NEWPORT NEWS, VA (WTKR)- Christopher Newport's players remember last year well.
The Captains saw their season end in the second round of the NCAA Tournament when a Roanoke jumper with five seconds left resulted in a 77-75 loss, ending a streak of five straight Sweet 16 appearances.
Now they've started a new streak, sweeping the first two rounds at home to get back to the Round of 16.
"Hugely motivated after last year," head coach John Krikorian noted. "We had a great team, had a tough buzzer-beating ending here against Roanoke in the second round. To be able to host again was just awesome."
"It really motivated us. We thought about," added senior guard Collin Hines, a Norview product. "I knew it could be my last game at [Freeman Center] also, so it was a pretty emotional game. We really wanted it and we had a good outcome."
CNU now finds itself four wins away from its second national championship in the last four seasons, having hoisted its first banner in 2023. Standing in the way this Friday is arch rival Randolph-Macon, a Yellow Jackets team that handed the Captains a 71-65 loss back in November in Newport News. Now the squad has its eye on returning the favor in Ashland.
"They're a great team, great coach and the environment is going to be amazing," junior guard Toa Hollenbeck pointed out. "But I think [it's about] just staying composed and locking down on things we need to lock down on."
"They're our rival, so it's going to be a pretty emotional game," Hines added. "There are going to be a lot of ups and downs and it's going to be really exciting to go up there and play."
"They've beaten us twice in a row," remembered Krikorian. "It's a big rivalry and no better way to play it than in a Sweet 16 game. It's going to be a great college basketball game, a great environment and this is what you play for."
Hollenbeck and Hines are among a group of six 757 products who are playing at Christopher Newport. They've helped the Captains to a 23-5 record, as players who hail from Hampton Roads often make up a solid portion of the program's roster. It's a source of pride for area standouts to contribute to the longstanding success at CNU.
"There's a lot of pride," Hines said. "I love the community. Being 30 minutes from here, I've been around here a lot. My brother (Jahn Hines) was here before me so I've been at this school for a long time. I really love the community here."
"It means a lot," added Hollenbeck. "The community around us is supportive and the community back home in Chesapeake is super-supportive, too. I'm just glad I get to do it somewhere near home."
Christopher Newport and Randolph-Macon tip off in the Sweet 16 Friday at 7 p.m. at Crenshaw Gym in Ashland. The winner moves onto the Elite Eight and will face either Washington (St. Louis) or St. Thomas.
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