Category: Apprentice

B-SC Hands Builders Second Loss in MLK Classic

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Nicholas Gravely scored 19 points and Jalen Mattocks added 20 off the bench as Barber-Scotia pulled away in the second half to defeat The Apprentice School 84-73 at the MLK Classic Sunday afternoon.

The Builders were without the services of All-American guard Donovan Means, who was injured in the first half of Saturday’s loss to SC Central Christian and is listed as day-to-day.

The game was tied 34-34 at halftime before Barber-Scotia (6-5, 2-1) used a 50-point second half to take control. Mattocks was a key factor, going 12 of 15 from the free-throw line and grabbing 14 rebounds to go with his 20 points. Landon Griffin finished with 17 points and three steals, while Londen Roseman chipped in 13.

Barber-Scotia shot 49.1% from the field and converted 22 of 30 free throws.

Apprentice (10-7, 2-2) was led by Shamon Rosser, who scored a team-high 22 points off the bench. Ahmiir Colpetro added 17 points, while Jahlil Hope posted a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds.

Despite a 44-38 rebounding edge, the Builders were held to 37.3% shooting as the Sabers sealed the road victory.

SC Central Shocks Apprentice 89-80

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — South Carolina Central Christian pulled off an 89-80 upset over The Apprentice School Saturday night in the MLK Classic.

The Gladiators (2-10 overall, 1-3 NSAC) used an efficient offense and balanced scoring to earn the win against the Builders (10-6, 2-1). Nazir Sample scored 14 points and dished out nine assists, while Davarious Johnson added 13 points to pace the visitors. David Lias contributed 13 and McCoy Bell chipped in 12 as S4C shot 50.8 % from the field, including 40.9 % from 3-point range.

Apprentice was led by Jahlil Hope’s 30 points and Wayne Hedgepeth’s 16, but struggled to find consistent perimeter scoring, finishing 2-for-13 from deep. Ahmiir Colpetro added 10 points for the Builders.

South Carolina Central Christian built a first-half lead and held off multiple Apprentice rallies to secure the NSAC road victory.

Image courtesy SC Central Christian Athletics

Apprentice Takes Down Cheyney 78-63

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School men’s basketball team won its sixth straight game Sunday afternoon with a 78-63 win over Cheyney. It also marked just the second game of the season for Builders All-American Donovan Means, who missed the first half of the season with an injury.

The two teams traded buckets early on, but the Builders took early momentum with a 10-0 run at the 12:14 mark in the first half to take a 16-7 lead. The Wolves immediately responded with an 11-2 run of their own to tie the game at 18-18, but again Apprentice (10-5) pushed the lead out with a 10-3 run and held the lead around seven points up to halftime.

In the second half, the Builders really enforced their style of play, using tempo to extend their lead to 17 points at the 13:25 mark. The lead ballooned up to as many as 22 down the stretch before the Wolves got some late points to trim the lead down to the final 15-point margin.

Shamon Rosser led all scorers with 22 points, while three other Builders had double figures as well. Devon Brown had 14 points, while Means matched that number, adding seven rebounds, five assists and six steals to the ledger. Wayne Hedgepeth contributed 10 points to the cause.

The Builders will take part in next weekend’s MLK Classic in Newport News, opening up with a NSAC contest against South Carolina Central Christian on Saturday at 6 p.m.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics; image courtesy Kaitlyn Olson @picsbyk8lyn

Builders Sweep Great Ships Classic

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School men’s basketball team swept through the 2025 Great Ships Classic with a pair of wins this weekend, knocking off Berkeley Saturday before blowing past Tidewater CC Sunday.

In Saturday’s matchup with Berkeley, the Builders and Knights were in a defensive struggle in the first half as neither team gave up much. Berkeley led by as many as nine in the frame, but the Builders started to break through, snatching the momentum prior to halftime by taking a 29-27 lead into the break.

In the second half, Apprentice notched up the intensity on both ends, shooting 22-of-34 in the second 20 minutes while holding the Knights to just 14 out of 31 shots made in the half.

