Apprentice Defends NSAC Title, Downing Lighthouse 58-55

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School men’s basketball team captured its second straight New South Athletic Conference Tournament Championship after holding off the top-seeded Lighthouse Christian Makos 58-55 Sunday afternoon.

The Builders and Makos traded buckets through the first 10 minutes before Apprentice went on a 10-2 run to stretch a one-point lead into a nine-point lead with just under eight minutes to go in the first half. The Builder lead went to as many as 12 before the Makos started chipping away, trailing by just eight at halftime.

LCC came out in the second half and caused Apprentice to turn the ball over several times, trimming the lead down to as few as two with eight minutes to go after trailing by as many as 14 early in the second half. The Makos could never get over the proverbial hump, however, as the Builders answered each run with a basket to stretch the lead back out.

Lighthouse got the lead down to one point with under 10 seconds to go, but Avin Hawkins hit both ends of a 1-and-1 to seal the win.

Adrion Wall led all scorers with 24 points, including four three pointers. Donovan Means was a rebound short of a double-double with 11 points and nine boards.

The Makos were led by Chayse Culpepper and Daniel Poole with 18 points each, while NSAC Player of the Year Eddie Brown was held to just 11 points on the day, going 5-for-20 from the floor.

With the win, Apprentice improves to 22-5 on the season as they look ahead to the USCAA National Tournament set to begin in one week in Petersburg, Virginia. The Builders have been the No. 1 team in the national coach’s poll since the start of the calendar year.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics

Builders Win Sets Up Awaited Rematch with Lighthouse for NSAC Title

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School men’s basketball team is in very familiar territory as they will play in their fourth straight conference tournament championship game when they battle Lighthouse Christian on Sunday afternoon for the New South Athletic Conference Championship after defeating Central International Saturday 111-80.

The Builders are the defending champions of the league after running through the conference slate undefeated in the 2022-23 season. Apprentice lost just two conference games in the 2023-24 season, and one of those was to the Makos of Lighthouse Christian in a 76-73 thriller on February 15.

Apprentice wasted no time getting going Saturday against the Cardinals, jumping out to a 16-7 lead seven minutes into the contest. The Builder lead ballooned to as many as 21 in the first half and 39 in the second half on the way to the semifinal win.

Leading the way for Apprentice was Adrion Wall with a career-high 31 points, recording a double-double with 11 rebounds. Avin Hawkins added 18, while Donovan Means tallied 16. Kurij Harrell was also in double figures with 12 points on a day where every Builder that saw playing time recorded at least two points.

The championship game will take place Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. between the Builders and the Makos. Tickets to the championship game are $7 and can be purchased at GoBuilders.com. All fans must have a ticket to get into the facility. Fans should also account for extra time getting to the arena as the One City Marathon race course finishes just blocks from the gym, and most of Washington Avenue will be closed as part of the course.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics

Lighthouse Outshines MACU in NSAC Semis

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Top-seed Lighthouse Christian used a balance scoring attack and strong rebounding to hold off fourth-seeded Mid-Atlantic Christian 84-69 Saturday afternoon and advance to the NSAC Men’s Basketball Tournament finals.

Lighthouse jumped out toa 9-0 lead and led 50-33 at the half behind Eddie Brown’s 16 points, but MACU held Brown in check much of the second half until the NSAC MVP was forced to leave the game with cramps in both legs with 5:45 to play. The Mustangs trimmed the Makos’ lead to 10 on several occasions, but could get to closer.

All five starters scored in double figures for LCC, led by Chayse Culpeper’s 19. Joshua Tyler scored 19 to lead MACU.

Lighthouse advances to face 2nd-seed Apprentice, which defeated 6th-seed Central International 111-80. The championship game will be Sunday at 2:00 pm.

MACU Downs Atlantis in Opening Round Thriller

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Fourth-seed Mid-Atlantic Christian got 26 points from Carlos Raven, including 12 from beyond the arc, to hold off a determined Atlantis University squad 82-70 in the quarterfinals of the New South Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament Friday afternoon.

