NEWPORT NEWS, Va.- The Christopher Newport men's basketball team made history. Thursday found the Captains laud that history with their peers and community.
The school held a celebration on campus at the David Student Union, honoring the Captains, who claimed the program's first NCAA Division III national championship on Saturday. Fellow student-athletes, students, family, friends and fans of the team all packed into the breezeway of the building to cheer for CNU one last time this season.
It's been a whirlwind of a week for the players and coaches, but Thursday's celebration made the title feel real.
"It kind of all made it seem kind of real now," junior guard Jahn Hines pointed out. "Throughout the whole time I just needed someone to pinch me to make sure it was real, but being here, it finally sunk in that we are national [champions]."
"It's really bigger than us," added junior forward Trey Barber. "The support we have is just truly amazing."
Head coach John Krikorian and some of the players addressed the crowd, which included the Captain cheerleaders and pep band. Krikorian, who was voted NABC Division III National Coach of the Year, led CNU to a 30-3 record in 2022-2023.
"It's really a crazy special time to be here and we're thrilled to be part of it," the head coach said of the school's athletic success. "To be able to be part of leaving a legacy and making an impact, it's really meaningful."
The men's basketball team is the third Christopher Newport program to claim a national championship in the last 16 months. The Captain women's soccer squad claimed the crown in the fall of 2021, with the softball team following it up with a title of its own in the spring of 2022.
CNU won the national championship this past Saturday with a 74-72 victory over Mount Union. Barber's buzzer-beating layup served as the game-winner. It marked the Captains' 15th straight win. Barber led the way with 25 points, while Hines chipped in 18 points. Both won state championships in high school but said that nothing compares to the experience of earning a national title.
"I won a state title, but was nowhere close to anything like this," Barber said. "It's a great feeling."
"We had a state championship, but we never had that last final game because of COVID," Hines, a Norview product, added. "Being here, actually having that final game and getting to experience the luxury of going to a big coliseum where we could play and having people waiting outside when we got back, the whole celebration today, especially for a Division III, that's big-time, man."
The Christopher Newport women will look to follow suit and set up a celebration of their own. The Captains will face Transylvania in the national championship game on April 1 in Dallas.
