Brian's Epilogue: Heaven or Las Vegas

This shot from Selection Sunday was -- unwittingly -- the last quiet court I would see in 2025-26. (Photo:  Brian Wilmer/Daly Dose of Hoops)

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You’d think after all these years I’d have learned how to start one of these things.

It was just yesterday – well, okay, over 10 years ago – that I sat there most of the way through my game story while a young writer was struggling to write a lede. I told the writer at the time to set a timer, and if it didn’t come to them by the time that timer went off, to move on.

Now I’m on the other end of it, all these years later and none the wiser.

High Point wins back-to-back titles among family

High Point poses for photos after winning the Big South tournament Sunday. (Photo:  Big South Conference)

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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — Maybe Jon Bon Jovi – of all people – said it best.

“It’s all the same. Only the names will change.”

Two seasons in Johnson City for the Big South tournament. Two trips to the NCAA Tournament. Two extra golden guests on the bus back to High Point.

If you ask the back-to-back champion Panthers – including tournament MVP Terry Anderson – they’ll tell you that last year and this year have more in common than they have differences.

“To be honest, I don’t feel any differences (between the teams),” Anderson said after the Panthers’ 91-76 victory over Winthrop Sunday at Freedom Hall. “(Last year’s team) are my brothers. (This year’s team) are my brothers. We’re all family.”

Family is a common thread at High Point. First-year head coach Flynn Clayman knows that more than anyone. His wife, Katie, is an assistant coach for the women’s team that also had a date with history Sunday night in the same building. Clayman’s family has grown while at High Point. The Panthers clearly want to keep Clayman in their family, giving him a five-year contract extension through the 2030-31 season earlier this year.

That’s not to say families don’t have their share of tough times. Earlier this season, transfer forward Cam Fletcher missed several games as part of what was described at the time as an “internal team issue”. While some wondered if Fletcher would be welcomed back to the family, the players in the locker room felt he never missed a moment.

Fletcher picked the biggest day of the season to have his biggest day of the season. The Xavier transfer scored 17 points and hauled in 19 boards, turning in a performance that sent everyone on press row scrambling for the Big South single-game record book.

Fletcher and Clayman embraced after the victory, just like family.

“That was a special moment,” Clayman said. “He’s so talented. He’s such a good guy. He really has been through a lot this year and in his college career. He’s had a lot of injuries. He’s had a lot of things not break his way.”

“Earlier this year, he made the decision that he was going to be about the team. I promised him that if you’re about the team, when it matters most, you’re going to be the best player on the floor. He’s the best player in the league, if you’re just talking talent. Tonight, he showed that. If you’re just getting down to the keys of the game, they would have killed us on the glass if Cam didn’t step up and do what he did, and we probably don’t win this game. I’m so proud of him that he got to do that in this moment.”

There’s also the new family member. Point guard Rob Martin, who transferred from Southeast Missouri after last season, was the league’s Newcomer of the Year and a member of the all-tournament team. Martin’s story also got its happy ending.

“I met with Flynn about two or three months ago, and we were just talking about my plan and my playing the right way,” Martin said. “I got a little emotional about it, because I thought I wasn’t playing the right way or leading the team like I should. That meeting really changed my perspective.”

That family member that always sacrifices for the rest of the family? He’s wearing purple, too.

Guard Chase Johnston has been through a college career marked by injuries, success, and now multiple NCAA trips. He learned from guards Trae Benham and Abdoulaye Thiam, two mainstays on last year’s championship team, of the value of giving of yourself for the gain of the family.

“First and foremost, I just want to give all the glory to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He’s the reason I’m able to sit up here and to be the servant I’m able to be,” Johnston said. “Laye and Trae kind of paved the way. I learned so much from Trae and his leadership last year. That’s my best friend and brother in Christ.”

“Yeah, it’s a different role (than last year). Flynn and I talked about it 11 games in, and is it hard to take that? For sure. When you’re part of something bigger than yourself and you have your eyes fixed on Jesus, you’re able to do things you never thought you could. I’m just so grateful to be sitting here. Words can’t express the gratitude I have right now.”

Anderson is the family member that sat at the head of the table Sunday. The 6-foot-6 guard scored 18 on 6-of-10 shooting despite battling foul trouble much of the day.

