard Ahmad Williams has the longest tenure on the team. She enters her third season with N.C. A&T has been a tremendous boost on the offensive glass.

“On paper this looks like a pretty good team,” said Bibbs. “People keep saying you’re loaded.  My thing is these kids should be hungry and want to go the NCAA despite what people might say. That’s the goal.”

There are two concerns Bibbs has after last season. The first was depth. The Aggies finished the season with eight players, which really hurt them when Cook found herself in foul trouble. The offense wasn’t the same without her. The Aggies took care of the depth issues by adding six new players. 

“When we think about how many people we had last year, we certainly think we’re loaded because we have more bodies,’’ said Bibbs, who was only playing six players toward the end of last season. “We’ve got some good young people. But we’re still young. If we can just stay healthy – that’s what I pray for – we’ll be okay.”

Bibbs’ other concern was the Aggies defense. The Aggies were ranked 10th in the conference in defense and ninth in field goal percentage defense. If the Aggies want the crystal trophy instead of the gold this season, the Aggies will have to play better defense.

“We have to get that championship,’’ said Bibbs.  “Right now, the program is rebuilt. It’s rebuilt from where it was. But I think to make it complete, we’ve got to get that championship.”

In other words, second place is no longer progress.

GUARDS
They’re good. Bibbs didn’t rest on the fact that she had a talented point guard in Cook. She secured help for Cook, who averaged nearly 34 minutes of playing time last season. When Cook left ball games with foul trouble, the Aggies offense was clearly didn’t function as efficiently. It was never more evident than the Aggies MEAC Tournament quarterfinals loss to Florida A&M. Cook played with foul trouble most of the night and scored just eight points in the Aggies 71-69 loss.

The Aggies will be a little more prepared this season. Tyronnica “Wudi” Alford is a Division I transfer out of UNC Asheville. Like Cook, Alford won multiple state championships while a prep standout. The Thomasville, N.C., native won four state championships for Thomasville High. She will provide the Aggies a solid defender at the point guard spot, and should keep the offense running smoothly when Cook is not in the game.

Bibbs didn’t stop there. She went out and signed Winchester, Va., native Taryn Russ. Russ averaged 20.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.2 steals and 4.9 assists during a career at John Handley High. Russ, a two-time Northwestern District Player of the Year, could also see playing time at the shooting guard position. 

Bland will also welcome the help. When Cook left games with foul trouble, it not only put pressure on Bland to score more, she also became the point guard. Point guard duties should not be a concern for her this season. The burden of playing 40 minutes will also be lifted.

Bland, who was second in the conference in minutes played per game, played 40 minutes on 10 different occasions. It didn’t seem to affect her play. She ranked in the top five in the MEAC in five different statistical categories and finish in the top 10 in the conference in eight different statistical categories. Bland also found herself in the top 50 nationally in four different statistical categories, which included scoring (19.6), steals (2.8), 3-point field goal percentage (.375) and 3-point field goals made per game (2.5).

But that doesn’t mean she will not accept the help. Senior Nancy Rembert sat out last season to comply with NCAA transfer rules. She has satisfied those requirements and is eagerly anticipating the start of the season. What Bibbs likes the most about the junior college transfer is that the Aggies will not lose anything defensively when she is in the game.

FORWARDS
There is a lot of excitement around East Market about what kind of player Sams can be for the Aggies. In theory, she has the ability to play all five positions, posting five triple-doubles as a senior at New Castle High. She will primarily play small forward for the Aggies. She was considered the best player in Western Pennsylvania the last two seasons, but Bibbs is quick to point out she hasn’t proven herself in the MEAC.

Ahmad Williams, a two-year starter for the Aggies, will also see playing time at the small forward position. Williams has the added benefit of playing within the Bibbs system for previous two seasons. She is also accustomed and has been accepting of having her role change during her career at N.C. A&T. Williams was relied on to score as freshman. Last season, she became more of a defender and rebounder. She became one of the best offensive rebounders on the team, averaging 2.4 per game.

Brittanie Taylor-James is another one of the Aggies versatile players. She has the skills to play guard, but the toughness to play the power forward position. Taylor-James is an adequate rebounder, and is a confident player who knows how to get to the line (averaged 4.9 free throw attempts per game). On top of all that, she is a streaky shooter who can score in bunches. Taylor-James was second on the team in scoring after missing the first seven games of the season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules.

“Brittanie was fighting to get herself into game shape all last season because she didn’t start out the season with us,’’ said Bibbs. “She will not have that problem this season. She’s played competitively all summer, so we are excited about what she can bring to the team this year.”

Sophomore Shantar Waddell will also earn playing time at the 4 position. Waddell stepped in played a huge role for the Aggies last season when Smalley was injured. She even earned MEAC Rookie of the Week honors during the season. 

CENTERS
There is a ton of talent at the center position as well. Smalley has the skills to play small forward and power forward on the Aggies front line, but Bibbs believes the Philadelphia sophomore has the toughness and basketball smarts to compete as a center. She will also be a tough match-up for opposing centers because she has the ability to face the basket and put the ball on the floor. Smalley’s range extends beyond the 3-point arc. Plus, she’s not a bad rebounder. She averaged 8.0 per game in 16 contests. Smalley could also see playing time at power forward.

Lonise Coulter started 26 games for the Aggies at the center position. The Flint, Mich., native made it tough for opponents around the basket, ranking fourth in the MEAC in blocked shots (1.23). She also proved to be an improved rebounder toward the end of the season. She also has the ability to face the basket and score. Coulter and LaPorsha Lowry helped the Aggies rank 37^th in the nation in blocked shots last season.

Lowry, a 6-5 center out of Charlotte, averaged 6.9 minutes per game last season. But when she was in the game, opponents noticed. She drew double teams and often didn’t have to jump to block an opponents’ shot. Bibbs believes and wants her to be a force in the conference with her size. Bibbs hopes Lowry’s summer workout program helped her conditioning, which means Bibbs can play her more in the middle.

Brittane Neely is another solid freshman Bibbs brought her in to add depth for the Aggies down low. Neely is expected to be a force on the boards during her career at N.C. A&T. She too is an excellent shot blocker.