'We know what it takes': Fayetteville State focused on 2nd CIAA championship in 3 seasons

The Fayetteville State Broncos have battled their way to the top of the Southern Division for a second straight regular-season title and No. 1 seed heading into the  CIAA Tournament this week in Baltimore, Maryland, where they’ll try to win their second league championship in three seasons.

Three members of the 2022 title-winning team remain on FSU’s roster, with a chance to claim a second ring and the third CIAA championship in program history.

“We’ve been on both ends: We’ve won a championship and we fell short last year, so we know what it takes and what it doesn’t take to win,” senior guard Khalil Ridges said.

“We’re going into this tournament very focused.”

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Two seasons ago when the Broncos beat Virginia Union 65-62 for their first championship since 1973, Ridges and current teammates Joshua Wiggins and Cedric Currie were there to cut the nets.

Ridges, a Southern Lee alum from Sanford, had joined FSU after a season at Chowan; Currie, a Pine Forest alum, played his way onto the roster as a walk-on after serving as team manager; and Wiggins, a Wesleyan Christian alum and Greensboro native, was a freshman with ridiculous athleticism and an older brother, Aaron Wiggins, playing in the NBA.

Their first season together would end as one of the most successful in Fayetteville State men’s basketball history, and that journey came with insight and experience that should serve the team again this year.

“As a freshman, you don’t know what to expect,” Wiggins said. “Going through that process with the team, coming off of COVID and all that, it really woke me up and taught me what to expect in order to get to that point.

“It helped me learn what I have to do and the work I have to put in to get there.”

Work is essential to the Broncos’ defense-oriented game plan and deep playbook. Controlling tempo, taking care of the basketball, and outworking its opponent on defense are FSU’s staples.

“We have to rely on execution on offense and defense, and we’re actually pretty equipped for that so hopefully we can do well with it,” Coach Luke D’Alessio said.

Led by a Big Three of Kaleb Coleman (10.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 55 3-pointers), Tairell Fletcher (14.0 ppg, 83.2% FTs) and Caleb Simmons (12.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg), FSU gets contributions from everyone.

Ridges has leaned into his role as a disrupter on defense this season, ranking among the top 10 in the conference in steals while drawing the toughest assignment.

“To me, he’s the best defensive player in the conference,” D’Alessio said. “Anything he gives us offensively is a bonus.”

Ridges is averaging 4.0 points and 3.9 rebounds in 26.0 minutes per game this season. That’s a dip from 6.6 points in 20.3 minutes per game last year, as the primary focus of his energy and grit has shifted to defense.

“Somebody has to do the dirty work. Somebody has to,” Ridges said. “To be on a championship-caliber team, you have to.”

The Broncos’ workload increased with All-CIAA guard Tyler Foster no longer a member of the team as of midseason. Wiggins has helped fill those minutes and he always has the potential to deliver a highlight throwdown, whether on the business end of a lob or a fastbreak.

Currie had some highlights of his own in FSU’s Senior Night win over Livingstone to close out a 12-1 season in Capel Arena, going 2-for-2 on late-game 3-pointers and banking in both shots while the crowd roared.

As role players and energy guys, the trio couldn’t contribute effectively without mental discipline.

“Control what you can control,” Wiggins said, citing good advice he’s gotten from Aaron. “There are a lot of things that are out of your hands and at the end of the day, you’re just going to have to keep moving. You keep moving because the clock keeps moving.”

Now, the Broncos will look to move through the playoff bracket, starting with Wednesday’s quarterfinal against Bowie State or Shaw.

It’s something Ridges, Wiggins and Currie have done before. Those three know what it takes to make history, and they’re not satisfied with doing it once.

“I know what it feels like now,” Ridges said of winning a CIAA championship. “I want another one.”

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville State basketball in CIAA Tournament seeking 3rd title