At the end of the 2017-18 season, many were tabbing RJ Cole (Union, N.J.) and Charles Williams (Richmond, Va.) as one of the future top backcourts in college basketball, and understandably so. Cole completed his freshman season by being named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Rookie of the Year after leading the conference in scoring with 26 points per game and in assists with over six per outing.  Those statistics also ranked him in the Top 10 nationally.

Williams, a sophomore was named to the first team All-MEAC after averaging over 20 points per game and ranked among the nation's leaders in three-point shooting.

But wait!!! This story does not end there. Sitting out last season after transferring from Rice University was Chad Lott, an outstanding 6-4 guard out of Shreveport, La., who would became eligible for the 2018-19 season.
 
Now the talk has gained even more validation to the argument that perhaps the talented trio is one of the best in college hoops.
 

"All the talk was about the Dynamic Duo of CJ [Charles Williams] and RJ [Cole], but now Chad [Lott] is in that conversation," said Howard men's basketball head coach Kevin Nickelberry. "The three of them were 'the man' at one time before coming here. So now, we have to find a way to have them mesh their skills together collectively and they are beginning to realize the overall picture."

 
All three took different routes in their paths to the Hilltop.
 

Williams, a 6-6 native of Richmond, Va., was little known coming out of Millwood High School despite having a productive three years there. His transition was compounded as he came to a Howard team that had James "J-Byrd" Daniel, III and James "JT" Miller as its explosive upperclass backcourt.

 
Williams can best be described as an opportunist and being in the right place at the right time. As with most freshmen, he was relegated to coming off the bench as a reserve. But in an unusual turn of events, the duo of Daniel and Miller suffered injuries during the season, and suddenly the scoring responsibility shifted to Williams in their absence.
 
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Williams went on to finish strong, averaging 16 points per game while being named the MEAC Rookie of the Year. His freshman campaign consisted of two games of over 30 points and several with 20 or more.
 

"It was not what I expected when I came Howard," recalls Williams, a health management major.  "It turned out to be a good thing because it forced me to mature and be ready for challenges that came my way."

 
Cole came to the Hilltop as one of the most highly recruited athletes in school history. During his career at famed St. Anthony's High School in New Jersey, Cole established himself nationally when he led his team to an undefeated season (32-0) and a Number 4 national ranking during his junior year. Several major colleges sought him out as one of the top point guards on the East Coast. But the talented guard, who was only 17 when he signed at Howard, had other ideas and decided to go against the grain.
 
After visits to Howard University with his parents and meeting HU President, Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick, Director of Athletics Kery Davis and Coach Nickelberry, Cole quickly made the early commitment to the surprise of many and selected Howard University as his school of choice.
 
It paid off for Cole and the Bison as the talented freshman followed teammate Williams as the 2017-18 MEAC Rookie of the Year. He set a new MEAC record for Rookie of the Week selections and he finished among the nation's leaders in both scoring and assists.
 
Both Cole and Williams, who combined for almost 50 points between them, were named to the 2017-18 All-MEAC first team. With both as underclassmen entering this season, the Bison looked to be in good shape.
 
But little did anyone know that there was yet another piece that would add to the already promising future for Bison basketball.
 

 
A 6-4 guard, Lott came out of high school as a three-star athlete in Shreveport before deciding on Rice University. He played in 32 games and shot 53 percent from the floor during the 2016-17 season. Yet, Lott intimates that he was not happy with his situation and decided to make a change.
 
"Rice was a good fit for me at the time I came out of high school, but there was something missing," said Lott, who majors in sociology and minors in biology. "I wanted to get the HBCU experience and be taught and influenced by professors and people around me who looked like me. I began to look at Howard because I knew people who graduated from law school and other areas who were successful. So, I called Coach Sean (Howard assistant coach Sean Whalen) and decided to come here."
 
On the surface, it looks good having that much firepower in the arsenal. But it can be a tricky proposition in basketball; it can be either a blessing, or a curse:  How do you blend their individual skills by defining roles and incorporating them into a team concept?
 
