When college basketball returns tonight to the K.L. Johnson Complex for the Golden Lions’ final preseason game at 7 p.m., they will face a unique opponent.
Champion Christian College, as it is listed on the school’s website, and formerly known as Champion Baptist College, as it appears on the UAPB schedule, has a curious history.
The school itself has only been around since 2005, when Pastor Eric Capaci of Gospel Light Baptist Church in Hot Springs challenged his congregation “to establish a Christian college where students would be trained to become Champions for Christ and impact the world for God,” per the school’s website.
Since then, the school – located on a 14-acre campus in Hot Springs with a computer lab, library, coffee shop, piano lab, and gymnasium — has graduated “almost 250 students” who are serving in ministries around the world. They are spurred by the school’s mission to “influence the moral and ethical course of America” and train “the next generation of leaders to turn the world upside down for Jesus Christ.”
A major part of its mission, apparently, is athletics.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Capaci, the school president, doubles as the coach of the basketball team. Champion captured a brief blip of national attention when sports website SBNation.com reported on its 2013 season-opening loss to Southern University.
After starting the game off on a 42-0 run, Southern went on to win 116-12. It set an NCAA record for the largest deficit ever to start a game, according to SBNation.
Champion, whose mascot is the tiger, has also lost games 115-29 to UT-Martin, 128-54 to Lamar, 106-39 to Louisiana-Monroe, and 114-50 to Southern again.
The school, which is still seeking accreditation, plays as an independent in the Association of Christian College Athletics. Champion’s website claims ACCA national championships in 2007, 2009 and 2010.
UAPB coach George Ivory said his guys are excited to get the season underway.
Ivory plans to go with a starting lineup of Kennedy McKenney, Ghiavonni Robinson and Joe’Randle Toliver at guard and Trent Steen and Travon Harper at forward. The coach thinks he has “nine or 10” guys who could start for him, though.
“I hope we have a good turnout,” Ivory said. “Friday night’s high school football. We’re just hoping to come out and support the guys, and watch a very exciting basketball game.”
Ironically, tonight won’t be the first time taking on Champion for two UAPB newcomers, 6-foot-4 junior guard Joe’Randle Toliver and 6-foot-8 junior forward Trent Steen. The pair also played Champion last season as teammates at Mid-South Community College in West Memphis.
Toliver scored 15 off the bench and Steen chipped in 14 as a starter in that Feb. 4 matchup, a 105-75 win for MSCC according to the school’s website.
The leading scorer for Champion in that game was Cody Connor with 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Connor appears to be the lone returning player from last season for Champion, Ivory said, according to rosters he received.
Connor, who was named 1st team ACCA last season, was described as “6’5”ish” by the Hot Springs Daily and fluent in Mandarin due to growing up in China.
Connor appears to have some scoring punch, as evidenced by a 22-point effort in a 105-71 loss to the University of Arkansas at Monticello to start the 2015-16 season, according to a UAM press release from the game.
UAPB opens its regular season Nov. 11 on the road at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.