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.”
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
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
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Third seed Virginia Peninsula distanced itself late in the second half Saturday night to down 2nd seed Mid-Atlantic Christian 70-63 and put the Gators in a position to defend their NSAC crown on Sunday.
As throughout the season, the Gators (12-9) used a balanced attack, putting four players in double figures. Jhalen Harris, Keshaun Johnson, and Javion Majette poured in 16 points apiece while Mekhi Reid added 13. First-team All-Conference selection Majette clocked a double-double, adding 14 rebounds.
MACU’s (12-11) Talik Totten, himself an All-NSAC first teamer, scored 14 points, and Jalen Jones came off the bench to chip in 13.
VPCC, the 2022 conference champion, will now face rival Apprentice Sunday at 4:00 pm for the 2023 title.
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
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Third-seed Virginia Peninsula found its rhythm early, jumping to more than a 20-point lead in the first half, and dispatched with 5th-seeded Christendom 79-60 in the New South Men’s Basketball quarterfinals Thursday night.
Jhalen Harris led the Gators with 21 PTS followed closely by Javion Majette’s 20. Quishaun Brevard recorded a double-double of 12 points and 10 assists.
Christendom’s Vander Woude brothers did their best to keep it close. Junior John Paul poured in 21 points, including five treys, while freshman Bobby matched the point total with four 3s.
VPCC moves on to face 2nd seed Mid-Atlantic Christian in the semifinals. That game is scheduled to tip off Saturday at 6:00 pm at the Apprentice Athletic Center in Newport News.
Image courtesy Virginia Peninsula Community College Athletics
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.
APEX, N.C. – Blue Lights held off an upset-minded Carolina Christian squad Tuesday night 98-94 in the New South men’s basketball tournament quarterfinals and will advance to face top seed Apprentice on Saturday.
Down to just six players with forwards Randy Freeman (personal reasons) and Victor Ngong (season-ending hand injury) unavailable, the Thoroughbreds (9-6 overall, 2-3 NSAC) faced a tremendous challenge against a motivated Carolina Christian team, looking to avenge a November 22nd loss to BLC. The Centurions had depth and rotated players often so they could press the Thoroughbreds into turnovers. The Thoroughbreds were able to avoid costly mistakes and held a 43-32 halftime lead, thanks in part to a 29-22 rebounding edge, including 13 offensive boards.
Carolina Christian (3-16 overall, 0-7 NSAC), inspired by a large contingent of traveling fans from Winston-Salem, wiped out the deficit with a 17-5 run to take the lead early in the second half. Despite outscoring BLC 62-55 in the final 20 minutes, the Centurions could not take sustainable advantage of the undermanned Thoroughbreds. The Centurions had no answers for Keyshawn Bryant. The BLC big man scored 17 points in the second half after a 1-of-9 shooting slump in the first, and made clutch free throws to fend off Carolina Christian.
The Centurions lost their composure often in the second half, getting technical fouls after being visibly frustrated with the officials. The Thoroughbreds scored 17 points from the charity stripe in that time, including six technical free throws off of 14 combined fouls for CCC.
Two Thoroughbreds recorded double-doubles against Carolina Christian. Forward Wol Yak lead all scorers with 30 points while grabbing 14 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. Bryant had a monster game, snatching 18 rebounds to go along with his 19 points, four assists, and two blocks. Sam Benton, Jr. scored 26 points (15 in the second half), leading the Herd with five assists and adding three steals of his own. Guard Miigwaanhs Barrientoz added 17 points and five rebounds. Guard/forward Malek Ngong stuffed the stat sheet with six points, including a clutch basket in the final two minutes, eight rebounds, a team-high three blocks and two assists.
Prior to tip-off, NSAC commissioner Mike Davis presented All-NSAC awards to Yak (first team), Benton, and Bryant (second team). Centurions guard Robert Murdock (second team) was also recognized.
With the victory, BLC will travel to the Apprentice Athletic Center in Newport News, Virginia this Saturday at 4pm to face top-seed, USCAA nationally-ranked Apprentice for the third time this season. The Builders (11-0 NSAC) handed the Thoroughbreds their only home defeat on December 6th, 90-74, in a game where Yak was suspended for the first half. BLC dropped an 80-73 decision to the regular season champions in the Thoroughbreds’ season opener on November 8th in Newport News.
Story courtesy Craig Green/bluelightsthoroughbreds.com
