The first USCAA men’s basketball rankings of the 2024-25 season are out, and the New South Conference is well represented.
Apprentice, the defending Division 1 national champions, enter the Week One rankings at number two behind undefeated Villa Maria.
Atlantis debuts at seventh despite dropping three games on their New York road trip last week.
Mid-Atlantic Christian rounds out the top 10.
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. – Adrion Wall scored a game-high 22 points, including hitting a shot to force overtime, but The Apprentice School men’s basketball team fell in the overtime period to NC Wesleyan Tuesday night 78-75.
The Builders (3-1 overall, 0-0 NSAC) jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead before the Bishops went on an 8-0 run to take their first lead of the game just four minutes in. The teams battled back and forth for the majority of the first half, but Apprentice got the momentum going into halftime, going on a 15-4 run late in the half to lead by as many as six before a 33-30 lead at intermission.
The Builders came out of half with the early advantage, stretching their lead to as many as 11 with a 10-2 run to start the half. NCW (3-4) kept battling on through the second half, keeping AS in arm’s reach before tying the game with 6:13 left and taking their first lead of the second half just 30 seconds later. The Bishops held the lead for the majority of the remaining time, but Wall hit a three pointer with four seconds left to force overtime.
In overtime, NC Wesleyan scored the first four points of the extra period in the first 40 seconds. After Donovan Means hit a layup at the 1:53 mark to cut the lead to one, the Bishops hit a layup and a free throw to get the advantage back up to four. Karree Smith hit a layup with nine seconds left to cut the lead to 77-75, and after the Bishops went 1-for-2 at the line, the Builders had a long heave at the buzzer to try and force a second overtime, but the shot fell short to give the Bishops a nail-biting win.
Wall’s 22 points included 4-of-10 from beyond the arc along with three blocks, three steals and a pair of assists. Smith finished with 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting while Jayden Eason and Means each added 10.
The Builders shot just 6-of-22 from beyond the arc, while the Bishops pulled down 35 offensive rebounds and had 30 second chance points.
Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com
Southeast Christian College forward Naysean Rhome racked up a double-double performance this past Saturday. The transfer from Pasco-Hernando State scored 23 points to lead the Eagles against Trinity College of Florida on Saturday, as well as grabbing 14 boards. For his outstanding work, the sophomore from Eustis, Florida has been named the NSAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.
Congrats, Naysean!
ALBANY, N.Y. – Atlantis opened a three game road trip to New York with a hard-fought loss Thursday night 76-65 to Bryant & Stratton-Albany.
Atlantis (4-2 overall, 1-0 NSAC) began the game with an impressive display, commanding a 36-30 lead at halftime. Ethan Barnes emerged as the standout player for AU, showcasing his scoring prowess by netting 15 points with an impressive shooting efficiency of 7-of-10 from the field. Supporting him was Santiago Insaurralde, who contributed a solid 12 points. Folayemi Salako rounded out the offensive effort with 10 points and five crucial rebounds.
As the second half unfolded, B&S-Albany staged a remarkable comeback, outscoring Atlantis 46-29. The home team displayed extraordinary shooting accuracy, hitting 95.2% of their shots after halftime. Trent McNeill led the charge, pouring in 17 points, while Jalen Brown added a valuable 15 points to the scoreboard. The Bobcats exploited second-chance opportunities, dominating that aspect by a margin of 12-4, and their bench players contributed significantly, adding a combined 28 points.
Head coach Frankie Hernandez will seek to address these issues and build on the team’s solid first-half performance as it prepares for its next challenge, facing Bryan & Stratton – Syracuse this Friday and Saturday.
Story and image courtesy athleticsau.com
LEESBURG, Fl. – In a game that was tied at intermission, Beacon College broke it open late in the second half to claim its first win of the year 80-73 over Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Monday night.
