Central Christian College of the Bible head men's basketball coach Jack Defreitas on Wednesday announced the signing of Courtney Hill for the 2019-20 season. 

Hill, a 5-9 point guard, is a 2019 graduate of Academies of West Memphis High School in West Memphis, Ark. This past season, Hill averaged 2.3 points per game for the Blue Devils, who finished 25-6 and reached the Class 5A semifinals.  

"Courtney comes from a strong basketball program that is loaded with talent," Defreitas said. "He is someone that we can count on to come in and work hard every day. We are excited to have him joining our program."

While at CCCB, Hill plans to pursue an Associate of Professional Studies while also earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from one of CCCB's partner institutions, Hope International University.

Central Christian College of the Bible head men's basketball coach Jack Defreitas on Monday announced the signing of Anthony Johnson, Jr., for the 2019-20 season. 

Johnson, a 6-3 small forward from Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, Minn., just completed his sophomore season for the Vikings. At Itasca, Johnson averaged 9.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 32 percent from behind the arc.

The Vikings finished 14-13 overall and 9-3 in Minnesota Athletic Conference play during the 2018-19 season. A 2015 graduate of Raleigh Egypt High School in Memphis, Tenn., the three-year letterman averaged 10 points and five rebounds during his senior season. 

"Anthony is very athletic and can get to the rim, but he is also a good shooter," Defreitas said. "We're adding another player that is a little older and has two seasons of college basketball under his belt. Anthony and his brothers are close-knit and it is great that they will get to go to school and play together."

Anthony is the oldest of a trio of Johnson brothers who have all committed to CCCB. He joins brothers Andrew and Andre, who were also announced on Monday as members of the Saints' 2019 recruiting class.

While at CCCB, Johnson plans to pursue an Bachelor of Science in Sport Management.

Central Christian College of the Bible head men's basketball coach Jack Defreitas on Monday announced the signing of Andre Johnson for the 2019-20 season. 

Johnson, a 6-1 small forward from Raleigh Egypt High School in Memphis, Tenn., is currently a senior and will graduate in May. At Raleigh Egypt, Johnson averaged 10 points, four assists and three rebounds per game. The Pharaohs finished 24-7 and spent much of the 2018-19 season in the Class AA top ten rankings.  

"Andre is extremely athletic and can be a really good defender," Defreitas said. "Andre will make an immediate impact for us and we're excited to have him. I know he's also excited to be able to play with his two older brothers."

Andre is the youngest of a trio of Johnson brothers who have all committed to CCCB. He joins brothers Andrew and Anthony, who were also announced on Monday as members of the Saints' 2019 recruiting class.

While at CCCB, Johnson plans to pursue an Bachelor of Science in Sport Management.

Central Christian College of the Bible head men's basketball coach Jack Defreitas on Monday announced the signing of Andrew Johnson for the 2019-20 season. 

Johnson, a 6-3 small forward from Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, Minn., just completed his sophomore season for the Vikings. At Itasca, Johnson started in all 27 games this past season, averaging 9.8 points on 47 percent shooting to go along with 5.3 rebounds per game.

The Vikings finished 14-13 overall and 9-3 in Minnesota Athletic Conference play during the 2018-19 season. A 2016 graduate of Raleigh Egypt High School in Memphis, Tenn., Johnson averaged 10 points and eight rebounds in his senior season. 

"Andrew gives us an immediate physical presence on defense," Defreitas said. "We're excited to add someone who has two seasons of college basketball under his belt. Andrew comes from a close-knit family and he is excited to get to play with his brothers."

Andrew is part of a trio of Johnson brothers who have all committed to CCCB. He joins brothers Andre and Anthony, who were also announced on Monday as members of the Saints' 2019 recruiting class.

While at CCCB, Johnson plans to pursue an Associate of Professional Studies while also earning a Bachelor of Science in Teacher Preparation from one of CCCB's partner institutions, Hope International University.

Central Christian College of the Bible head men's basketball coach Jack Defreitas on Tuesday announced the signing of Titus Wagner for the 2019-20 season. 

Wagner, a 6-0 shooting guard from Trinity Christian Academy in Springfield, Mo., is currently a senior and will graduate in May. The three-year starter for the Eagles averaged 20 points, 7.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.7 steals per game this past season.

