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!
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
The league coaches have spoken and chosen Apprentice as the overwhelming choice to repeat as NSAC men’s basketball champions.
The Builders garnered 5 of the 6 first-place votes, the most possible. NSAC newcomer Atlantis was tabbed to finish second with Mid-Atlantic Christian and Blue Lights College close behind. Central International and Lighthouse Christian, the other new NSAC member, tied for fifth:
Comments from coaches:
“Apprentice – the defending champs – brought back a lot of experience and added some very talented players. They were one possession away from the national championship game last year so I expect them to be formidable to say the least.”
“The conference is extremely strong this season. Apprentice, MACU, Blue Lights and Atlantis all return key players from last season and have enhanced their rosters with strong recruiting classes. CIC and Lighthouse are somewhat of mysteries but should have talent that will give them the opportunity to make a run in the NSAC Tournament.”
“I’m really looking forward to conference play this season. The NSAC is looking strong once again, with 3 of our conference’s teams being voted preseason top 10 in the USCAA, I think we are poised for a very competitive schedule.”
“The NSAC is a power conference.”
“Atlantis and Lighthouse are great additions to our conference. Lighthouse is a young program on the rise and they’re going to be looking to make some noise here. Atlantis is coming off a strong 16-win season and they have been hitting the recruiting trail hard to bolster their roster. I think they’re going to have a very strong showing in their first year in the conference.”
“CIC is a little bit of a wild card since there wasn’t a full season last year for Coach Wayne and his troops, but one thing is for sure: they’ll be well coached and ready to battle come tip off.”
“Coach Sims at MACU has had a full year to bring in his own guys and I have heard great things about MACU so far this preseason. They’re gunning for the top spot, no doubt.”
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School is hosting the New South Athletic Conference basketball tournament this upcoming weekend, and tickets are now on sale for the event.
Tickets for each day will be $7 each and can be purchased at GoBuilders.com/ticketing. As this is the conference tournament, all spectators will be required to pay as no pass lists are being allowed for the event.
The Apprentice women’s basketball team will open the tournament Saturday at 2 p.m. against Christendom. Prior to the contest, the program will have its Senior Day festivities. The Builders men’s team will play host to Blue Lights in the 4 p.m. semifinal Saturday afternoon. At 6 p.m., the Mid-Atlantic Christian University men will face the Virginia Peninsula/Christendom winner.
The semifinal round of action will be carried live on the BuilderStream YouTube page, while the championship games on Sunday will be carried by BigSportsTV.
Apprentice School head coach Evan Kee has been named the New South Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after guiding the Builders to a perfect 11-0 record in league play.
In his fifth season at the helm, Kee has led Apprentice to an 18-7 regular season mark, the most wins since 2003-04. The Builders are currently ranked 4th in USCAA Division 1, and are number one in field goal percentage, 2nd in rebounding, and 7th in blocks and forced turnovers.
Kee also guided two players onto the NSAC All-Conference Team this season, including NSAC MVP Shawn Eley. His squad has earned the top-seed in the upcoming NSAC Tournament.
Congratulations to Evan Kee, the 2023 New South Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year!
Image courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics
Apprentice senior swingman Shawn Eley has been voted the Most Valuable Player on the 2023 All-NSAC Men’s Basketball Team.
Eley elevated his game when it came to NSAC opponents. He averaged 15 points per game overall and 7.4 rebounds, but in New South contests he turned it up, averaging 17.4 ppg and 9 boards. He also averaged 53.4% from the field.
Congratulations to Shawn and to each member of the 2023 NSAC All-Conference team!
All-NSAC First Team:
All-NSAC Second Team:
Honorable Mention:
Image courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics
Virginia’s Peninsula’s 79-70 win over Mid-Atlantic Christian in the final regular season conference game of the year pushes the Gators into the third seed for next week’s NSAC Basketball Tournament.
Fourth-seed Blue Lights College and Carolina Christian, which tied Christendom for the 5th seed, will open the tournament Tuesday night in Apex, North Carolina in a quarterfinal game. VPCC will host Christendom Thursday night in the other opening round matchup in Newport News, Virginia. The two winners will advance to Saturday’s semifinals at the Apprentice Athletic Center, also in Newport News.
