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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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