Category: Apprentice

Builders Race Past Royals 99-54

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The transition game was the key for the Apprentice School men’s basketball team to get back on the winning track over Regent Wednesday night 99-54.

After the Royals opened the game with the first basket of the night, the Builders went on a 17-4 run to secure the lead and never let the game get closer than seven. Apprentice led the game by 14 at halftime and by as many as the final 45-point margin.

Donovan Means led all scorers with a career-high 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the floor. Adrion Wall put up 17, while Kurij Harrell and Avin Hawkins added 14 and 12 off the bench, respectively.

The Builders outscored Regent in fast break points, 32-2, while also getting 37 points off turnovers. Regent had just five points off Builder turnovers.

Apprentice will now turn their attention to the Great Ships Classic this weekend when they play host to the two-day tournament. The Builders will open the tournament against Central Penn at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com

Wol Yak Named NSAC POTW

Blue Lights went one-and-one last week with a win over the Livingstone JV squad and a close loss at a much-improved Johnson and Wales. Wol Yak was a huge part of all that success averaging a double-double. The sophomore forward poured in 35 points at home against the Blue Bears with 13 boards. For the week Yak averaged 25.5 points and 10 boards as well as four blocks over the two games. For his efforts, sophomore Wol Yak has been named the New South Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.

Apprentice junior guard Karree Smith also had a standout week, going 6-of-6 from the field and finishing with 13 points against Greensboro College and 7-of-9 with 23 points against NC Wesleyan. Smith was named to the Roger Taylor Invitational All-Tournament Team and receives Honorable Mention from the NSAC.

Three NSAC Teams Receive National Rankings

The first basketball polls of the year are out in the USCAA, and the New South Conference is well represented as the Apprentice men’s and women’s teams as well as the Atlantis men are in the top 5 of their respective polls.

The Apprentice men have garnered the number 2 national ranking, trailing only Bryant & Stratton Syracuse. Head coach Evan Kee is pleased with the recognition and says he’s looking forward to returning to Petersburg, Virginia, the site of the USCAA Small College Championships.

“We are thrilled that our strong start to the season has led to an early season #2 ranking,” said Kee. “We’ve played a challenging opening schedule and we are happy to have come out with some convincing wins. We understand that the only poll that truly matters is the final one, which will be the crowned national champion. We hope to be in position to finish the season number one in the country and to cut down nets at Virginia State University.”

The Builders are picking up where they left off last season when they went undefeated in conference play, won the NSAC tournament title, and advanced to the USCAA semifinals before falling to Bryant & Stratton Buffalo 77-75.

Atlantis comes into the poll ranked number 4. The new NSAC member also appeared in the national tournament last season in its first year of eligibility, but fell victim to B&S Buffalo in the opening round 73-64.

B&S Buffalo is at number three. Salem University, last year’s national champion, rounds out the top 5.

The Apprentice women crack the season-opening rankings at number four. The Lady Builders fell to eventual champion D’Youville in the national semifinals last year 75-48.

Key Matchups Highlight Post-Thanksgiving Slate This Week

After a needed Thanksgiving Day break, New South teams return to action this week to a slate of interesting matchups. 

Blue Lights opens the week on Tuesday by hosting the JV team from Livingstone, The Thoroughbreds (4-2) hope to end a two-game slide by getting key players back from injuries. 

Wednesday night is Rivalry Night in Miami as Atlantis (3-2) hosts cross-town foe United International College.  

It’s officially called the Roger Taylor Classic, but Apprentice (5-1) and MACU (1-4) consider the weekend of games in Rocky Mount, North Carolina to be the “NSAC-USA South Showdown.” On Friday, the Builders face Greensboro College and the Thoroughbreds tackle NC Wesleyan. They switch opponents on Saturday.  

Central International (4-4) gets back to action on Monday, December 4, taking on a much-improved Patrick Henry College team.  

Lighthouse (5-2) will try to knock the rust off from a two-week layoff when it travels to Atlantis on December 6. It will mark the first-ever NSAC conference game for both teams. 

Pacheco-Ortiz’s Double-Double Paces Builders Past Roadrunners

CLIFTON FORGE, Va. – Angel Pacheco-Ortiz recorded a double-double as the Apprentice School men’s basketball team pushed past Mountain Gateway Community College Saturday afternoon 73-58.

The Builders led wire-to-wire, starting the game with an 8-0 run and never looking back. Apprentice held the Roadrunners scoreless through the first 5:21 of the game in their home gym and stretched the lead to as many as 19 by halftime.

MGCC came back in the second half, cutting the lead down to as few as six with just under four minutes to go, but the Builders finished the final four minutes on a 13-2 run to put the game away.

Pacheco-Ortiz finished with 12 points and 11 boards to lead 12 Builders who put points in the scoring column. He was the only Builder to finish with double figures.

Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com

Builders’ Means Named MBB Player of the Week

Donovan Means of Apprentice is being recognized as the first men’s basketball Player of the Week for 2023-24 by the New South Conference.

The 6’3″ freshman guard from Chesterfield, Virginia made an immediate impact leading the Builders in their first two matches of the season, averaging 19.5 points, 3 steals per game, was 5-10 from 3, and 10-11 from the free throw line for the weekend’s action.

Congratulations to Donovan Means, the NSAC Player of the Week!

