Category: Apprentice

Builders Win Opener 77-62

MONACA, P.A. – Karree Smith scored 19 points to lead Apprentice to a season-opening win 77-62 over Penn State-Greater Allegheny in the Penn State Beaver Tip-Off Classic.

The Nittany Lions (0-1) led most of the first half and held 28-20 advantage with 4:23 to play before intermission, but the Builders chipped away to close the gap to two, 31-29, at halftime. Apprentice (1-0) took the lead for good on a Donovan Means layup less than two minutes into the second stanza to make it 34-33. From there, the defending USCAA Division 1 national champions began to pull away and led by as many as 17 late in the game.

Adrion Wall added 17 for the Builders while Means scored 10. Biagio Crossley led PSGA with 12.

The Builders will face host Penn State Beaver on Sunday.

Gainey Promoted to Apprentice Head Men’s Basketball Coach

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School Director of Athletics Jeff Egnot has announced the promotion of Michael Gainey, Jr., to the position of Head Men’s Basketball Coach, effective immediately.

“I could not be happier for MJ,” said Egnot. “He is a product of this program that has gone on to great things for our company and our program. His dedication to and his love for Builder athletics has helped maintain a level of excellence that has come to be expected with our basketball program. I know that the program is in good hands, and it will continue to be a catalyst in which we continue to attract future leaders of this company.”

Gainey has spent the last seven seasons as an assistant under former head coach Evan Kee. Most recently, he held the position of Director of Player Development where he has developed numerous players to USCAA All-American status. He helped lead the team to the national semifinals two seasons ago before winning the USCAA Division I National Championship this past season.

“I feel truly blessed to have been appointed as the new head coach here at my alma mater,” said Gainey. “It gives me great pleasure to serve the future leaders of The Apprentice School. I am excited to embark on this journey and work towards achieving the continuous success and growth of this program.”

Gainey first played for the Builders for two seasons prior to joining the coaching staff. He was named Most Improved Player as a freshman after helping lead the Builders to the USCAA National Tournament where he set a USCAA record for most blocks in a tournament game.

Gainey graduated from AS in 2018 and is a production planner for Newport News Shipbuilding.

Prior to coming to The Apprentice School, Gainey, a native of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, played basketball at Rocky Mount High School, where he was part of the 3A State Championship team in 2012 before falling to the eventual champions in 2013.

Story and image courtesy Apprentice Athletics

Kee Resigns from Apprentice, Accepts Job at Randolph

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School Department of Athletics has announced the resignation of head men’s basketball coach Evan Kee as he accepts a position at Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia. Kee will remain with the Apprentice School in admissions until the transition period has concluded.

Kee went 81-61 as head coach of The Apprentice School, including winning back-to-back New South Athletic Conference Tournament Championships in 2023 and 2024 as well as the 2024 USCAA Division I National Championship in his final game on the sidelines at AS.

Kee will be just the third head coach in the history of Randolph’s men’s basketball program that has existed since the 2007-08 season.

“I’m thankful for my time the last seven years at The Apprentice School” said Kee. “We were able to build a program up and get it to a championship level. I want to thank all of the players, coaches and staff members that I worked with over the years.”

The Apprentice School Department of Athletics wishes Kee the best in his future endeavors as he moves on to coach the Wildcats.

A search for the next head men’s basketball coach is now underway. Interested applicants should email their resume with references to jeffrey.egnot@as.edu.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics; image courtesy Kaitlyn Olson/Apprentice Athletics

Apprentice Takes Down Lyon to Win USCAA Title

PETERSBURG, Va. – For the first time since the 2002-03 season, the Apprentice School men’s basketball team cut down the nets at the USCAA Small College National Championship with a 73-68 win over Lyon Wednesday afternoon.

Donovan Means was named Tournament MVP after leading the team with 19 points. Adrion Wall and Karree Smith were also named to the All-Tournament Team after finishing with 15 and 10 points, respectively. Senior Avin Hawkins added 15 off the bench.

