Win Over NCAA Division II Foe Nets Award
PORTLAND, Ore. – A 92-89 exhibition game victory over defending NCAA Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion Central Washington last Friday has earned the Warner Pacific men’s basketball team the CCC Verizon Team of the Week award.
Five Knights scored in double figures, led by Nick Schulten’s 19 points. Stephen Harris and William Sharp each contributed 15 points, and Sean Gaines added 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Trailing by 10 points with 14:13 remaining in the contest, WPC went on an 18-5 run to take a lead it would never relinquish.
Said first-year coach Jared Valentine: “I think the win gives them a little bit of confidence, a belief in themselves. What they achieve and what they accomplish plays a role in how they feel about themselves. It gives them a boost. They are a pretty confident group to start with, so I don’t think it makes or breaks anything. It’s definitely a good way for us to move on to the next stage of the season, and a good way for the players to get some affirmation that all the hard work that they have put in is going to pay off, and that they are a quality basketball team when they play the way they know they can.”
Previous Verizon Team of the Week awardees.