On Friday, North Carolina A&T school officials announced the contract extension for Jerry Eaves to remain head coach of the men’s basketball program.

On Monday, Eaves’ squad blew a 15-point second-half lead losing to arch-rival Winston-Salem State 79-74 for the second time this season.

And according to the seventh-year head coach, the historic rivalry has nothing to do with his future at the helm for the blue and gold men’s basketball program.

“They’re not tied together whatsoever,” said Eaves about his renewed contract. “The contract has nothing to do with today’s game – nothing at all.”

According to Athletic Director Wheeler Brown there were other considerations in the ultimate decision in re-signing Eaves.

“He’s graduated 20 out of 30 ball players and has built a well-rounded program,” Brown said. 

“Granted, we haven’t won any championships during that time frame, but the big picture says a lot.”

And they certainly didn’t display a title-contending effort in front of a Greensboro Coliseum crowd of more than 5,000 fans in attendance – or at least for one half.

Senior guards Dwane Joshua and Tavarus Alston were able to establish offense for the Aggies early in the first half, in the paint and from the perimeter.

For a half the Aggies were the aggressors. A&T turned 10 WSSU turnovers into 13 points and outscored the Rams 18-8 in the paint.

They shot 6 for 11 from 3-point range in the first half but still only held a 10-point lead at halftime.

 And with the game being played at a neutral site rather than Corbett Sports Arena, it gave Winston-Salem state plenty of hope in spoiling Eaves’ signing day party and the A&T’s recent two-game winning streak.

“I thought it was to our advantage when the game was moved to the coliseum,” Rams head coach Bobby Collins said.

It’s hard to argue that he wasn’t right.

Rams guard Brian Fisher began to go to work. Along with a noticeable drop-off in the Aggies intensity, the Aggies had no answer for him allowing the Rams to climb back into the game.

The Georgia native scored 18 of his 25 points in the second half while the Aggies shot just 1 for 11 from 3-point range in the final period.

Junior Andrew Jackson gave the Rams their first lead of the game at 64-61 when he knocked down a three with just over seven minutes left. A tip slam from junior Paul Davis made it 66-61 and WSSU used a combination of free throws to lead them to their first series sweep in the rivalry since 1980.

“We’re a funny team,” said A&T head coach Jerry Eaves. “We score the ball in the first half 43 points. In the second half we had 18 points in 17 minutes. I don’t know what to say. I see crazy numbers. I told my team I see them again, 9 percent from the three.”

Eaves seems well aware that he will have to find a way to get rid of his program’s inconsistency in the future – even if it comes down to recruiting.

“We’ve had quite a few tremendous wins, Eaves said, “but the bottom line now is that I’m going to have to find a way to recruit players that can win championships.”

“We’ve built a program, we’re very competitive against everyone we play – but the bottom line is I’m going to have to bring in a higher level of athletes.”

Alston led the Aggies with 20 points and four assists while Joshua finished with 19.

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