Ernesto Hichez, a 6’6″ freshman forward from the Dominican Republic, carded a double-double in the victory with 30 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Blazers (1-4 overall, 0-0 NSAC). Six-foot-five guard Jared Carter, a junior from Sparta, Tennessee, added 21 points. Both players had the hot hand with Hichez shooting a blistering 13-of-19 (68%) from the field, mainly on driving layups, and Carter connecting on 7-of-13 (54%), many of those from outside. The Blazers as a whole were in the zone, shooting 54% on the night.
Beacon returns to action Wednesday taking on the Edward Waters JV squad in Jacksonville, Florida.
Lighthouse’s Eddie Brown has picked up where he left off last year. Last week, the defending NSAC Player of the Year scored 26 points versus the University of Mobile JV and poured in 32 vs John Melvin (LA) in the Mako’s first conference win of the season. With those performances, the 6’0″ junior from Pensacola, Florida is named the NSAC Player of the Week.
Congrats, Eddie!
DAVIE, Fl. – The Atlantis University men’s basketball team delivered an impressive performance against United International College (UIC) Friday night securing a 72–57 victory.
From the outset, Atlantis University demonstrated its dominance on the court, establishing a commanding lead by outscoring UIC 42–15 in the first half. The team’s aggressive offensive strategy and defensive solid play kept UIC at bay, limiting their scoring opportunities. However, UIC made a notable effort in the second half, scoring 42 points compared to AU’s 30. Despite this surge, the substantial lead built by Atlantis in the first half proved too large for UIC to overcome.
Atlantis (4-1 overall, 1-0 NSAC) showcased exceptional shooting throughout the game, achieving a remarkable 53.4% field goal percentage, making 31 of their 58 attempts. The game’s standout player was Joel Mora, who scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
The Atlanteans open a three-game road trip to New York this Thursday at Bryant & Stratton-Albany.
Story and image courtesy athleticsau.com
CROWLEY, La. – Lighthouse Christian got 35 points from Eddie Brown and 26 from Daniel Poole as the Makos outran John Melvin (LA) 111-97 for their first NSAC win of the year.
Lighthouse (3-2 overall, 1-0 NSAC) was led by Brown’s 8-of-13 (61%) shooting from beyond the arc and 12-of-25 (48%) overall while Poole was lighting it up closer to the bucket 9-of-13 (69%) and Wol Yak added 21 points at a blistering 9-of-10 (90%) clip. Marcus White recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards while Sam Benton, Jr. added 10 points and dished out eight assists in the win.
Tayshaun Colomb led the Millers (3-3, 1-1) with 29 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and five steals.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School men’s basketball team kept things rolling Wednesday night with an 82-63 win over Methodist in its home opener.
After a slow start saw both teams combine for just three made baskets in the first three minutes of the game, the Builder offense started to wake up, going on a 14-4 run to take a 16-8 lead with 11 minutes to go in the first half. The Monarchs were able to hang around at that deficit for most of the remainder of the first half until Apprentice stretched the lead to 37-21 at halftime.
The Builders (3-0) came out of halftime hot, stretching the lead to as many as 19 before Methodist began to claw back into the game. Trailing 52-37, the Monarchs (1-1) went on a 10-2 run to cut the lead to seven before trimming it down to seven again with 7:01 to play in a 58-51 contest. Apprentice reeled off five straight points in a matter of seconds to extend the lead back to double figures and never looked back.
Karree Smith had a game high 17 points to go with six assists, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Adrion Wall added 14 points, including two three pointers, while Chris Hinmon had 10 points in just 12 minutes of action.
As a team, Apprentice ended the night with 15 steals and 40 points in the paint.
The Builders will now have nearly two weeks without a game before they travel to North Carolina Wesleyan on November 26.
Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com
MILTON, Fl. – Lighthouse Christian got 26 points apiece from Eddie Brown and Wol Yak in downing Mobile (JV) 110-78 Monday night.
The Makos (2-2) exploded for 72 points in the second half to put away the visiting Rams.
Sam Benton, Jr. and Daniel Poole each added 16 for LCC.
Lighthouse opens its NSAC season this Saturday at John Melvin (LA).
