A Season of Firsts
North Carolina A&T's men's club basketball team captured the regional championship, securing a spot in the national tournament and marking their first regional appearance in at least four years. Seniors Cam Johnson and Isaiah Williams, who served as co‑captains, drove the squad with veteran poise.
The Aggies then traveled to the NIRSA national tournament, where they faced a field of 24 clubs that included powerhouses such as the University of Illinois, Louisiana State University, Texas A&M and South Dakota State. As the sole historically Black university represented, the team matched up against Utah Valley University in the final four before falling just short of the title.
Their run was complemented by a strong showing from the women's club basketball team, which advanced to the quarterfinals of its own regional bracket. Jonathan Childress, director of Campus Recreation and head coach of the men's club squad, emphasized that the program's resurgence is part of a broader effort to restore both squads to the prominence they enjoyed in earlier decades.
Childress hopes to broaden participation, create more competitive pathways and give students new reasons to join the Aggies' basketball community. Prospective players can learn more about tryouts and club activities at the Campus Recreation Center.