The Scots and Builders were in a battle from the opening tip with Apprentice trailing for a majority of the first half, but with the final five points of the first half, the Builders took a 33-30 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Apprentice, the back-to-back NSAC champion, extended their lead to seven early in the second half, but the Scots hit big shots, going on a 7-0 run to tie the game up at 43-43. From there, the lead switched hands multiple times before the game settled in with the Builders holding a small margin. Lyon cut the lead down to two late, but three free throws down the stretch, coupled with defensive stops, put the Builders on the ladder to cut down the nets and hoist the national championship trophy.

It’s the third national championship for the Builders’ basketball program in school history and the first since going back-to-back in the 2001-02 and 02-03 seasons.

Story and image courtesy Apprentice Athletics

Survive and Advance! Apprentice Holds On to Clinch Spot in National Championship

PETERSBURG, Va. – The Apprentice School men’s basketball team is potentially just 40 minutes away from the first men’s basketball national title in more than two decades after knocking off Bryant & Stratton-Albany Tuesday afternoon 69-60.

The game was nip-and-tuck all the way through as the Bobcats held a one-point lead at halftime, 32-31. The Builders answered, however, going on an 8-0 run to take the lead, 42-38. Albany eventually brought the game back to a 55-55 tie, but the Builders never surrendered the lead again, scoring the next four points and then the final six of the day to clinch their spot in the national championship game.

Donovan Means led Apprentice with 17 points, while Adrion Wall had 14 points. Karree Smith put up 13 as well.

With the win, the Builders will play for the USCAA Division I National Championship tomorrow at 12 p.m. at Virginia State University’s Multipurpose Center against third-seeded Lyon. Tickets are still available at basketball.theuscaa.com, while a live stream and stats will be available as well.

Story and image courtesy Apprentice Athletics

Builders Advance to Final Four with Win over UMFK

PETERSBURG, Va. – The No. 1 Apprentice School men’s basketball team earned their second straight USCAA semifinal appearance Sunday as they knocked off eighth-seeded Maine-Fort Kent, 96-79.

“We’re thankful to have pulled off the win and that we’re advancing to our second straight USCAA Final Four,” said head coach Evan Kee. “This was also win No. 23, which ties the record for most wins in school history. We had big performances from a number of guys, and we’re going to need continued production from the entire roster on Tuesday against Bryant & Stratton-Albany.”

The Builders and Bengals traded baskets early, but with the score in favor of Apprentice at 18-15, the Builders went on a 21-0 run to stretch the lead to 24. The lead ballooned to as many as 26, but the Bengals never went away, cutting it to as few as 14 with six minutes to play before the Builders put the game away.

Adrion Wall continued his stretch of hot play, finishing with a game-high 26 points. Kurij Harrell added 16 off the bench, while Karree Smith had 14. Donovan Means put up 11.

The NSAC champion Builders will take on B&S-Albany Tuesday at 12 p.m. at Virginia State University for a spot in the national championship game.

Story and image courtesy Apprentice Athletics

Apprentice tabbed as USCAA Top Seed

PITTSBURGH – The Apprentice School men’s basketball team, fresh off a New South Athletic Conference Tournament championship, has been named the No. 1 seed in the 2024 USCAA National Championship Tournament.

The Builders will be making their fourth straight appearance in the tournament and their first as the top seed since winning the tournament in the 2002-03 season.

Apprentice will take on eighth-seeded Maine-Fort Kent in the opening round to take place Sunday afternoon at 5 p.m. at Virginia State University. Tickets can be purchased through the tournament website as well as links to live statistics and video, once available, will also be on the site.

Apprentice is 22-5 headed into the tournament. Bryant & Stratton-Buffalo was tagged the No. 2 seed, while Lyon was the third team in. Bryant & Stratton-Albany and Southeastern Illinois will battle in the No. 4 vs. No. 5 game on the opening day of the tournament. Bryant & Stratton-Syracuse was the sixth seed, and Manor grabbed the No. 7 spot.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics

Apprentice Defends NSAC Title, Downing Lighthouse 58-55

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School men’s basketball team captured its second straight New South Athletic Conference Tournament Championship after holding off the top-seeded Lighthouse Christian Makos 58-55 Sunday afternoon.