The Eagles finished 14-4 during the 2018-19 season and were 46-10 over the past three years.

"Titus is a good shooter, but comes from a small program where has gotten the chance the do a little bit of everything," Defreitas said. "Titus is a great fit for our institution and program, and we are excited to have him joining us."

While at CCCB, Wagner plans to pursue an Bachelor of Science in Sport Management.

Central Christian College of the Bible head men's basketball coach Jack Defreitas on Monday announced the signing of Gabriel Rivera for the 2019-20 season. 

Rivera, a 6-2 small forward from Weslaco East High School in Weslaco, Texas, is currently a senior and will graduate in May. The three-year starter for the Wildcats averaged 18.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 3.1 steals per game as a senior.

Rivera was a two-time All-District 31-6A selection and was recently named as a participant to the Rio Grande Valley Basketball Coaches Association All-Star game. 

"Gabriel plays tough and is an all-around great player," Defreitas said. "The two areas that we really need to improve are defense and rebounding. Gabriel helps us in both of those areas, and he can score the ball also. He comes from a great family and will be a great addition to our locker room."

While at CCCB, Rivera plans to pursue an Bachelor of Religious Studies and a dual-enrollment degree in Occupational Therapy from a partner institution.

The Saints started strong, but couldn't overcome a 14-0 run midway through the first half as top-ranked Randall University topped Central Christian College of the Bible, 84-66, in the quarterfinals of Southwest Regional Tournament play on Thursday.

Eighth-seeded Central Christian, whose season came to an end with a record of 13-15, traded baskets with the top seed for the first four-and-a-half minutes. Sitting at a 14-14 tie, however, Randall (15-13) used a 14-0 spurt to take a 28-14 lead with 10:15 left in the half.

Randall went on to lead by as many as 23 in the first half and led 53-32 at halftime.

Central Christian made a slight push in the first three minutes of the second half to narrow the gap to 55-40, but their 22 offensive rebounds allowed were too much to overcome against the defending three-time national champions.

Kedron Rollings (Hayti, Mo./Hayti) led the Saints with 18 points after going 4-for-8 from 3-point range. Trey Black (Choctaw, Okla./Choctaw) added 12 points and Rodrigo Nunez (Rio Grande City, Texas/Early College) had 11 points. 

Central Christian entered the game averaging 90 points per game, but were held 24 points below that average. After making 50 3-pointers in their three games at the Midwest Christian College Conference Tournament last week, they went 7-for-24 on Thursday.

Malik Barnett scored 22 points and Kashus Lyons grabbed 15 rebounds to lead Randall.

On Friday, Central Christian's Black was announced as an honorable mention selection for a stacked All-Southwest Region team. Black finished his freshman campaign as the Saints' leading scorer, averaging 15.9 points per game. The Oklahoma native shot 48 percent from the field, 41 percent from behind the arc, and grabbed 4.8 rebounds per game.

Fellow freshman Caleif Gregg (Independence, Mo./Truman) was just behind with a 15.6 points per game average. He made 76 3-pointers at a 46 percent clip and shot 84 percent at the free throw line.

Nunez, who joined the team as a true freshman in time for the Saints' game at Columbia College on Dec. 31, averaged 13.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, shot 60 percent from the field, and averaged 2.1 blocks per contest.

Rollings, finished his sophomore season averaging 12.0 points, while junior Josh Crawford (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway Central/Missouri Baptist) averaged 10.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists per contest.

It was also the final game for senior Cameron Brooks (Nicholasville, Ky./West Jessamine), who finished his career with 711 points scored, 257 assists, 113 steals, and 101 made 3-pointers. He leaves as the winningest men's basketball player in CCCB history with 58 wins.

Brooks was a part of the first men's basketball team in school history to earn a trip to the NCCAA DII National Tournament in 2016. He was also a part of men's basketball's first MCCC regular season title a year ago.

As a team, the Saints currently rank in the top 5 in the NCCAA Division II in many offensive categories, including first in 3-point field goal percentage (39 percent) for the second straight year.

Randall went on to top fourth-seeded Manhattan Christian, 90-74, on Friday in the semifinals. Randall takes on fifth-ranked and second-seeded Arlington Baptist University today at 3:30 p.m. in the championship.