THOMASVILLE (April 22, 2022) – You’ve got your Tar Heels. You’ve got your Wolfpack. You’ve got your Blue Devils.
Better add the Storm.
We don’t often hear much about athletics at community colleges.
But in a streak that local papers call “staggering,” Davidson-Davie Community College’s men’s basketball team has reached the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Final Four and played for the national championship the past two years.
Under Coach Matt Ridge, this year’s team had three players who returned to play even though they had scholarship offers from four-year schools. They never lost a single game on their home court. And Davidson-Davie has won its regular-season conference title 13 of the past 15 years.
“We try to get guys that want to be a part of something bigger than themselves,” says Ridge.1
Davidson-Davie President Darrin Hartness is understandably proud.
“Davidson-Davie is really fortunate to have the No. 2 seed – ranked No. 2 in the country – men’s basketball program in Division II,” Hartness says in the accompanying video.
“Last year we were really proud that these young men went to the national tournament in Danville, Illinois – the first time a North Carolina team in Division I or Division II had played in a national championship.”
Indeed, Hartness is proud of Davidson-Davie’s entire athletics program – it’s yet another spirited effort that builds community at the community college.
“So let’s go Storm!” Hartness proclaims.
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