After leading by as many as eight in the first half, the Mustangs (8-16) held a 36-32 advantage at the break. The fifth-seeded Atlanteans (7-15) clawed back in the second half to lead by as many as six before MACU pulled away for the final score.

Noah Richardson-Keys added 19 for the Mustangs while Joshua Tyler had 11 and Dre-Shaun Brown chipped in 10.

Keifer Chow led Atlantis with 21 points, Nikko Landon contributed 17, Jose Rosario added 14, and Vaughn Brown had 11.

MACU advances to face top-seed Lighthouse Christian Saturday at 2:00 pm. In the other semifinal, 2nd-seed Apprentice will take on 6th-seed Central International at 4:00 pm.

Blue Lights Forfeits, Will Not Participate in Tournament

Blue Lights College, the third seed in the 2024 NSAC Men’s Basketball Tournament beginning tomorrow, informed the conference on Thursday morning that it will not be making the trip to Newport News due to institutional reasons.

“I am extremely disappointed,” said conference commissioner Mike Davis. “Blue Lights was the first conference team to beat Apprentice in the past two years, and they bring an exciting brand of basketball. Their absence will be felt. I’m particularly saddened that their outstanding players will not get the opportunity to battle for a championship. I am sorry they have not been set up for success.”

The Thoroughbreds’ scheduled quarterfinal game against Central International, scheduled for Friday at 6:00 pm, will be considered a forfeit, and the Cardinals will automatically advance to face Apprentice in Saturday’s semifinals.

Friday’s other quarterfinal, Atlantis versus Mid-Atlantic Christian, will go on as scheduled at 4:00 pm. All games will take place at the Apprentice Athletic Center in Newport News, Virginia.

Becheli Named NSAC Coach of the Year

Lighthouse Christian coach Adjalma “Vando” Becheli has been named as the 2023-24 New South Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year.

Becheli led the Makos to the regular season championship in their first year of conference play with a 3-1 NSAC record and 18-4 overall. In their first two seasons as a program, Becheli has guided LCC to an overall record of 33-9.

Becheli hails from Brazil where he played and coached professional basketball. His professional career in Brazil spanned 13 years that included “Coach of the Year” recognition, the youngest in Brazilian basketball history to be so honored.

His first U.S. collegiate head coaching job was at Utah State Eastern, guiding the men’s basketball program from 2012 to 2020. He left Utah for the warmth of Florida and a position at Florida Coastal Prep, a program he still contributes to while leading the Makos. He also has coached and guided several players from Brazil and elsewhere to the U.S., including players to the NBA.

Congratulations to Vando Becheli, the NSAC Coach of the Year!

Makos’ Brown Leads All-Conference Lineup

Eddie Brown of Lighthouse Christian College was the top vote-getter among New South men’s basketball players and has been named the 2023-24 NSAC Player of the Year.

The 6-0 sophomore from Pensacola, Florida averaged 30.5 ppg for the season and chalked 39, 30 and 30 points in a three-games-in-three-days span to help the Makos claim the regular season title.

Sixteen players in all make up the All-NSAC squad this year as voted by the coaches. Congratulations to each one on a job well done!

All-NSAC FIrst Team:

  • Kalil Baker, Blue Lights
  • Sam Benton, Jr., Blue Lights
  • Eddie Brown, Lighthouse
  • Chayse Culpepper, Lighthouse
  • Karree Smith, Apprentice
  • Joshua Tyler, MACU
  • Adrion Wall, Apprentice
  • Wol Yak, Blue Lights

All-NSAC Second Team:

  • Houston Culpepper, Lighthouse
  • Tyric Francois, Atlantis
  • Avin Hawkins, Apprentice
  • Donovan Means, Apprentice
  • Daniel Poole, Lighthouse
  • Ty Rias, CIC
  • Noah Richardson-Keys, MACU
  • Talik Totten, MACU

Image courtesy Lighthouse Athletics

Nineteen Student-Athletes Named to All-Academic Team

The New South Athletic Conference is pleased to recognize the student-athletes that have excelled both on the court and in the classroom. This season, 19 men’s basketball players are being honored for achieving an overall GPA of 3.0 or greater.

