MEAC Basketball: 3 candidates to replace departing North Carolina A&T

MEAC Basketball: 3 candidates to replace the departing North Carolina A&T

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 09: The North Carolina A&T Aggies logo on a pair of shorts during a college basketball game against the Georgetown Hoyas at Capitol One Arena on December 9, 2017 in Washington, DC. The Hoyas won 72-63. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

4 of 5

DURHAM, NC – OCTOBER 28: Players of the Virginia State Trojans (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

Virginia State University – Petersburg, Virginia

VSU may not have the championship pedigree that Virginia Union has or the Hall-of-Fame legacy that the Winston Salem program has, but it does have an extremely successful current run as a top tier program in the CIAA. VSU might also be the school that would be the closest to make that jump from a basketball facility’s perspective. The Virginia State University Multipurpose Center and practice facilities are state-of-the-art, and they’re arguably one of the most stellar venues in all of Division II basketball. It would automatically be considered one of the better venues in the MEAC if the Trojan basketball program made the jump to Division I today.

They’ve also got a pretty solid basketball program to boot, going 19-9, 28-5, and 25-5 respectively. Under head coach Lonnie Blow Jr, the Trojans have been embedded at or near the top to CIAA and Mid-Atlantic NCAA DII rankings for the past 5 seasons under his watch. Home and Home series with arch-rival and inter-city foe Virginia Union would automatically make the MEAC one of the most competitive Mid-Major conferences out there.

Virginia State would also be right in the middle of the aforementioned ‘sweet spot’ of recruiting bases in the Mid-Atlantic region. in fact, recruiting in the greater Richmond and Tidewater areas might take on an entirely new intensity if VSU joined the mix in the MEAC.