PHC hosted the Bible College National Invitation Tournament for 11 basketball teams across the eastern U.S. last weekend. PHC’s men’s team won two of its three games, and the women’s team lost both of its games. Each lost to the runners-up for each championship. “Our basketball program’s growing; it’s getting stronger,” Athletic Director Ethan Patrick said. “We’re competing to the point where in the next year or so, hopefully, we’ll be able to show up in the championship game.”
The initial rankings of the teams, based on votes by all the coaches, were not always accurate because the coaches were not familiar with each other’s opponents. For example, PHC’s men’s team, ranked 3rd, lost to Lancaster Bible, ranked 6th, which became the runner-up in the men’s championship game. “If we hadn’t had to play against that team in the first round, I think we probably could have come in 3rd place,” Patrick said. “I think we were the 3rd or 4th best team in the tournament, but because we lost that first game, we don’t get to prove that.”
The women lost by only six points in their game against Appalachian Bible. “They had a sizable lead at the beginning of the game and we had to whittle that down and just didn’t have the time or energy to do that at the end,” Patrick said. PHC did come back from a 23-point deficit, though, getting within 4 points to a tie in the fourth quarter.
This is the first year PHC hosted the men’s and women’s teams for the tournament. “Overall we’re happy with how it went,” Patrick said. “Long days, but it was fun, we had good fans, and I got a lot of [positive] feedback from students.”
“Even in the midst of studying and midterms, we players enjoyed going to the games and actually being part of running the tournament,” freshman Liana DeVore said. Players helped with games they didn’t compete in, working the shot clock or the concessions stand.
DeVore said she appreciated the maturity on the court. “It’s hard to be professional when you are so emotionally invested in the game,” she said. “But I saw a lot of people just displaying a lot of really good character on the court, which was very encouraging.” Her favorite part was praying with the other team at the end of each game. “I think it was a good testament to how Christian brothers and sisters can still compete—and compete hard—against each other but still do it in Christian fellowship and in love,” she said.
The men’s team also prayed with their opponents at the end of each game. “It’s nice because we’re all Christian colleges,” sophomore and team co-captain Andrew Penrod said. “We’re playing not to hurt or kill each other; we’re playing to have fun at the game of basketball and try to see who’s best. … At the end of the day, the blood of Christ unites us.”
DeVore and Penrod each received an All-American award, which was given to five women and five men across the tournament who displayed the most athleticism. Junior and team captain Hannah Kim received an academic award, which is given to upperclassmen with a GPA of 3.5 or higher.
This season, the women’s basketball team won 3 games, compared to none last year. “There’s still a lot of work to be done, but I think as a team, we have a lot of potential,” DeVore said. “The better that we do in all aspects of our lives here, it’s just going to be a better testament and a better witness to God’s glory.”
The men’s team won 4 games—the same as last year. “We didn’t get the record we wanted, but the guys and the coaches and the whole team were set on the Lord, all for His glory,” Penrod said. “We battled, had fun, [and] made a lot of memories. It was a good year overall, and we’re grateful to the Lord for this one and looking forward to next season.”
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Patrick Henry College exists to glorify God by challenging the status quo in higher education, lifting high both faith and reason within a rigorous academic environment; thereby preserving for posterity the ideals behind the "noble experiment in ordered liberty" that is the foundation of America.