Four Builders were in double figures, led by Jahlil Hope’s 25. Devon Brown added 20, while Jabari Brackett and Wayne Hedgepeth had 13 and 11, respectively.

On Sunday, the Builder offense clicked from the get go as Apprentice led wire-to-wire. The Storm kept the game within 15 points until the flood gates opened in the middle of the second half when the Builders started raining in three pointers, hitting 50 percent from beyond the arc in the second stanza.

Again, four Builders finished in double figures, led by Shamon Rosser’s 15 points. Brown was a rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine boards. Hope had 12, and Brackett had 10.

Apprentice will open up NSAC play Saturday on the road at South Carolina Central Christian.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics; Image courtesy Kaitlyn Olson @shotsbyk8lyn

Mustangs, Builders Split Series at Roger Taylor Invitational

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — Tyus Williams poured in a game-high 30 points to lift Mid-Atlantic Christian University to an 85-82 victory over Greensboro College on Saturday in a back-and-forth battle that featured 10 ties and nine lead changes at the Roger Taylor Invitational.

Williams, a senior forward, was unstoppable from beyond the arc, hitting 4 of 6 three-pointers while adding five rebounds and two assists. His layup with 47 seconds remaining gave Mid-Atlantic Christian an 83-82 lead it would not relinquish.

“We knew it would come down to execution in the clutch,” said Mid-Atlantic Christian coach Charles Sims. “Tyus stepped up huge. We capitalized on their mistakes.”

The Mustangs also drained 9 of 16 three-pointers (56.3%) and leaned on 20 bench points to build a 44-43 halftime edge. Janus Shepherd chipped in 11 points and three assists for the Mustangs, while Clough nearly posted a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds.

In Friday’s game, MACU got a game-high 32 points from Janus Shepherd but fell to host NC Wesleyan 100-83.

In Friday’s opener, fellow New South member Apprentice School’s Shamon Rosser erupted for 20 of his 24 points in the second half, powering the Builders to a stunning 84-77 comeback victory over Greensboro.

Rosser, a guard/forward, was nearly perfect from the field (6-for-7) and solid from the free-throw line (11-for-17), adding eight rebounds and two steals to help Apprentice erase a 35-21 halftime deficit. The Builders outscored the Pride 63-42 after the break, shooting an eye-popping 74.1% from the field in the second half.

On Saturday, Apprentice struggled against NC Wesleyan, falling 66-51. Builder sophomore forward Jahlil Hope tied for leading scorer with 14 points.

Image courtesy Carl Lewis

Apprentice Defense Stifles Villa Maria for Second Consecutive National Title

BUFFALO, N.Y. – For the fourth time in program history, The Apprentice School men’s basketball team hoisted a national championship trophy after knocking off No. 3 Villa Maria Friday night 64-43.

The Builders held the Vikings to just eight points in the first half as they stormed out to a 33-8 halftime lead in front of the home crowd. The eight point half is the lowest ever in a title game, surpassing the previous mark set in since 2014 when Washington Adventist held Tennessee Temple to just 17 points in a half.

The Vikings put forth a fight to start the second half, going on an 8-0 run to cut the lead down to 33-16, but Apprentice never backed down, keeping Villa at bay all night and winning by the second largest margin in a title game since 2008.

With the win, the senior class of nine players will go out with back-to-back national championships, finishing their careers on top of the mountain of the USCAA.

Chris Hinmon was named to the All-Tournament team after leading all scorers Friday with 16 points off the bench. Donovan Means also earned All-Tournament honors with a double-double of 10 points and 10 boards in the championship game.

Adrion Wall was named Tournament MVP just days after being named the Division I Player of the Year. He finished Friday night with 14 points. Wayne Hedgepeth also had 14 points.

Head coach Michael Gainey becomes the first basketball alum to lead the Builders to a national championship, doing so in his first season at the helm.

This is the second time in program history that the Builders have gone back-to-back, winning their first two national championships in the 2001-02 and 02-03 seasons.

