Mines hits a rhythm and a mark

Virginia State's Trey Mines has spent much of this basketball season trying to rediscover the rhythm that made him among the most-feared shooters in the CIAA.

Mines, hampered by nagging injuries, was in near-perfect form Saturday. The Colonial Heights graduate sizzled in an 83-77 win over Holy Family as he tied the VSU's single-game scoring record with 45 points.

Mines, too, poured in 10 3-point goals -- another school record.

"Everybody in the stands were trying to tell me what was going on, but I was focused on the game," Mines said. "People were saying different things, and at that point, [Holy Family] was fouling us because it was a close game.

"I wanted the ball in my hands. Actually, I thought I had missed tying the record."

Mines, however, missed a chance to eclipse the mark he now shares with Darrell Stith, who scored 45 points against Bowie State in 1983. The 6-2 junior guard, an 85 percent free throw shooter, uncharacteristically misfired three times from the foul line in the waning seconds.

"I know I'm capable of having nights like that," said Mines, whose 3-point barrage erased the previous record of nine set by Lamont Walker (vs. Rutgers-Camden in 1989) and Elgren Green (vs. Lock Haven in 1996). "I think things presented themselves where I had to step up and take over.

"I felt like I was feeling it. Everybody was confident in me."

Virginia State coach Anthony Collins finally got from Mines what he's been expecting all season. And his teammates kept feeding him the ball.

"It was one of the better shooting nights I've seen in a long time," Collins said. "His teammates saw he was hot and were going out of their way to get the ball into his hands."

Mines, who led VSU in scoring last season with 15.9 points per game, missed nearly all of the preseason with a hamstring pull. Then, subsequent knee and shoulder injuries limited his playing time and affected his shooting.

"I've been playing through it, but now I'm starting to get back to where I was," said Mines, averaging 11.4 points per game on 51 percent shooting. "Hopefully, for the rest of the season I'll be able to help the team win more."

Mines pumped in 19 on Monday night, but it wasn't enough to help the Trojans (5-6) overcome visiting Cheyney State, which held on for a 76-69 win at Daniel Gym.

"I started getting some things done in the second half," said Mines, who was held to four points in the first half but finished 5-for-12 shooting and 7 of 7 from the foul line."

Mines, an all-CIAA preseason selection, isn't facing the same pressure as last season, particularly on offense. Center Brandon Macklin (Meadowbrook High School) and forward Leon Willis have provided a scoring spark.

"[Mines] doesn't have to lead us in scoring every night, because we have more depth," Collins said. "The problem with this team has been our inconsistency, especially on defense."

The Trojans, who play Bowie State on Jan. 3 in the first of three straight conference home games, lead all CIAA schools in scoring (78.9). They are ranked near the bottom in scoring defense (72.7).

Still, Collins is convinced the Trojans can resolve their defensive issues. However, he acknowleges they'll have a difficult time challenging for the Eastern Division title if Mines doesn't maintain his rhythm.