14th-Ranked VPCC Ready for Men’s Basketball Season

A preseason national ranking of No.14 and coming off the best year in school history, most coaches and players probably would feel the pressure. That is not the case for Virginia Peninsula Community College men’s basketball coach Chris Moore and player Ky’Saan Bevier.

 “It’s really more motivation,” Moore said.

Bevier, who made the Region 10 all-freshmen team last year, agrees.

“No pressure. I feel like we have all the pieces we need,” he said.

Last year, the Gators went 22-7 (the most wins in school history), won regular-season and postseason titles, and were one win short of making the National Junior College Athletic Association 12-team national tournament. They finished the regular season ranked 11th in the nation in the NJCAA Division III poll, another program best.

This year, they opened the season nearly in the same spot.

“It’s good to see the recognition. We’re just making history year by year,” said Moore, who has been the coach since the 2018-19 season. “It’s something that I cherish, but also something that I continue to give gratitude to those who did not have this opportunity to receive national recognition. We just want to keep it going forward.”

Bevier, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard from Weldon, N.C., said this year’s team is better despite just five returning players. An influx of freshmen gives VPCC youth. 

“We have more than we had last year. More scorers. More facilitators,” he said. “We’re young, so we can get up and down a lot. I feel like we don’t have a lot of weaknesses.”

The Gators lost the region player of the year, one first-team selection and two second-team picks. That’s not fazing Moore.

“We have some really, really, really strong freshmen and transfers that came in and will be able to fill voids that we lost,” he said. “I would say we’re young this year, but we’re extremely talented.”

They open the season at Hagerstown Community College on Nov. 4. Their first home game is against Frederick Community College at 1 p.m. Nov. 7, at SafeHaven Empowerment Center. Last year, Moore scheduled an early season three-game trip to Massachusetts, which he said was a great experience and helped the players grow on and off the court. He has no such trip this year but was purposeful in assembling his schedule.

“Our schedule is strategically made so guys can grow, handle adversity and we peak at the right time,” Moore said. 

That is what happened last year. The Gators lost only one game in the second semester, not counting the postseason, after losing five in the first semester.

“My goal is always to challenge us early, see what we’re made of, grow through those moments,” he said.

Highlights on the schedule are the annual game against The Apprentice School, games against Bryant & Stratton, Richard Bland College and several NJCAA Division II foes.

“We don’t have the powerhouses for Division III, but we do have a lot of stronger teams that are in Division II and Division I to help us prep for our conference games,” he said.

Bevier is confident the Gators can compete with every team on the schedule. Moore does, too, and thinks they are setting the groundwork for a few great seasons.

“I think we are going to be good for the next two years because I have a really good freshmen group,” he said. “I’m excited to see how they mature over the next two years. I think they have a chance at winning (a national championship).”

Bevier said the players are putting the team first.

“We’re not just trying to get out of juco. We want to win it all,” he said.

After last year, Moore talked about reloading, not rebuilding. Still, no pressure.

“The end goal is still the end goal,” he said. “It’s not about how you start. It’s about how you finish.”

The top-ranked team in the preseason poll is defending national champion Northern Essex (Massachusetts). The Gators lost to them by just three on their New England trip. VPCC is the only Region 10 team in the poll, which ranks 15 teams. Sandhills is among others receiving votes. Joliet, which defeated VPCC in the District championship game in double overtime, is No.6.

Revived VPCC Women’s Basketball Program Excited for Challenges 

Virginia Peninsula Community College is fielding a women’s basketball team for the first time since the 2023-24 academic year. The 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons were either canceled or hampered by the pandemic. That recent history is presenting numerous challenges for first-year coach Eugene Baker.

“We want to erase the errors of the past seven to 10 years,” he said. “We want to erase those demons while still honoring the women (who) did come before us. That’s our major challenge.”

The good news, Baker said, is some older area high school coaches remember when the Gators had a robust women’s program. In fact, the College has sponsored the sport since 1982 and has won two VCCS titles.

“So, every positive practice we have gets us a little closer to that,” he said.

He expects to have 10 players and said versatility should be one of their strengths.

“You never know where a player will play. We have several players that can play one through five, and several players who actually will play one through five,” Baker said. 

His responsibility is to put those players in the best position every night. One of his goals is to make sure the opponent doesn’t know who the leading scorer will be.

“We want everybody to have opportunities. We want everybody to make their contribution,” he said.

Freshman Jordein Holder, a standout on the volleyball team who will be the first NJCAA two-sport athlete for the Gators, is expected to be one of the key players.

“Jordein is a borderline D1 talent,” Baker said of the former Menchville standout.

He said it might take her a little while to get into “basketball” shape.

“On the athletic side, volleyball and basketball are kind of parallel. It’s just not as much running,” he said. 

Her experience playing both in high school should help, Baker said.

“She's been doing it a long time,” he said. “I think that she can get there rather quickly. I know she hasn’t done it on a collegiate level, but again, she bounced back and forth between volleyball and basketball in her high school days.”

The volleyball season just ended, and Holder had spent a little time in the gym with the basketball team, so Baker expects a seamless transition. He said her biggest adjustment might come off the court.

“When you just play one sport, once your sport is over with, you can focus on your academic side,” he said.

On the court, Baker noted, she has a high IQ and is a natural leader.

“She's a connector, a big communicator,” he said. “We call it an echoer. She's always echoing what the coaches are trying to communicate to the players.”

She comes from a great high school program, which draws the attention of her teammates.

“A lot of the girls look up to and respect her in that nature,” Baker said. “She’s friendly so people gravitate toward her.”

She moves her feet well, anticipates what’s going to happen and is a quick jumper.

“And she's got a nice vertical leap. That translates directly to basketball,” Baker said. “She definitely makes us better defensively, helps us on the rebounding. And then as a basketball IQ, she can just make plays.”

The Gators open the season at Bryant & Stratton on Nov. 7. After three more road games, they have their home-opener against Chesapeake College on Nov. 20 at SafeHaven Empowerment Center at 6 p.m.

“Every day will present us with challenges, which we accept,” Baker said, adding the opposing team isn’t the only challenge. “We have to deal with the internal challenges that each player and the team as a whole has. That's really our biggest challenge.”

Bryant & Stratton is going to be a tough game, as will The Apprentice School.

“We’re not too far away (from the start of the season). I’m excited,” he said.

His players are settling into roles and trying to come together as a team. They are starting to trust and believe in the coaching staff and the program.

“We do like what we see out there. The pieces really do fit well together, and the girls are taking tremendous steps in the buy-in,” he said.

With all first-year college players, they are learning as they go. But it’s time to start the season.

“They’re tired of going against one another in scrimmages,” Baker said. “They're ready to play a different team.”

For more on the College, visit www.vpcc.edu.