Last year’s CIAA quarterfinal saw two Prince George’s County products clash.
Virginia State’s Jared White scored 13 points off the bench, eliminating Amare Wimbush and the Bowie State Bulldogs.
A year later, the two Maryland natives return to CFG Bank Arena, this time on the same team after Wimbush transferred to Virginia State. White is seeking his second title in as many years in the CIAA. Wimbush is eyeing his first trip past the quarterfinals in his fourth CIAA Tournament.
“We’re big Maryland pride guys — that’s one thing we stick to, we hold our hats on. My family is from Baltimore … once they found out the CIAA was in Baltimore, my uncle lost his mind,” White said. “I’m ready to stay humble and stay level-headed and make Virginia State history and be the first people to run it back.”
To White’s point, Virginia State has won three CIAA titles but never consecutively, and the men’s division hasn’t seen a repeat champion since Livingstone did it in 2014-15.
The Trojans enter the tournament this season with the fourth-best record in conference play, but they did win the Northern Division. That is key, as it gave the Trojans an extra day of rest before playing a quarterfinal Wednesday, and then another day of rest between that game and a potential semifinal to be played on Friday. The Trojans had this advantage last year, and White said garnering the first seed was a focus for this year’s squad.
“You see a lot of guys break down,” he said, “the guys that play Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, or even Thursday, Friday, Saturday [like the second seed does].”
A little over a month ago, the Trojans hardly looked the part of a division contender or a threat to repeat as champions, losing by 28 to in-state rival Virginia Union on January 17.
“We lost by 30 … that was very embarrassing. … People were very dissatisfied with what we did that day,” White recalled. “We were looking forward to get a second chance, and we had to put building blocks together to be ready to beat them.”
Not only did the Trojans put things together in time to beat Virginia Union in their regular season finale, they won every game in between, closing the regular season on a nine-game winning streak. They also swept Bluefield State in rematches of last year’s CIAA Tournament Championship.
White and Wimbush did their parts, with White shooting 45% from three during the streak while Wimbush averaged 5.8 rebounds per game, a full rebound more than his season average. Both players exemplify a gritty, defensive mentality that permeates the whole Trojan roster.
Virginia State ranks third in scoring defense and first in opponent field goal percentage allowed. And while their rebounding ranks fifth, the Trojans have ramped up their intensity on the boards down the stretch, utilizing it to fuel their identity on both ends of the court.
“When one guy gets beat, the next guy is right in that gap, making the offense scramble,” White said of the team defensive effort. “Then … make our lives easier so we don’t have to get two or three stops — get that first rebound, kick it out and push it up the floor — it’s part of our offensive game plan as well.”
That mentality seems to be doing wonders for the Trojans, who out-rebounded their opponents in seven of their final nine games, including their last four. No team has scored more than 70 points against Virginia State during their winning streak.
“The whole team, we clicked better [after the Union loss],” Wimbush said. “We understand what he have to do, which is defend, rebound, limit the other team to one possession.”
Wimbush knows that style of play is the key to his success, too.
“I’m limiting those second chance opportunities, getting rebounds, tipping passes,” Wimbush said. “On offense, we’ve got a point guard who can move the ball, so just having my hands ready and finishing my shots when I get the opportunity to do so.”
Indeed, Jacob Cooper is the engine that makes the Virginia State offense run, but he is also the CIAA leader in assists by a large margin, meaning post players like Wimbush and shooters like White need to be ready at all times to contribute to the scoring.
“For me, when I’m my best, I’m showing a defensive presence, boxing out. But the cherry on top of everything is when I can hit my shots as well, that’s like the extra toppings, it opens up everyone’s confidence,” White said.
For both players, this week will mark their final CIAA action, although the Trojans hope they can parlay a tournament championship or solid run into an NCAA Tournament appearance; they reached the Round of 32 last year.
Both players are likely to come off the bench for the Trojans but will get plenty of run. White played a similar role last season and ended up shooting 60% from deep and averaging 12.7 points per game.
The Trojans have a myriad of contributors on both ends of the court, and White and Wimbush figure to be a key piece to the Trojans’ repeat efforts this week, with both players getting to thrive off a familiar environment in front of family and friends back in their home state.
“It’s that Maryland basketball vibe, that culture,” Wimbush said. “It just feels like home.”
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