There is consistency, and then there is what Christopher Newport has done on the court over the last five seasons.
The Captains have reached at least the NCAA Sweet 16 four of the last five seasons. They have made two Final Fours in that span, the only other school to do that is UW-Oshkosh.
Christopher Newport’s overall record during that span and including this year?
131-22
The only team in Division III with more wins over that same span is Whitman, with 132.
It starts with Leadership...
Christopher Newport is led by Head Coach John Krikorian. He is in his 10th season at CNU, and has turned the Captains into a national powerhouse. But he will be the first to tell you, the Captains are player led.
“We’ve been really lucky. We’ve been able to get great kids” says Krikorian. “We have some of the highest quality guys you’ll ever be around. It started with our first Final Four team. Having guys like Kevin Regimbal, Tim Daly, Rayshard Brown, Justin Hampton. The greatest guys you ever want to meet, but their competitive spirit was through the roof.”
“When we have really good senior leadership and doing things the right way, the younger guys buy in. I have six seniors. They are the nicest guys in the world but when they step on the floor, they flip that switch to compete. I have to thank those guys that set the tone years ago. We are seeing the fruits of that now.”
After last year’s Final Four, the Captains lost three seniors; Logan Miller, Tyler Femi, and Marcus Carter.
Carter was a second team All-American (NABC) and the go-to guy on last year’s squad. Femi and Miller both played significant roles, with Femi starting and playing a “tough-as-nails” 29 minutes in CNU’s Elite 8 win over Williams, and Miller starting in 6 games throughout the season.
This year, CNU has six seniors, something Krikorian has never had.
“I’ve never had a class of six seniors. I knew we had a chance to be good, but we were not going to have a superstar. Marcus wasn’t just the scorer. He took over games late. He was our best defender. Best inbounder. Best rebounder. We had to replace all those things. The biggest one being who is going to have the ball in their hands at the end of the game.”
This year however, without Carter, the Captains are arguably harder to guard. Krikorian points to the overall balance his team has on both ends of the floor.
“Our teams historically have always been very balanced. We’ve always preached balance. I value the contributions from everyone on the team and it’s important for everyone to have a role. Especially come NCAA tournament time. You can’t take out all five guys on a balanced team. So that’s what we’ve tried to build and we’ve been having a lot of fun doing that.”
Christopher Newport started the season with a four point opening night loss at eventual Centennial Conference champions, Johns Hopkins. The Captains then won six straight games including a huge win over eventual NCAA tournament team UT-Dallas.
But then the Captains hit a rough patch, losing three of their next four against some very good competition. A 17-point loss at the hands of Randolph Macon and then a tough loss to Virginia Wesleyan. Add in the home loss to UW-Stevens Point and the Captains were sitting at 7-4 heading into Winter Break.
But then something clicked.
"I knew that what this team did after Christmas break was phenomenal" says Krikorian.
The Captains went on an unbelievable run. Between December 28th and February 5th, CNU won 11 straight games. Only one of those games was decided by single-digits (8-point win at Salisbury) and the Captains improved to 18-4.
Krikorian talked about that run, pointing to the strength of his schedule during that stretch. "These are no slouches. Just because a team is not in the NCAA tournament...people don’t understand, these teams are good."
The Captains entered the CAC tournament as the host team (after a coin flip between them and York), but ended up falling to York in the championship. This was the second loss to York in the month of February, but Krikorian was still confident in his team's ability to compete at the highest level.
"The York games came down to one possession, they are a phenomenal team. But we were playing great basketball. We felt really good heading into the post season. We knew we had a lot of weapons. And we knew we could play a lot of different styles. So when Colby went small, we were able to do so. Against Nichols, we had to speed up the game a little and do some trapping. We don’t normally do it, but we have the guys who can do it. One of our strengths is our ability to adapt to the teams we see in the tournament."
When the NCAA Tournament pods were announced, many believed that the pod of Stevens, Nichols, Colby, and Christopher Newport, was the best in the nation overall.
However, Krikorian admits that some nerves set in as teams began to have their names called on selection Monday. "Having lost in our championship game, we felt pretty confident we were going to get in. And we were one of the last teams called. That was nerve-racking."
When the matchups were announced the Captains were given one of the top teams in the nation, Colby.
"Then to immediately get matched up with a NESCAC team. Whoa ok. Not only that but a team that was a buzzer beater away from winning the NESCAC tourney and possibly hosting!"
But the Captains did not flinch. Krikorian points to last year's experience as the foundation for that confidence. In the 2019 NCAA Tournament, CNU battled the two best NESCAC teams on the road. First they beat the host, Hamilton in the Sweet 16. The next day they beat Williams in the Elite 8.
"That experience last year, gave our guys this year the confidence to go up against a Colby. We drew on that experience of knowing how legit the NESCAC is. That was the best pod I’ve ever been associated with. Whitman too? Are you kidding me! We were the add-on to that pod!"
So the Captains made their way up to the Tri-State area for the first round. Traveling for the NCAA Tournament is one of the best experiences student-athletes can have throughout their four years. For Christopher Newport, it has become almost a regular occurrence but that did not stop them from making the most out of it.
"We’ve had some unique trips here, at Babson, and at Swarthmore. So to now go up towards NYC, it was a great student-athlete experience for us. Playing basketball, ferry rides, and guys are eating great pizza."
The great New York pizza must have worked, and the Captains made it out of the best pod with two wins and will be hosting a Sweet 16 game. This will be the first Sweet 16 game that Christopher Newport will host, having been sent on the road in the past.
"I’m so happy for my seniors" says Krikorian. "They are going to have a chance to play a Sweet 16 game at home. The last taste in their mouth here was a brutal championship game loss to York last week. And no matter what happens, it won’t be that. They have another chance to play well on their home floor in front of their fans and families."
Being a Division III coach means you have to deal with lots of administrative duties the week leading up to a game, but Krikorian knows his troops are ready. Hobart is coming to Newport News riding a little cinderella-like wave.
"We are in the Sweet 16 so anyone we play is going to be good. Hobart just went to Springfield and beat them in a crazy environment in a come-back win. They have a little March Magic right now and that’s more important than what numbers say heading into the tournament."
The Captains just need to win one game this weekend, as this year's NCAA Tournament format is different due to the championship game being held in Atlanta along with the other Divisions. This year's Sweet 16 winners will come together in Fort Wayne (the home of the Div. III Final Four) for the Elite 8 and national semifinal games.
Regardless of the outcome, Christopher Newport has established themselves as one of the elite programs in the nation.
All photos courtesy of Christopher Newport Athletics
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