Lady Roadrunners, Roadrunners Picked Seventh in Respective Conferences
Region XIV held its annual basketball Media Day this past Wednesday at Tyler Junior College, and the coaches’ polls indicate the league doesn’t expect much from either Angelina College team this season.
Lady Roadrunner head coach Randy McKelvey and Roadrunner head guy J.J. Montgomery believe they’ve got some surprises in store for their opponents.
“You don’t win championships on paper,” McKelvey said. “It just shows how strong our league is, that they consider that many teams better than we are after we were conference co-champions last year.
“Besides, I’ve always thought it’s better to be the hunter than the hunted.”
Montgomery likewise was nonplussed regarding the rankings.
“I’ve been in basketball long enough to know that what you see early in the year isn’t always what you’re going to see at the end,” Montgomery said. “It’s a cliché, but it’s all about how you finish way more than how you start.”
Both AC teams lost heavy to graduation, with the Lady Roadrunners losing a pair of All-Americans along with other key players. The Roadrunners also saw several starters move on to the next level.
In addition, McKelvey is stepping into his first year as a head coach following a solid career as an assistant to Byron Coleman, who retired at the end of the 2023-2024 season. Joining McKelvey is first-year assistant coach Carl Terrell.
All those factors are understandable as reasons for such low rankings, but both AC coaches believe their teams will be better than advertised.
McKelvey has a solid group of returning players to begin building his new team. Sophomores Alecia Scott-Rivera and India McMahon arrived early in the summer in order to get things off to a good start.
“Those two came in this summer and committed to bringing this group together,” McKelvey said. “They’ve been going hard since Day One. It’s starting to show up more and more in practice. Those two are very consistent and reliable, and they’ll have bigger roles on this team.”
Also returning is Maria Escobar, a 6’2” post with a deft touch around the rim. Shanice Ferguson played valuable minutes in 2023-2024, and she’s expected to provide post-play despite coming off an injury. The versatile Carly Gates, another sophomore, adds extra pop to the lineup, especially on the defensive end. And sophomore transfer Kya Cook will play a valuable role in the backcourt, according to McKelvey.
Among the incoming freshman is Jernye McZeal, a 5’11” shooter McKelvey says “plays with great energy.”
“Jernye wasn’t recruited by a lot of schools, but she’s going to surprise a lot of people,” McKelvey said. “She’s one of the better players I’ve run across in my recruiting career.”
Other freshmen expected to make impacts include Lanaijha Johnson, a post player from Center High School in Center, Texas. McKelvey noted Johnson has “made the most progression at this point of any player in my coaching career.”
“She’s going to be a great rebounder for us, and she’s willing to do the dirty work.”
Yet another newcomer catching McKelvey’s eye is Alannah Nerocker from Fort Bend Hightower. Nerocker played the “four” position in high school, but McKelvey has already pegged her as the team’s starting point guard.
McKelvey said his team’s strength will revolve around guard play, and he believes he has the talent and the depth to prove doubters wrong. As is always the case with building a new squad, building chemistry remains an early focus.
“Having them coming together, loving on each other, building each other up and sacrificing for each other – those things take time,” McKelvey said.
“I tell our players, we’re going to be good, but together we’re going to be great.”
On the men’s side, Montgomery expressed confidence in both his returning players and his newcomers. Two players on this year’s roster – Kanaan Holder and Kai’Ree Murray – were major contributors in the past before missing most – or, in Holder’s case – all of the 2023-2024 season because of injury. Kyle Morgan, another sophomore coming off an injury, also is expected to play a big role in the Roadrunner lineup, as is Chris Carpenter, a sophomore point guard who saw ample playing time in AC’s run to the conference tournament. The versatile Morgan Baldwin, the soph post player from Fort Worth, Texas, provides a steady presence in the front court.
One major addition, according to Montgomery, is the arrival of transfer Boris Perucica, a 6’9” big from Niksic, Montenegro.
In fact, Montgomery is lauding this frontcourt group as one of the best he’s experienced in his three years as a head coach.
We haven’t had anyone quite like [Perucica], a big body we can go to when we need a bucket,” Montgomery said. “Christian Jones is another 6’5” guy, and he’s a long, athletic guard who can do a lot of things. He can shoot, he can defend, he can play the passing lanes. Milton Rice (6’5”) is already playing at a high level. He’s super-athletic, one of the most athletic players I’ve seen. His head’s above the rim on rebounds, and he loves to block shots and defend. He’s one of those tough-nosed guys you just slap on the court and say, ‘Go.’ He’s going to compete and play hard every minute.
“I would say out front court. In the past, we had good frontcourt players, but we just didn’t have the right backcourt for those guys. We’ve had some good bigs, but we didn’t have enough other bigs to throw in behind them. This year, we’re loaded.”
Montgomery also acknowledged Ja’Vonte Thomas – a 6’7” “bruiser” – along with Jordan Mathews. Daemon Ely actually competed against the Roadrunners last season while he was part of the Strength ‘N Motion team. His rebound skills and overall tenacity impressed Montgomery and assistant coach Eric Colbert, enough so that they recruited him to join the Roadrunners.
Joining Carpenter in the backcourt will be freshman Qasim Boyd, a true point guard Montgomery calls “the smartest kid on the team.”
“He’s got the heart of a lion,” Montgomery said of Boyd. “He stays in the gym and works so hard at every part of his game. He’s definitely one of the strongest leaders on the team. His ball-handling and decision-making skills are outstanding. Not a lot of players coming right of high school nowadays have a chance for a lot of playing time, but our expectations for QB are very high right now.”
By far the biggest surprise addition – and a great story to boot – is Isaac Uribe, a freshman from Colombia. Uribe arrived last year determined to join the program. Because there was no dorm space available for a non-roster player, Uribe lived in a hotel while walking to class and basketball practice every day. His determination to become a Roadrunner paid off, according to Montgomery.
“You can ask our other players: He’s been our best shooter in every practice,” Montgomery said of Uribe. “I’m talking about he’s not missing shots at all. He’s such a surprise because you usually don’t have walk-on players who stand out like that. He’s already gotten the respect of the other players.”
For now, Montgomery said, the focus is on teaching basketball as it demands at such a higher level than a lot of the new players have experienced. It’s why the next few weeks of scrimmages are vital in building both skills and team chemistry.
“We’re going to keep teaching, knowing the main goal is to be playing our best when conference play begins,” Montgomery said.
The Roadrunners will host a pair of home scrimmages in the coming weeks: vs. Tribulation Prep (6 p.m. on Thurs., Oct. 17); and vs. Legacy (7 p.m. on Wed., Oct. 23). AC’s men will open the regular season at home against Strength ‘N Motion at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2.
The Lady Roadrunners will host Western Gulf in the AC ladies’ only home scrimmage. The scrimmage takes place at 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 28. The Lady ‘Runners open the regular season at the McLennan Classic in Waco (Nov. 1 and 2) before hosting Hill College at 6 p.m. on Wed., Nov. 6 at Shands Gymnasium.
For both teams’ basketball schedules, visit the Angelina College Athletics website at www.angelinaathletics.com.
The email address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.
