‘Dreams of atmospheres like this’: Queens University plays at sold-out Cameron Indoor
When Deyton Albury was growing up in Nassau, Bahamas, he said it was a blessing just to play basketball in a gymnasium.
Albury moved from the Bahamas to Kansas late in high school. He bounced around AAU teams and graduated from Wichita-area Sunrise Christian Academy before spending a year at Believe Prep, a post-graduate sports academy in Rock Hill.
After being named Believe Prep’s Team MVP, Albury decided to play two seasons at the junior college level. He became a standout at Chipola College in Marianna, Fla., leading the team to back-to-back conference titles.
Queens University of Charlotte started looking at him. The 6-foot-2 guard had two years of eligibility left and liked the Royals’ culture and style of play.
And attending a school that jumped to the Division I level last year provided something he’d never experienced.
“It’s a dream come true,” Albury told The Charlotte Observer as he walked out of the Royals’ locker room at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday. “Just a kid coming from the Bahamas, I never really had that opportunity.
“So to come over there and play in the Duke gym? It’s such a blessing; It’s a dream come true, for sure.”
Albury led Queens’ (6-9) offense with 23 points on 11-of-17 shooting in front of 9,314 who watched Saturday’s 106-69 blowout, the loss marking the Royals’ first meeting with Duke.
It was also the second straight — and second all-time — matchup against an AP Top 25 opponent for the Royals, who had five players score in double digits in a 30-point loss at Clemson on Friday.
Head coach Grant Leonard said he hopes these are the first of many games against high-major opponents. Obviously, the school moved to Division I with the hopes of increasing the student-athlete experience, but that doesn’t only have to do with the level of competition.
He knew there would be opportunities to play in atmospheres such as that of the packed gym in Durham on Saturday, and he believes these experiences are important for lifelong basketball players.
“Every player and every coach dreams of atmospheres like this,” Leonard said in his post-game news conference. “Dreams of Duke, and Kansas, and Kentucky, the blue bloods and playing in those atmospheres. Duke is a first-class program, and they’re consistently excellent for a lot of reasons.
“Our players dream of being able to compete at this level and play here, and play against those guys. It’s an awesome experience for them, but it’s also a learning experience. ... they start to see how much little things matter and what that can do to our game plan.”
Queens showed flashes of offense in Saturday’s game, but Duke was several steps ahead. The Blue Devils opened a double-digit lead before the first under-16 timeout and didn’t look back.
Early in the second half, Albury knocked down the only 3-pointer he made — with Blue Devils star center Kyle Filipowski’s hand in his face. But Filipowski, the ACC’s preseason player of the year, got those points back on the next possession with an and-one.
The Royals, who begin Atlantic Sun competition Jan. 6 at Kennesaw State, entered Saturday averaging 10 3-pointers made per game, and Duke held them to 7 for 22. Four of their five starters are averaging double figures. They’re led by 16.4 from junior AJ McKee, a Charlotte native and Independence High alum.
After the loss, Leonard reminded the team of its upcoming conference slate, telling the players their record is 0-0 and they have a lot of basketball ahead of them.
And that in their second year competing at this level, they graced the court inside one of college basketball’s most iconic venues.
“It reminds me of my story, just being the underdog,” Albury said. “It makes you want to go out and just to prove to people that you belong. I’m just trying to take full advantage of the situation.”