“As a former college instructor, I take academics as seriously as I do athletics,” said NSAC commissioner Mike Davis. “That’s why I’m proud to honor these 19 student-athletes for their achievements. Balancing schoolwork with a full schedule of practices, games, and travel is no easy feat. Kudos to each of them.”

Apprentice School:

  • Clifton Goode
  • Avin Hawkins
  • Chris Hinmon
  • Climente Riddick

Atlantis University:

  • Samuel Jiménez
  • Héctor Feliciano
  • José Rosario
  • Terrance Williams

Blue Lights College:

  • Jaye Bookhart
  • Jacob Franklin 
  • Jaden Robinson-Dockery

Lighthouse Christian College:

  • Akok Chan
  • Houston Culpepper
  • Christian McGahan

Mid-Atlantic Christian University:

  • Sam Boyd
  • Dre’Shaun Brown
  • Elijah Cox
  • Luke Garrett
  • Geoffrey Wellons

Photo by Kari Shea on Unsplash

Lighthouse Claims Top Seed for NSAC Tournament

After sweeping three conference games in three days last week, Lighthouse Christian College took top honors in a coaches’ poll and will be the number one seed in the New South Men’s Basketball Tournament beginning March 1 in Newport News, Virginia.

The Makos entered the week 0-1 in conference play but peaked at the right time to win three road games over Blue Lights, CIC, and Apprentice. The performance put them atop the standings with a .750 winning percentage in conference and earned the respect of the league coaches.

Those coaches followed suit in voting the seedings to mirror the final standings:

  1. Lighthouse
  2. Apprentice
  3. Blue Lights
  4. MACU
  5. Atlantis
  6. CIC

Thus on Friday March 1, MACU will face Atlantis at 4:00 pm. Lighthouse will await the winner on Saturday at 2:00 pm. In Friday’s other quarterfinal, Blue Lights and CIC will tangle at 6:00 pm with the winner advancing to face Apprentice Saturday at 4:00 pm. The championship will take place Sunday at 2:00pm. All games will be played at the Apprentice Athletic Center in Newport News, Virginia.

Find the tournament bracket here.

Lighthouse Holds off Apprentice to Take Regular Season Title 76-73

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Lighthouse Christian led wire to wire but had to fend off a late Apprentice rally to claim a 76-73 victory and the NSAC men’s basketball regular season championship Thursday night.

The Makos (17-4 overall, 3-1 NSAC) led by as many as 18 in the second half, but the USCAA top-ranked Builders would not go quietly. Apprentice (19-5, 5-2) clawed all the way back to cut the lead to two but could get no closer.

LCC jumped out to a big 21-7 lead just six minutes into the game before Apprentice settled in, cutting the lead to as few as one on two occasions before halftime. Lighthouse came out again in the second half and pushed the lead out to 18 before the Builders’ defense woke up and allowed them to have a chance to tie the game with five seconds left, but the shot bounced off the rim and the Makos clinched the regular season crown.

The win was the third conference victory in as many days for Lighthouse and their ninth straight overall.

For Apprentice, the loss snapped a 19-game home winning streak that dated back over a year ago to early February 2023.

Eddie Brown for Lighthouse had a game-high 30 points. Avin Hawkins led the Builders with 23 points while Adrion Wall added 12.

Karree Smith surpassed 1000 career points in his collegiate career with his first basket of the night. He finished with 15 points in 25 minutes of action. He has now scored 962 points while at Apprentice during his three years in Newport News.

NSAC teams now await the results of a coaches poll to determine seedings for the conference tournament, slated for March 1-3 at Apprentice. The results will be announced Tuesday, February 20.

Walker McCrary at Apprentice Athletics contributed to this story.