Thanks to Joe Dotson/Christendom Athletics for the bracket graphic
Today’s game featuring Mid-Atlantic Christian at Virginia Peninsula will be the 23rd and final New South Conference men’s basketball game of the season, and still there is something to play for besides pride.
The VPCC Gators enter the contest at 2-4 in NSAC play (9-9 overall) and holding down the 4th seed for next week’s conference tournament. A Gator win would propel them into the 3rd seed ahead of Blue Lights College. This would not have an impact on the quarterfinals, which are locked in, but it does impact the semifinal bracket.
If Peninsula gets past MACU and claims the third seed, then the winner of Thursday’s VPCC/Christendom quarterfinal will play #2 MACU, and Tuesday’s BLC/Carolina Christian winner will face top seed Apprentice in next Saturday’s tournament semifinals. If The Gators lose to the Mustangs today, then VPCC and Blue Lights will keep their 3rd and 2nd seeds, respectively.
Still confused? Check back after today’s game.
Today’s game tips at 2pm at Warwick High School in Newport News, Virginia.
The New South Athletic Conference is proud to honor the following student-athletes for their outstanding efforts on the court and in the classroom:
2023 NSAC MBB ALL-ACADEMIC (3.0 GPA minimum)
Jhalen Harris Virginia Peninsula Community College
Mekhi Reid Virginia Peninsula Community College
Jayden Eason The Apprentice School
Shawn Eley The Apprentice School
Clifton Goode The Apprentice School
Caleb Mielewski The Apprentice School
Climente’ Riddick The Apprentice School
Daishaun George Carolina Christian College
Khariq Grogins Carolina Christian College
David Echaniz Christendom College
Peter Ethridge Christendom College
Josh Pabst Christendom College
Dominic Smith Christendom College
Joe Dotson Christendom College
Bobby Vander Woude Christendom College
Michael Townsend Christendom College
Joe Curran Christendom College
Joe Castellan Christendom College
Andrew Heisler Christendom College
John Kennedy Christendom College
John Paul Vander Woude Christendom College
Michael Evich Christendom College
Junayd Hill Blue Lights College
Jajour Lambert Mid-Atlantic Christian University
Geoffrey Wellons Mid-Atlantic Christian University
Lance Maurer Mid-Atlantic Christian University
Marqueze Bone Mid-Atlantic Christian University
Jeremiah Dickerson Mid-Atlantic Christian University
Micah Colburn Mid-Atlantic Christian University
Jalen Jones Mid-Atlantic Christian University
DreShaun Brown Mid-Atlantic Christian University
Tuesday’s Blue Lights home game against Virginia Peninsula Community College will play a major factor in determining first round matchups in the 2023 New South Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament.
After this weekend’s results, here are how things stand (NSAC W-L):
Apprentice 9-0*
Mid-Atlantic Christian 5-1*
Virginia Peninsula 2-3
Blue Lights 1-3
Christendom 0-3
Carolina Christian 0-6
*Clinched first round bye
Remaining NSAC games:
Apprentice: 2 (vs Christendom, vs MACU)
MACU: 3 (vs. CCC, at Apprentice, at VPCC)
VPCC: 2 (at BLC, vs MACU)
BLC: 1 (vs VPCC)
Christendom: 1 (at Apprentice)
Carolina Christian: 1 (at MACU)
Both Apprentice and MACU have clinched a bye into the semifinals.
A BLC win against Virginia Peninsula on Tuesday will lock up an opening round game for the Herd at Hope Community Church Arena, taking place during the week of February 21st. If the Gators win, it will clinch a home game for themselves as well as a guaranteed third place finish.
A Thoroughbreds loss – combined with a Christendom win at Apprentice – would secure the Crusaders a home playoff game, forcing BLC to play on the road.
The Thoroughbreds-Gators game tips off at 6:30pm EST, airing LIVE on the Thoroughbreds Sports Network on YouTube. Christendom-Apprentice tips off 30 minutes later at 7pm EST, also on YouTube.
The NSAC Basketball Tournament final four will be held February 25 and 26 in Newport News, Virginia.
Story and image courtesy Craig Green/BLC Media
