MILTON, Fl. – Lighthouse Christian got 26 points apiece from Eddie Brown and Wol Yak in downing Mobile (JV) 110-78 Monday night.
The Makos (2-2) exploded for 72 points in the second half to put away the visiting Rams.
Sam Benton, Jr. and Daniel Poole each added 16 for LCC.
Lighthouse opens its NSAC season this Saturday at John Melvin (LA).
John Melvin Christian College (FL) forward Eddie Cotton has been named the New South Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.
The 6’7″ junior poured in 20 points, hauled in 18 rebounds, and handed out five assists on the Mohawks’ 103-86 win over Louisiana Community Christian.
Congrats, Big Ed!
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.
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Mid-Atlantic Christian used a balanced scoring attack to down Washington Adventist 63-61 Wednesday night in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
The Mustangs (2-1) put eight players in the scoring column including four with double digits in claiming their first back-to-back wins over NAIA opponents. MACU defeated St. Andrews 78-75 on Saturday.
Transfer Janus Shepherd led all scorers with 14 while Stewart Clough and Keigh Shakes, Jr. each added 13, and senior point guard Carlos Raven chalked a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Jalen Anderson and Chase Cook each scored 12 points for the Shock.
The Herd travels to Rock Hill, South Carolina this Saturday to face NCCAA foe Clinton College. The Golden Bears have claimed consecutive NSAC victims in Atlantis and SC Central.
ROCK HILL, S.C. – South Carolina Central Christian College (S4C) used a quick start to jump out to an early lead but couldn’t keep the momentum as the Gladiators fell on the road to Clinton College 93-80 Tuesday night.
Central (0-2) made its first three shots from the field, including the first two by Lyric Evans, and converted a blocked shot by Kevin Butler into a bucket to take a 7-0 lead in the opening 1:13 before the Golden Bears began to chip away. Clinton (2-1) scored the next nine points to take its first lead and eventually claim a 51-34 advantage at halftime.
S4C was not done, however, and fought back to cut the margin to three on a Butler layup, 81-78, with 5:11 to play. But that was as close as the Glads would get, with Clinton separating itself from the visitors for the final 13-point difference.
Tavion McPherson came off the bench to lead the Gladiators with 19 points and 10 rebounds while DaQuan Ramsey added 17 points, Butler 13 and 10 boards, and Evans 11. Clinton’s Isaiah Borders led all scorers with 29.
The win was the Golden Bears’ second in a row over an NSAC opponent, having downed Atlantis 102-94 on Friday.
SC Central’s next contest is this Friday at Voorhees.
John Melvin (LA) local Tashaun Colomb has started off the season hot for the Millers and has been named the first NSAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the 2024-25 season.
The 5’6″ freshman guard is tops in USCAA in PPG (19.8) among players with at least three games and number one for steals per game (4.5). He posted a career-high 34 points against NCAA D2 Southern University at New Orleans all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
Tyler Camplin of John Melvin (FL) receives Honorable Mention.
Congratulations!
LEESBURG, FL – John Melvin (LA) led from start to finish in putting away Southeast Christian 99-49 and winning the NSAC Tipoff Classic Wednesday night.
The Millers (2-1 overall, 1-0 NSAC) led 40-20 at the half and continued to gain momentum throughout the game.
“It’s an honor to be a part of the first conference win in school history,” JMU coach Romel Bryant said after the game. “Seeing these players win the Tipoff Classic and develop as players is very humbling.”
Kaimauri Hodges led the Millers with 21 points. Tayshaun Colomb added 15 points and Kyle Roach contributed 12.
It was the first NSAC game for both teams who joined the league this year.
“We had a rough time tonight,” said Eagles coach Dwayne Walker. “We were missing a big, and we also had a lack of aggressive play on both sides of the ball. Way too many turnovers. I know our men will turn this around this upcoming week in Miami.”
Southeast (0-2, 0-1) travels back to South Florida for a rematch against UIC on November 8 and a conference matchup with Atlantis the following day. John Melvin continues its road trip with a game at Florida College on Thursday.
LEESBURG, FL – New South Athletic Conference men’s basketball sees its first conference game of the year Wednesday night, October 30, as new members Southeast Christian and John Melvin (LA) meet in the 2024 NSAC Tipoff Classic.
The SECC Eagles, in their first year of action, open home play after falling to UIC 82-48 on the road last Friday.
The JMU Millers picked up their first win of the season against Louisiana Community Christian 83-79 last Thursday before falling at Southern University of New Orleans 98-90 on Saturday.
The game will be livestreamed on Baller TV.
Graphic courtesy Southeast Christian College
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
In spite of the addition of five new teams to the men’s basketball race, two-time defending NSAC champion Apprentice was picked by the league coaches to take home the crown in 2024-25. The Builders claimed first-place votes from all participating coaches in the NSAC Preseason Poll.
The Builders will have a new head coach as former assistant Michael Gainey, Jr. takes the reins from the departed Evan Kee. But the 2024 USCAA champs return all five starters, including All-American Karree Smith and All-NSAC teammate Adrion Wall.
Mid-Atlantic Christian propelled to second place in the voting behind the strength of its incoming transfers. One coach commented, “On paper, they have one heck of a recruiting class.”
Lighthouse Christian, the 2024 regular season winner, was picked third. The Makos lost the Culpepper brothers to transfer but picked up three impact players in the portal from former NSAC power Blue Lights. Defending conference MVP Eddie Brown also returns to the LCC backcourt.
Newcomer John Melvin Christian (Florida) was a surprising fourth under first-time head coach Colin Doss. “Looks like JMCC has a lot of talent from some upper-level basketball (NAIA, NCAA D2, etc.) coming in,” opined one of the voters.
Atlantis rounds out the top five behind the strength of incoming transfers. “They look like they will be ready to compete every night,” wrote one league coach.
Beacon College, another NSAC newbie, checks in at sixth. The Blazers, led by former NBA great Sam Vincent, return an experienced squad.
John Melvin (Louisiana), Southeast Christian, Central International, and South Carolina Central Christian complete the lineup.
The season opens on October 24 when Southeast travels to Miami to take on the Atlantis JV squad and JMU (LA) hosts Louisiana Community Christian. The Eagles will return home to host the conference-opening NSAC Tipoff Class against the Millers on October 30.
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