Apprentice Splits Benchoff Tournament Matchups

MONT ALTO, Pa. – Freshman Donovan Means averaged 19.5 points per game as the Apprentice School men’s basketball team opened up the 2023-24 season with a split at this weekend’s Benchoff Tournament, hosted by Penn State Mont Alto.

GAME ONE – PSU York 79, Apprentice 70
PSU York jumped out to an early 14-10 lead before the Builders went on an 11-0 run over a four minute span to take a 21-14 lead with 8:20 to go in the first half. The Nittany Lions answered right back, scoring the next seven to tie things up at 21-21.

After the teams traded baskets, York reeled off a 15-2 run to take a 38-25 lead with just over 90 seconds to go before halftime. Although Apprentice pulled the deficit down to eight at one point, the Nittany Lions hit a three late in the half to take an 11 point lead into intermission.

York came out on fire in the second half, stretching their lead to as many as 23 before the Builders were able to bring it back to a seven point game midway through the second half. Apprentice could get no closer as the lead hovered around seven for the final stretch of the game.

Means finished with a game-high 23 points, while five York players ended in double figures.

GAME TWO – Apprentice 66, PSU Mont Alto 58
Saturday’s game was back-and-forth early until the Builders started to pull away at the 6:08 mark when they started an 8-0 run that extended a two-point game to a 28-18 lead for Apprentice with 3:03 to play before halftime. Mont Alto trimmed the lead back down to four, but the Builders added two baskets late in the period to take a 34-26 lead to the locker room at halftime.

The Nittany Lions cut the lead to three early in the second half, but Apprentice answered with a 10-0 run that spanned 4:36 of the half to take a 13-point lead. Mont Alto cut the lead down to as few as two points with 1:53 left, but Apprentice scored the final six points of the game to earn their first win of the season.

Means again had a game-high 16 points, while Angel Pacheco-Ortiz finished with a double-double of 14 points and 11 boards. Karree Smith also had 14 points, and Tony Epps, Jr. had 11 points, including three three-pointers.

Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com

Builders Prepare for USCAA Nationals

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Apprentice School men’s basketball team, fresh off its NSAC championship, earned the No. 3 seed in the upcoming USCAA National Championship to be contested in Richmond, Virginia, March 12-16, the national office announced Sunday afternoon.

The Builders will take on sixth-seed MUW Monday, March 13, at 4 p.m. at Richard Bland College. This will be the first meeting between the two schools.

Paul Quinn earned the top seed with Bryant & Stratton (Buffalo) named number 2. Salem was the No. 4 seed and will take on fifth-seeded Bryant & Stratton (Syracuse). Atlantis claimed the seventh seed, while Bluefield State was the last team in at No. 8.

This is the third straight tournament berth for Apprentice.

Tickets for the tournament may be purchased here.

Story and image courtesy gobuilders.com

Apprentice Claims NSAC Championship With 64-52 Win over VPCC

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School men’s basketball team completed its quest for the New South Athletic Conference crown with a 64-52 win over rival Virginia Peninsula Community College Sunday afternoon.

The Builders led wire-to-wire, pulling out to a 6-0 lead in a low scoring first half. Apprentice led 26-19 at the break before finally putting some distance between themselves and the Gators midway through the second half, allowing for the celebration to begin late in the contest for the conference tournament championship.

Tony Epps, Jr. had a career-high 20 points, hitting 3-of-4 three pointers on the night. CJ Highsmith had a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Adrion Wall also added 12 points.

The Builders’ 20 wins is the most in a season since winning 23 back in the 2001-02 season. That season ended in a national championship, the first for the men’s basketball program at the USCAA level.

With the win, the Builders improve to 20-7 on the season, as they await official word of their next steps for the season. Currently, Apprentice is ranked No. 3 in the latest USCAA National Coaches’ Poll for Division I. As there are no automatic qualifiers in USCAA Division I, there will be eight teams announced as the tournament field on the live bid announcement show March 5.

Story and image courtesy Walker McCrary/gobuilders.com

Top-seed Apprentice Prevails 97-88 over BLC

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Top-seeded Apprentice School rallied late in its New South Athletic Conference tournament semifinal game to defeated 4th seed Blue Lights College 97-88 and advance into Sunday’s title game.

BLC (9-7) played the Builders (19-7) tough for all 40 minutes, holding various leads throughout the game. The Herd protected the paint and dared the Builders to beat them from the perimeter. Apprentice answered with eight three-pointers in the first half, accounting for half of their field goals, and led 48-44 at the halftime break.

Apprentice’s lead fizzled away, thanks to a 7-0 run to start the second half. BLC’s lead grew to as many as seven with 13:49 left but Apprentice fought back to take a 74-73 lead with just under 10 minutes to play. The Herd led 78-76 with eight minutes left, but the NSAC regular-season champion Builders responded with solid defense, holding BLC scoreless for the next three minutes. With 4:15 to go, Apprentice mounted a 93-80 advantage that ended up being too much for the Thoroughbreds to withstand down the stretch.

NSAC MVP Shawn Eley of Apprentice led all scorers with 35 points, recording a double-double paired with 15 rebounds and made 11-of-12 free throws. The Builders made 15 threes altogether and scored 21 points off BLC turnovers.

The Thoroughbreds’ All-NSAC forward Wol Yak poured in 24 points, while Sam Benton Jr. added 22.

Apprentice now faces Virginia Peninsula, a 70-63 winner over Mid-Atlantic Christian in the day’s second semifinal, for the championship Sunday at 4:00 pm.

Story courtesy Craig Green/BLC Media