NCCU players get warm welcome home

DAYTON, Ohio (WTVD) -- Despite the chilly March air and spring break, fans of the NCCU men's basketball team gathered Thursday to welcome the Eagles home from their trip to the NCAA tournament.

'Eagle 1' arrived outside the McDougald-McLendon Arena around 11 a.m. with fans chanting "Eagle Pride Amplified" as each player stepped off the bus and back onto campus.

Greeted with open arms, some of the players said they were surprised to see the crowd.

"We didn't know this many people would show up, but we love all of the support they have for us, and we're just grateful," said senior point guard Dajuan Garl.

"These fans are really passionate, and they really get behind us and support us. It's just as much a part of them as it is us," said Head Coach Levelle Moton.

In the crowd of supporters was academic advisor George King who said that the team is "letting people know we're not just the other school in Durham, but we are a force to be reckoned with."

The team fell just shy of beating UC-Davis Wednesday night 67-63. It's just the second time the team has made it to the Big Dance since becoming a Division One school.