“I’m thankful to be here and I’m thankful for the award,” Anderson said. “It’s just a team effort. We all stuck together throughout the season.”

Clayman was not shy in his praise for Anderson.

“This is a special kid right here,” Clayman said. “I don’t know one teammate who doesn’t respect the heck out of him and I don’t know one person who’s ever coached him who doesn’t respect the heck out of him. He’s selfless. He gives everything he has. You see that in the way he plays. He’s a real underdog. He’s had to work his way up. He had no offers out of high school.”

“He has super high character. He could have had a negative attitude. He could have checked out. He could have done all those things. He stayed ready. He knew he was ready for the moment.”

So now, the entire family will load up the planes or buses and head off to another family reunion at the NCAA tournament. There will also likely be some extended family there, in the form of the loud, partisan fan group that packed the entire Panther side of the arena Sunday. They’re always welcome at the table, too.

“(The fanbase) gives us an extra bit of energy,” Clayman said. “When we blew the lead – we were up 13 and they came back and took the lead – your fans are right there to get you back going. In those moments, you could feel really lonely or feel like the sky is falling, and when you’ve got fans there who are supporting you like these guys were, you’re just thankful.”

“I’ve said since I’ve been here that I think we have some of the best fans in mid-major basketball. We could compete with some high-major schools,” Johnston added. “They don’t just show up for these three days (in the conference tournament). They show up throughout the year and sell it out. We’re so grateful for them, and they give us an edge in big games like this.”

Oh – and there’s one more family event to attend before any of that happens. Katie will also be going dancing if the Panthers can pull it off Sunday night against Radford. Flynn will, as one might imagine, be there to cheer her on.

“I’ll absolutely be staying (for the second game), because my wife is coaching,” Clayman said to laughter in the room. “If we had lost, I’d probably be hiding out in the top (of the arena), but now I get to kind of be comfortable and enjoy it.”

Winthrop wins 2025-26's first game with late run over Queens

 

Guard Daylen Berry led Winthrop and all scorers with 23 points in Monday's win over Queens.  (Photo:  Winthrop Athletics)

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ROCK HILL, S.C. – It’s good to be 1-0. It’s even better to be 1-0 before anybody else takes the court.

Winthrop weathered a charge from its cross-border rival Monday morning, scoring the final eight points of the game to fend off Queens, 81-74, to kick off the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon.

“(That was) a really unbelievable way to start the college basketball season,” Winthrop coach Mark Prosser said after the game. “It was a really fun thing to be a part of. Knowing that there are so many months and days that build into the first game and so much pressure that’s put on that first one […] We have several more to come. I don’t think either one of our teams are the teams they’re going to be in two months, and I mean that in a good way.”

Winthrop (1-0) broke the seal on the season with an Isaiah Wilson layup 36 seconds into the game, taking a lead it would hold for the entire first half. The Eagles’ advantage was precarious for the first 10 minutes of the contest before Charleston Southern transfer Daylen Berry helped spark a run. Berry turned in eight of 13 points in a burst that swelled the Winthrop advantage to 11 in the span of three-and-a-half minutes. Queens (0-1) absorbed the blow and gradually whittled away the deficit, getting six straight points from Nasir Mann to snip it to five at the interval.

“I think an area of growth for us is confidence in the next action after the first action and our pace into it,” Queens coach Grant Leonard said. “(We need fo focus on) trusting the screens, the slips, and the reads that we make as we play conceptually. These guys will get better and better, as our teams always do, throughout the year at executing that kind of stuff.”

Queens continued its upward climb as the second half began. Avantae Parker and Gus Larson converted back-to-back buckets to slice the Winthrop margin to a point, though Winthrop held the Royals at arm’s length on its possessions. The Royals finally pulled level at 49 on a Carson Schwieger triple with 13:45 remaining, then took their first lead on a pair of Jordan Watford free throws.

The Queens lead grew as high as five points after a Schwieger and-one with 10:25 to play. Winthrop tore off a 7-2 burst in the next minute-plus to again pull the game level at 62, started again by a Berry jumper. The Royals again extended it to five on a pair of Mann layups and Chris Ashby free throws at the 7:17 mark.

