Backcourt duo of AJ McKee and Deyton Albury keeping Queens Basketball in ASUN contention

Queens Basketball is looking to make a run in ASUN play, thanks to one of the top backcourts in the league.

In its second season as a D-I program, Queens (NC) Basketball had a rough start to ASUN play, going 1-4 and struggling on the defensive end. The offense was fine, averaging around 76 ppg but in a conference with plenty of scoring talent, the Royals needed more.

And in the past couple of weeks, they've found it, mainly in their star duo of AJ McKee and Deyton Albury. On the season, the veteran ball-handlers are averaging over 35 ppg combined but have stepped it up in the last two weeks, with the team having won 3 of the last 4 games.

Albury, a 6'2 guard from the Bahamas who was recruited by former Region 8 HC and current Queens assistant Charlie Wilson, has been one of the top JUCO (Chipola) impact transfers in the country. He currently leads the team with 18.0 ppg and shooting 49% from the field. Albury has scored at least eight points in every game, including averaging over 20 ppg in the last six games. One of those was a season-high 29 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists in a road loss to North Alabama.

Just as important to Queens has been AJ McKee, second on the team with 17.2 ppg. The 6'2 local prospect has nine games of 20+ points on the season but has been on a tear lately, scoring 20+ points in each of the last three wins, including 24 in the recent win over Bellarmine.

In order to compete in the Atlantic Sun, you're going to need good guard play. Stetson, who is currently 2nd in the standings (7-2) has the league's scoring leader in Jalen Blackmon with 20.8 ppg. North Florida has Chaz Lanier (18.6 ppg) while Kennesaw State has two quality starters in Simeon Cottle and Terrell Burden.

But right now, its Queens Basketball with the highest-scoring backcourt in the conference and after a slow start, is playing its best of the season. Yet now, the Royals will have to prove that they can win on the road, currently 0-4 in league play.

They have Lipscomb and Austin Peay on the road coming up but if Albury and McKee can continue scoring 40+ points as they've been doing, Queens has a chance to end the road skid and become a real threat in the league.