Basketball Seasons Start This Week
Juwuan Brown, an all-conference player last season, will be counted on for another big year.
The success of the 2021-22 men's basketball season should have long-lasting effects, according to Virginia Peninsula Community College athletics director and men's basketball coach Chris Moore.
"My biggest thing is the standard has been set," he said of a 16-1 season that ended with the Gators' first conference tournament title since 2015. "We're here to build culture, build character and build champions."
The 2022-23 season starts with a home game Nov. 5 against Bryant and Stratton, and Moore is counting on his returning players to lead the way. That includes Juwuan Brown, who was all-conference last year, Quishaun Brevard, the conference's newcomer of the year in 2021-22, and Jhalen Harris, who has shown leadership abilities and is expected to be the starting point guard. Twins Javion Majette, the reigning conference player of the year, and Jaquan, who scored 33 points in the championship game, will be available the second semester.
"First semester, I think we're going to have some growing pains, but second semester, I think we're going to be unstoppable," Moore said.
Part of that is by design, he admits.
"This year, I strategically brought in a younger group, a lot of first-year college guys," said Moore, who's entering his fourth season as coach. "Next year, we are going NJCAA so I wanted to make sure I had a bunch of guys who are going to be retained for next year."
His team is a little bit bigger this year, and he said they are pretty skilled. The competition has noticed, as the Gators were the New South Athletic Conference preseason favorites.
"That means a lot," Moore said. "I always say we've got to not just meet the standard, but exceed the standard."
In looking at the conference competition this season, he knows it's a tall challenge. The conference has doubled to six teams, adding the Apprentice School, Mid-Atlantic Christian University, and Blue Lights College to existing members Central International College, Carolina Christian College, and VPCC.
"Apprentice School and MACU are both heavy hitters," Moore said. "But we were able to come out victorious against both of those teams last year (in non-conference games)."
As the schedule works out, games against those teams are the second half of the season.
"With me having a younger team, we are going to have to grow up fast as we get ready for that second-semester schedule," Moore said.
A noted change is the site of the Gators' home basketball games. This season, they will be played at Warwick High School, where the basketball court is named in honor of Moore's father, a longtime area basketball coach.
For the team's schedule, go to https://www.vpcc.edu/life/athletics/mens-basketball-schedule.html.
RETURN OF WOMEN'S TEAM
The Gators are fielding a women's team for the first time since the 2019-20 season was cut short because of the pandemic. Their first game is Nov. 3 at Harcum College Bryn Mawr, Pa. Their first home game is Nov. 12 against Richard Bland College.
Coach Keith Stagg has had about 10 players showing up for practices.
"They're going to be extremely young as well because I don't think anybody who's on his team this year, minus one person, has played in a college basketball game," Moore said. "I'm really interested in how those young ladies respond. We're just happy to have a women's basketball team."
It's like starting from scratch.
"Coach Stagg has had a tall task of building this program and getting the attention of the community, recruiting some young ladies that will buy into the culture of the program and what he's trying to bring," Moore said.
As with the men's games, home games for the women will be played at Warwick High School.
For more team's schedule, go to https://www.vpcc.edu/life/athletics/womens-volleyball-schedule.html.