Captains overcome bumpy road to Sweet 16
Christopher Newport’s defense of its Division III men’s basketball national championship continues today when it plays Williams College of Massachusetts in an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game at 4:15 p.m. at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Perhaps the only thing quirkier than the Captains (23-6) playing a team with a mascot name of Ephs (23-6) — that’s short for Williams College founder Ephraim Williams’ first name — is their road back to the Sweet 16. Ranked No. 1 to start the season, the Captains are still kicking despite a plethora of roster challenges.
Most notable was the extended absence and early-February departure (for reasons unannounced) of All-American post Trey Barber, who made the buzzer-beating national championship-winning basket for the Captains a year ago. Another senior, Ian Anderson — who started 15 games for the championship team — has been in and out of the lineup due to a concussion and injuries to a knee, ankle and foot.
Forward Jake Latta is the latest hit by the injury bug. A night after tallying 21 points and seven rebounds in the Captains’ win over Hobart in their NCAA Tournament opener, the 6-foot-7 senior tore an Achilles tendon Saturday nine minutes into the round-of-32 game at Widener. The Captains held on without him to win 70-65 in a hostile gym to earn their Sweet 16 spot.
“I love where we are at right now with all of the roster challenges and injuries,” said CNU coach John Krikorian, who will look this weekend to guide the Captains to their fourth Final Four in his 13-season tenure. “If you would’ve told me that we’d have five freshmen in our nine- or 10-man rotation, I would’ve told you I’m not sure we’d be in this position.”
But, as always, the Captains have their share of good pieces. Norview High grad Jahn Hines, a 6-foot-4 senior, has played like the two-time All-American he is, averaging 15.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while dishing out a team-high 76 assists. Always big in the big games, Hines scored 24 points as the Captains — ranked No. 23 before the tournament began — upended No. 16 Widener.
Hines’ brother, 6-4 sophomore Collin Hines, also from Norview, has been a revelation. A go-to defender for the national championship team, Collin Hines (7 ppg, 5.9 rpg) showed in scoring 20 points in the hard-fought Coast-toCoast Athletic Conference Tournament championship victory over Mary Washington that he is an increasing offensive threat.
Leading the freshman group is Grassfield grad Toa Hollenbeck (11.2 ppg), a 3-point shooting ace named Coast-to-Coast Rookie of the Year despite coming off the bench. The freshmen have benefited from the leadership of players like Devon Parrish, a starter who hasn’t played since an injury in the third game.
“It’s a credit to all of these guys that they’ve stepped up (through adversity) to meet the standard of Christopher Newport University basketball,” Krikorian said. “It’s a testament to this team’s character, toughness and resilience.”