FALL RIVER — Having a 1,000-point scorer at a two-year college is fairly uncommon, but the Bristol Community College men's basketball team outdid itself this season by having two players reach the milestone. Not only did Zecaree Veiga and Joshua Winbush surpass 1,000 career points this season, they did it in the same game.
The BCC duo's feat came Saturday in a victory at Northern Essex, and the Bayhawks (24-3, 22-2) are hoping that achievement is just one of many more to come as the season winds down.
The Bayhawks are ranked fourth in the country in the latest NJCAA Region XXI poll and they have high hopes for a strong postseason run that will eventually lead to a national title.
A year ago, the Bayhawks came up short in the New England tournament, falling 77-74 in overtime to Massasoit Community College in the finals.
The @BristolBayhawks men’s basketball team as it preps for its game with Bunker Hill. pic.twitter.com/nMb2VyZpuh
— Mike Thomas (@NostraThomasHN) February 20, 2019
"Last year, we were very close," said Veiga, a sophomore who played his high school ball at East Providence. "We know what we need to do and we know we have a better shot this year."
"Every year, the hype is greater," said BCC coach Rob Delaleu. "This year we've been getting more attention nationally. In the past, we'd be mentioned, but we'd be honorable mention or something. We've played a tougher schedule this year and we've gotten more exposure."
Veiga became the second player in BCC history to reach 1,000 career points when he knocked down a 3-pointer in Saturday's win, but Winbush followed suit in the same game, giving the Bayhawks three 1,000-point scorers in team history. Jerrel Gomes did it first in the 2015-16 season.
"I knew I needed 25 points to get it, but I didn't want that to mess with my game," said Winbush a 6-foot-8 sophomore who is already the school's all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots.
Veiga, at the moment, is BCC's all-time leading scorer, but Winbush is right behind.
"We go at it a little," Winbush joked. "He tells me, you're the all-time leading rebounder and all-time leader in blocks, so you gotta give me one of them."
That's the type of loose atmosphere that can be found around this basketball team as it prepares for its historical run. Never have the Bayhawks made it to the national tourney.
And they have been, oh, so close.
"We've never won the New Englands," Delaleu said. "We've been in three New England championships, but are 0-3, including last year in overtime."
"Every off day, we're together," said Winbush when asked how close the team is. "It makes us that much closer.
"We know what we have to do. We are better than we were last year. Our freshmen have really helped us. They are very humble. They came in ready to learn."
For now, the Bayhawks can soak in the national rankings and the 1,000-point accolades, but Veiga says winning the whole thing is what motivates him.
"I honestly don't care about the polls," he said. "I mean it's a pretty cool title and all that, but I'm not concerned about that. I don't just want to make the nationals, I want to win it."
Mike Thomas is the sports editor of The Herald News. Follow him on Twitter @NostraThomasHN