The Builders and Makos traded buckets through the first 10 minutes before Apprentice went on a 10-2 run to stretch a one-point lead into a nine-point lead with just under eight minutes to go in the first half. The Builder lead went to as many as 12 before the Makos started chipping away, trailing by just eight at halftime.

LCC came out in the second half and caused Apprentice to turn the ball over several times, trimming the lead down to as few as two with eight minutes to go after trailing by as many as 14 early in the second half. The Makos could never get over the proverbial hump, however, as the Builders answered each run with a basket to stretch the lead back out.

Lighthouse got the lead down to one point with under 10 seconds to go, but Avin Hawkins hit both ends of a 1-and-1 to seal the win.

Adrion Wall led all scorers with 24 points, including four three pointers. Donovan Means was a rebound short of a double-double with 11 points and nine boards.

The Makos were led by Chayse Culpepper and Daniel Poole with 18 points each, while NSAC Player of the Year Eddie Brown was held to just 11 points on the day, going 5-for-20 from the floor.

With the win, Apprentice improves to 22-5 on the season as they look ahead to the USCAA National Tournament set to begin in one week in Petersburg, Virginia. The Builders have been the No. 1 team in the national coach’s poll since the start of the calendar year.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics

Builders Win Sets Up Awaited Rematch with Lighthouse for NSAC Title

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School men’s basketball team is in very familiar territory as they will play in their fourth straight conference tournament championship game when they battle Lighthouse Christian on Sunday afternoon for the New South Athletic Conference Championship after defeating Central International Saturday 111-80.

The Builders are the defending champions of the league after running through the conference slate undefeated in the 2022-23 season. Apprentice lost just two conference games in the 2023-24 season, and one of those was to the Makos of Lighthouse Christian in a 76-73 thriller on February 15.

Apprentice wasted no time getting going Saturday against the Cardinals, jumping out to a 16-7 lead seven minutes into the contest. The Builder lead ballooned to as many as 21 in the first half and 39 in the second half on the way to the semifinal win.

Leading the way for Apprentice was Adrion Wall with a career-high 31 points, recording a double-double with 11 rebounds. Avin Hawkins added 18, while Donovan Means tallied 16. Kurij Harrell was also in double figures with 12 points on a day where every Builder that saw playing time recorded at least two points.

The championship game will take place Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. between the Builders and the Makos. Tickets to the championship game are $7 and can be purchased at GoBuilders.com. All fans must have a ticket to get into the facility. Fans should also account for extra time getting to the arena as the One City Marathon race course finishes just blocks from the gym, and most of Washington Avenue will be closed as part of the course.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics

Lighthouse Holds off Apprentice to Take Regular Season Title 76-73

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Lighthouse Christian led wire to wire but had to fend off a late Apprentice rally to claim a 76-73 victory and the NSAC men’s basketball regular season championship Thursday night.

The Makos (17-4 overall, 3-1 NSAC) led by as many as 18 in the second half, but the USCAA top-ranked Builders would not go quietly. Apprentice (19-5, 5-2) clawed all the way back to cut the lead to two but could get no closer.

LCC jumped out to a big 21-7 lead just six minutes into the game before Apprentice settled in, cutting the lead to as few as one on two occasions before halftime. Lighthouse came out again in the second half and pushed the lead out to 18 before the Builders’ defense woke up and allowed them to have a chance to tie the game with five seconds left, but the shot bounced off the rim and the Makos clinched the regular season crown.

The win was the third conference victory in as many days for Lighthouse and their ninth straight overall.

For Apprentice, the loss snapped a 19-game home winning streak that dated back over a year ago to early February 2023.

Eddie Brown for Lighthouse had a game-high 30 points. Avin Hawkins led the Builders with 23 points while Adrion Wall added 12.

Karree Smith surpassed 1000 career points in his collegiate career with his first basket of the night. He finished with 15 points in 25 minutes of action. He has now scored 962 points while at Apprentice during his three years in Newport News.

NSAC teams now await the results of a coaches poll to determine seedings for the conference tournament, slated for March 1-3 at Apprentice. The results will be announced Tuesday, February 20.

Walker McCrary at Apprentice Athletics contributed to this story.