North Carolina A&T hires Monté Ross as head coach
The 2014 CAA Coach of the Year is headed back to the league, as Monté Ross has been officially announced as the new head coach at North Carolina A&T. Ross spent the last four years on staff at Temple in his native Philadelphia and was previously the head coach at Delaware from 2006-16.
“This is an exciting time in North Carolina A&T Athletics, and coach Ross adds to that excitement,” AD Earl M. Hilton III said. “Coach Ross brings a decade of head coaching experience in the CAA, where he was tasked with building a program. He had some outstanding seasons for the Delaware men’s basketball program, and we think that translates well for us at North Carolina A&T as we strive to win championships in the CAA. We hired the best person to lead and mentor our young men on and off the court.”
Ross did some good things at Delaware, a tough job by many measures. His tenure was highlighted by a three-year run of winning records that culminated in 2013-14 with CAA regular season and Tournament titles that led to the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 15 years.
While his coaching career has kept him in and around Philly, Ross has direct ties to HBCUs and North Carolina from his playing days at D-II Winston-Salem State.
“I want to thank Chancellor (Harold L. Martin) and athletics director Earl Hilton for the tremendous opportunity to join the North Carolina A&T family,” said Ross. “North Carolina A&T has a very enthusiastic fan and alumni base, and they love basketball. The excitement and passion for the men’s basketball program will be matched by our passion for building a first-class program where student-athletes believe in doing things the right way and to the best of their ability. With the support of Chancellor Martin, Mr. Hilton and the fans of Aggie Basketball, we can achieve it all here at A&T.”
A&T just completed it’s first year in the CAA after a short spell in the Big South and a much longer one in the MEAC. The Aggies last played in the NCAA Tournament in 2013 by way of a MEAC Tournament title, edging out fellow 16-seed Liberty in the play-in game before losing to eventual (vacated) champion Louisville.
This past year, the Aggie went 13-19 under interim head coach Phillip Shumpert, who took over when Will Jones was fired last August.
credit to North Carolina A&T Athletics for the image