Story courtesy Apprentice Athletics; image courtesy Santino Tarquino/USCAA

Apprentice Cruises, MACU falls in National Quarterfinals

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The fourth-seeded Apprentice School men’s basketball team put up big numbers in the second half to advance to the USCAA semifinals with a 85-61 win over No. 5 Southeastern Illinois Tuesday night at Burt Flickinger Arena. Meanwhile, sixth-seed Mid-Atlantic Christian lost a hard-fought battle with No. 3 Villa Maria 60-55, ending the Mustang’s first appearance in the national tournament.

With the win, the Builders will take on No. 8 Berkeley in the semifinals Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Burt Flickinger Arena. The Knights knocked off top-seeded Bryant & Stratton-Syracuse, 81-68, in their quarterfinal.

Both teams came out firing in a back-and-forth affair, finding themselves tied up at 11-11 five minutes into the contest. The Builders tried to pull away, extending their lead to six, but the Falcons fought back to retake the lead at 23-20 with 6:54 to go in the first half. Apprentice answered with a 12-0 run to regain the advantage before SIC responded with five straight points to cut the lead back to 32-28. The Builders finished the half on a 6-2 run to take a 38-30 lead into intermission.

From there, the game was firmly in the hands of the defending national champs. After the start of the second half teetered around a 14 point lead for Apprentice, the Builders went on a 21-3 run to extend their lead to 70-40 midway through the second period. The Falcons never really caught any momentum from that point on as the Builders held the lead around the 20 point mark the remainder of the game to advance to the semifinals for a third consecutive season.

Adrion Wall, the Player of the Year for USCAA Division I, led all scorers with 19 points, coming up one rebound and three assists shy of a triple-double. He also added a block and two steals to his stat line without turning the ball over. Donovan Means added 13 points with seven boards while playing in foul trouble, and Wayne Hedgepeth came off the bench to add 12 points.

Story and image courtesy Apprentice Athletics

Apprentice, MACU Representing NSAC in Small College Tournament

BUFFALO, N.Y. – For the first time, the New South Athletic Conference has sent two teams to the USCAA Division I Small College National Tournament which begins tonight.

Apprentice, which received a fourth seed, will start its defense of the national championship against fifth-seeded Southeastern Illinois in the opening round Tuesday in Buffalo, New York. Apprentice is on the same side of the bracket as top-seeded Bryant & Stratton-Syracuse and eighth-seeded Berkeley.

Mid-Atlantic Christian is in the tournament for the first time in program history. The sixth-seeded Mustangs will take on No. 3 Villa Maria. Last year’s runner-up Lyon claimed the No. 2 seed and will take on seventh-seeded Bryant & Stratton-Buffalo. The Bobcats are co-hosting the event with Villa Maria. round.

Live video will be made available for every game of the tournament courtesy of the USCAA Sports Network on a pay-per-view basis. Live stats will also be available for every game.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics

Lighthouse Advances to Title Game with 82-68 Win over Apprentice

MILTON, Fla. – Top-seed Lighthouse Christian downed 4th-seed Apprentice Saturday afternoon in the New South Athletic Conference semifinals 82-68.

The Builders jumped out to a 15-3 lead in the first 5:30 of the contest, but the Makos answered by holding Apprentice to just three points over the next eight minutes to claw back into the game. The game went back-and-forth throughout the remainder of the first half with Lighthouse holding a narrow 33-32 lead at the break.

The game continued to flip back and forth through much of the second half, but a 9-0 run for the Makos just past the 10:00 mark of the second half put the game in the home team’s hands as they ultimately held on for the win.

Sam Benton, Jr. led the Makos with 22 points. Adrion Wall led Apprentice with 22 points, while Donovan Means notched a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Lighthouse advances to the NSAC Championship game for the second consecutive year. The Makos face Mid-Atlantic Christian Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Eastern/2:00 pm Central. The game will be streamed live on the JMU Mohawks Sports Network.

The Builders will now await their selection into the USCAA National Tournament to take place starting March 11 in Buffalo, New York. The bid show is set for Monday afternoon at 12:40 p.m. Eastern time on the USCAA Sports Network.

Thanks to Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics for this story.