WINSTON-SALEM, NC — WSSU gained the CIAA title in 2023, however the yr began with a blowout loss to Virginia State in Petersburg. Junior level guard Issac Parson and his teammates obtained a reminder of that loss forward of Saturday’s contest in C.E. Gaines Heart.
“This was a giant recreation for us being in final yr that we obtained blown out by them and we needed to get our face again like Coach Hill stated within the locker room,” Parson stated after the sport.
The message clearly hit its mark as WSSU pulled away for a 76-62 win over Virginia State. Parson led the best way with 25 factors, 5 rebounds and 6 assists with two steals within the win. Hill stated that’s no shock given how onerous he works.
“I feel Isaac might be the hardest-working basketball participant I’ve had since I’ve been teaching. He’s at all times within the health club actually, actually on his cardio,” Hill stated after the sport. “He’s in all probability essentially the most conditioned athlete I’ve had and he’s an important movie examine. He likes to look at movie, so I feel…I do know he’s undoubtedly the perfect level guard in our league and doubtless amongst the highest in Division II.”
WSSU’s main scorer, Jaylen Alston, had a stable recreation with 15 factors and 9 rebounds as WSSU shot 46.7 p.c from the sector for the sport and 60 p.c from the second half. He was a part of the Rams 1-2 punch inside together with massive man Imajae Dodd who practically completed with a triple double, scoring 13 factors and grabbing 11 rebounds to go together with a season-high eight blocks.
The Rams additionally obtained a giant carry from sophomore guard KC Shaw. Shaw scored 12 factors and grabbed seven rebounds after scoring 18 factors within the blowout win over Elizabeth Metropolis State on Thursday. Hill says that Shaw benefitted closely from being a key a part of final yr’s CIAA title squad as a freshman in 2023.
“I feel successful a championship and being a starter, I feel that did some issues for him in addition to being injured for that first recreation of the NCAA event,” Hill stated. “I believed that did some issues that type of fueled his hearth throughout the course of the summer season. I believed he labored on his ball dealing with, I believed he labored on his capturing. He was already a really stable defensive participant. Now I feel he’s an important defensive participant at this degree. So undoubtedly, undoubtedly happy with KC and the strides he’s made.”
WS is now 11-3 general, 5-0 in CIAA play which doesn’t embrace a non-conference recreation towards Virginia Union. It and has gained six video games in a row because it prepares for every week off earlier than opening CIAA Southern Division play subsequent weekend at Johnson C. Smith.
“That is this can be a low-key group. They don’t get too excessive. They don’t get too low,” Hill stated of his workforce. “However the (CIAA) Southern Division is hard. An entire lot of CIAA championship coaches in our division. So it’s going to be robust every day, game-to-game foundation. However I feel we’ll be nice.”
