The return of North Carolina A&T vs. North Carolina Central on the basketball court had it all – including an appearance by Stephen A Smith.
ESPN mega star and Winston-Salem Stephen A Smith showed up to Corbett Sports Arena on Wednesday night. He was in the building showing support for Monté Ross, his college teammate at WSSU and the new head coach at North Carolina A&T.
After the game Smith showed up to the North Carolina Central locker room to talk to the team. He told the team he saw a lot of potential and promised to spread the word about them.
“There’s always somebody watching. I’m watching today. I see some of the talent in this room,” Smith told the NCCU players. “I’m gonna go spread the word and then other people covering this sport, they’re gonna hear about y’all, they gonna come see y’all, they’re going to pay attention to it. Ask the coach about you. Ask the assistant coaches about you, sit up there and check you out.”
Stephen A Smith, whose journalism career began in the Triad as a student at WSSU, told the team to be mindful of watching eyes and to look out for each other.
“You gotta remember – everything you do – somebody’s watching. That’s the world you live in,” Smith said. “So it’s not just about putting in the hard work and doing the right thing – it’s about watching each other’s back. And making sure you keep each other on the straight and narrow. That doesn’t mean you’re perfect, that doesn’t mean you ain’t gonna make no mistakes, but when your heart is in the right place and you’re thinking about doing the right things and doing the right things the right way – it pays off. “
As far was the game…
North Carolina Central maintained control of the lead for most of the game and managed to leave Greensboro with a 67-62 win over North Carolina A&T. It was the first time the two archivals had met since NC A&T departed the MEAC following the 2020-2021 season.
Former North Carolina A&T guard Fred Cleveland had 13 points and 10 assists for North Carolina Central in the win while Ja’Darius Harris led the way with 18 points.
NCCU got off to an 11-point lead which A&T managed to pull back and take a 23-22 lead. NCCU would go into halftime up 36-31. The first 11 minutes of the second half remained tight as the two squads were tied at 52 at that point.
Landon Glasper led NC A&T with 12 points as it shot just 28 percent from the field in the loss, dropping to 0-9 on the season.