The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

After waiting all of his life to finally get to make his debut in a division one game, starting point guard Deyton Albury said he was taken aback by the bright lights and the atmosphere last night inside the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington, West Virginia.

Albury just missed a triple-double, scoring 19 points with eight assists, eight rebounds, two steals and a block, all in a losing effort for the Queen’s University of Charlotte Royals men’s basketball team on the opening night of college basketball as they fell to the Marshall Herd 89-73. Chris Ashby added 15 points.

“It was a good game. I was overwhelmed, shocked and in awe that I was actually living my dream,” Albury said. “The first five minutes seemed so unreal playing in front of the bright lights, hearing the band playing and looking at so many fans in the stands,

“It was something that I only used to see on TV (on ESPN Plus) so to actually get out there and play in that environment was a blessing. I could have played better. I started off slow, but I was in so much awe that my coach had to pull me to allow me to catch myself. When I got back in the game, I got myself going.”

It was a learning experience for Albury, who transferred from Chipola College, to complete his final two years of collegiate eligibility at Queen’s University.

He noted that although he scored 19 points, they were probably the hardest points he ever had to work for.

“I feel good about my division one debut and so I’m just blessed to be playing here,” he pointed out. “After playing this first game, I have realised that being the starting point guard, I control the show so I need to not get fed up. There were a couple points in the game when I got fed up and I ended up having a couple of turnovers.

“I just feel that if I play at my pace, the game could have easily been a 30-point triple double for me. But my nerves got the better of me, so I just have to learn to be more patient if I am going to fulfill my dream of playing at the division one level.”

With a few days to recuperate and regain his composure, Albury hopes to bounce back on Friday when the Royals play their next game on the road as they travel to play Southern Illinois University Salukis in a non-conference game that will be aired again on ESPN Plus at 8 pm.

“I love our team so far. But that game was just so weird,” Albury stated. “The way Marshall played defense; I know we’re going to run into a lot of teams that play that kind of defense. Even though we lost, I still believe in my team 100 percent.

“I still have some great team-mates around me, knocking down shots, who have the dawg in them just like me. So just being around them gives me the confidence to play better and the confidence to give them the ball in the right position.”

After enjoying a great pre-season, Albury said he got a chance to see what his team can do, so he’s not going to allow the opening day loss to get to him.

The 21-year-old sociology major will just chalk it up to a learning process. He is the son of Michael and Geniece Albury. His younger brother Michael Jr, who is following in his footsteps, also made his debut on Monday night, scoring 19 points with five rebounds and five assists in Believe Prep’s season opening 89-65 loss to Legacy Early College Prep.