Williams is one of the most explosive scorers in college basketball. At 6-6, he has the ability to rise up over shorter or taller defenders and knock down the three ball. His biggest asset is his athleticism that allows him to quickly elevate and shoot at the top of his jump shot before defenders can react. He also possesses a tremendous first step that often leaves defenders flatfooted when playing him for his deadly jump shot. 
 
And in this development, he has added yet another weapon to his arsenal: the ability to put the ball on the floor and stop in the mid-range area to effectively score on retreating defenders. And oh, by the way, he is shooting over 85 percent from the free throw line and 40 percent from beyond the arc during his career.
 
Cole is the quintessential, do-everything guard that makes coaching fun and keeps fans excited at the same time. He is 6-1 and weighs 175 pounds, but it is well put together to accommodate his many skills. Being lefthanded helps and he skillfully uses it to his advantage. Cole can get by defenders with the dribble, he can knock down the three either with or off the ball, and he is adept at finding teammates for shots.  His biggest asset, however, may be his creativity, his poise and cerebral approach to the game. 
 
It is not uncommon for him get into the lane among the trees and unleash one of his array circus shots that that leaves defenders frustrated and fans going "ooh" and "wow."
 
"We realize that we have some individual talented players," said Cole, a finance major and salutatorian for his senior class at St. Anthony's. "They key to our success the remainder of the season and moving forward is going to be proper communication.  We must understand the different roles that we play and how to be in the right position whether it is on offense, defense or rebounding. We are working hard as a team to get to that."
 
Lott brings complementary versatility to Williams and Cole, who had a slight advantage by playing together on the same team in the Jabbo Kenner Summer Basketball League in Georgetown the past two summers. He is equally adept at running the offense as a point guard, or using his strength and size to post up shorter defenders on the block or on the baseline.  He is physically one of the stronger players on the team and his shot is very difficult to stop as he has the ability to rise up, hang in the air and shoot the ball from high over his head to the frustration of would-be defenders.  He is arguably the best mid-range shooter in the conference.


 

"I took the opportunity to follow the team closely when I sat out," explained Lott, who is president of the Black Student Association and a SAAC e-board member at Howard.  "I watched RJ and CJ and learned a lot about their styles of play and how I could fit in to help the team."

 
On the season, Cole is averaging almost 21 points and is second in assists (6.2 per game), Williams ranks second in scoring with almost 20 per game and Lott ranks seventh in the league with 14 per contest.  Williams was the second fastest in school history to reach 1,000 career points behind Daniel while Cole has now supplanted Daniel in that spot as the fastest in reaching that plateau.  Moreover, that gives the Bison two scorers who have reached the 1,000-point mark and they could likely both reach 2,000 points if things fall true to form.
 
Records aside, the team appeared to be on track for chemistry and continuity they were searching for early in the season before Lott suffered an injury that kept him out of four non-conference games.

Well, he has now returned, and if the most recent game against Maryland Eastern Shore is any indication of things to come, then opponents beware!!!
 
With the Bison in a tight, slowdown contest, it was Lott who proved to be the difference, leading his team on a 10-2 run over a two-minute period that put the game away.  Lott scored on a post-up move, a string drives to the basket and a nose-bleed dunk following a miss that caused the crowd in Burr and the team to display more emotion that some have not seen in recent years.
 
"In the past, we have had young talented players, but we always seemed to lack that maturity or experience where leadership would be important for the young players," said Nickelberry. "That is what Chad brings to this team. We have a number of young players along with RJ and CJ who have talent, but they need that kind of leadership for us to be successful."
 
With the second half of the conference season ahead, the Bison are 4-3 and face some of the top teams in the MEAC, beginning with Norfolk State (7-0 in the MEAC) at home in a pivotal contest on Saturday.
 
"Now will be the test for us the rest of the way to determine if we will win the conference and tournament title," said Cole.  "We are beginning to come together at the right time."
 
Added Williams, "We have now learned how to play off each other. We have now developed a feel of who has the hot hand and that helps us become more effective as a team."