NEWPORT NEWS, VA (WTKR)- Apprentice School men's basketball is partying like it's 2003.
The Builders topped Lyon College, 73-68, Wednesday afternoon in Ettrick to claim the USCAA national championship. The triumph marks the program's third title, but first since 2003.
"I hope that we made our alumni proud," said head coach Evan Kee. "I know they talked to us about the memories they have. They still say they talk every day, so I'm hoping our group has the same feeling going forward, but extremely proud of them and I hope Newport News Shipbuilding and the community is proud of us as well."
Freshman guard Donovan Means scored 19 points in the championship game to lead Apprentice and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Adrion Wall and Karree Smith were named to the All-Tournament team.
"Something that big, you don't feel it immediately," Means said. "It's one of those things, you've got to sleep on it. You wake up and it's like 'yeah, we're really national champions,' so it was a big thing when I woke up."
The Builders were fueled by the sour taste of last year's tournament, when they were bounced in double-overtime by Bryant and Stratton (Buffalo) in the national semifinal. Coaches and those who returned this season used that as plenty of motivation beginning in the offseason and passed that urgency down to the newcomers.
"Sometimes the pain of losing can be one of the great motivators in life," noted Kee. "We obviously felt that. We've had different challenges throughout the season."
While the victory is exciting for this year's team, it's also a boost for the program's future. Kee says a national crown can help raise the Builders' profile and he's already starting to see the benefits.
"I think it's already helped," the head coach pointed out. "I've gotten a couple messages from some people in the transfer portal, some guys with some size that are coming from scholarship-level programs and, to be honest, that's what we're going to need to repeat."
Apprentice finished its season with a 25-5 record and also had the chance to take on Norfolk State and Longwood in exhibition games. The program won back-to-back titles in 2002 and 2003. Six of this year's Builders stayed home and hail from Hampton Roads.