Winthrop then answered any lingering questions that may have surrounded its program. The Eagles went on a 7-0 run in a nearly two-minute span, with Berry also keying that burst. Berry provided four of the seven points, again giving Winthrop a two-point lead. Queens responded with a triple from Berman that gave the Royals the lead at 72-71, then snatched back the lead on a pair of Berman free throws.

The Eagles then plunged the dagger. Winthrop ended the contest on an 8-0 run, including six of their 25 free throws on the day. The Eagles sent their fans home happy with the strong finish.

“To be able to come out and get the effort that we had […] Our last eight to ten minutes – especially at the defensive end of the floor – were really exemplary. That’s a tribute to these guys. (Queens) is a hard team to play. Our attention to detail down the stretch was very good.”

Leonard reflected on his team’s performance after the game.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed with the outcome of the game, but I was not disappointed with our players’ effort,” Leonard said. “I can take a lot of the hit on the end-of-game and the last three or four minutes of execution. Credit to Winthrop and their adjustments, as they were able to finish it.”

Mann turned in a double-double for the Royals, scoring 12 points and hauling in 10 caroms. Mann was one of five Royals to log double figures, with Berman pacing the squad with 19 points and five boards. Larson tallied 13, while Ashby and Parker contributed 10 apiece. The Royals shot 42.9 percent (27-for-63) on the day, with 20 percent of its threes (6-of-30) finding the net. Queens connected on 87.5 percent (14-of-16) of its free throws.

Berry proved to be a disruptor on both ends of the floor, knocking down six buckets and nine free throws to lead all scorers with 23. Tommy Kamarad booked 10 off the bench, hitting 4-of-5 tries in 10 minutes of play. Center Logan Duncomb, who has battled through injury through much of his college career at Indiana and Xavier, logged 12 points and eight boards in 21 minutes of play. Prosser expressed his confidence that Duncomb would have a big year, and hist first effort backed up his coach’s words.

“(The journey has been) long, hard, confusing, and rewarding now,” Duncomb said after the game. “It’s good to go out there and start a college basketball game, do well, and help our team win. I’ve been looking for that for a long time. It feels really good.”

The sides now get a break – and hopefully a little sleep – before their next outings. Queens opens its home slate at the Levine Center Wednesday night against Division III Lynchburg. Game time is set for 7:00 (Eastern), with streaming over ESPN+. Winthrop travels to Fairfax, Va., to take on George Mason Friday night. Tip time is slated for 7:00 Eastern, with ESPN+ also handling the coverage for that contest.

WINTHROP 81, QUEENS 74

QUEENS (0-1)

Parker 4-5 2-2 10, Mann 5-13 2-2 12, Jabriel 0-2 0-0 0, Ashby 3-12 2-2 10, Berman 6-16 4-6 19, Larson 6-7 1-113, Watford 1-3 2-2 4, Schwieger 2-4 1-1 6, Clark 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-63 14-16 74.

WINTHROP (1-0)

Duncomb 3-7 6-8 12, Wilson 1-2 3-4 5, Rozier 2-12 4-4 8, Berry 6-13 9-11 23, Clouet 3-9 0-0 9, Nnamoko 3-5 0-0 6, Hendawy 1-4 3-4 5, Meo 0-3 0-0 0, Kamarad 4-5 0-0 10, Boyogueno 1-2 0-0 3, Hamilton 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-62 25-31 81.

Halftime:  Winthrop 40-35. 3-Point goals:  Winthrop 8-25 (Rozier 0-5, Berry 2-7, Clouet 3-8, Hendawy 0-1, Meo 0-1, Kamarad 2-2, Boyogueno 1-1), Queens 6-30 (Mann 0-2, Jabriel 0-2, Ashby 2-11, Berman 3-12, Schwieger 1-2, Clark 0-1). Fouled out:  Larson (QUC).  Rebounds:  Queens 39 (Mann 10), Winthrop 39 (Duncomb 8). Total fouls:  Queens 27, Winthrop 18. Technicals:  NA.

Points off turnovers:  Winthrop 15, Queens 10.  Points in the paint:  Queens 38, Winthrop 30. Second-chance points:  Winthrop 20, Queens 15.  Fast-break points:  Winthrop 10, Queens 4.  Bench points:  Winthrop 24, Queens 23.