Former Owen basketball standout makes dream come true at Davidson College

Ben Craig set to return to the mountains with the Wildcats for Maui Invitational

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
November 16, 2020

Former Owen and Christ School basketball standout Ben Craig has earned a spot on the roster at Davidson College. The junior will make his Wildcats debut at the Maui Invitational tournament later this month. Photo courtesy of Davidson College Athletics

Ben Craig played middle school basketball in the shadows of Owen High School legends. In a gym once home to Warhorse hall of famers like Roy Williams, Brad Daugherty, Brad Johnson and many more, the eighth-grader charted his own course for basketball greatness. 

“I knew I wanted to play basketball for Davidson College,” said Craig, who earned a spot on the Wildcats roster as a walk-on this offseason and will finally realize his dream when his team opens the 2020-21 season against Texas in the 37th Annual Maui Invitational, Nov. 30. The eight-team tournament, which will air on the ESPN networks, is being held at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center - Asheville. 

Basketball and Davidson College are two things that have always played a significant role in Craig’s life. He developed a love for the game as a young child, and his family’s connection to the private liberal arts college made him a lifelong Wildcats fan. 

“My grandfather played on the Davidson football team and is in the college’s athletic hall of fame,” he said. “My aunt played field hockey here, my dad went here and so did my sister. I have a pretty deep familial connection to Davidson, and it’s always been my dream to play here.”

Craig grew up attending Wildcats home games and followed closely in 2008 as his favorite player, Steph Curry, led Davidson to the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Tournament and an appearance in the Elite Eight. 

The work begins

While dreaming of one day putting on a Wildcats uniform was easy, Craig was realistic in his approach to reaching his goal. 

“I knew it was going to take a lot of sacrifice and hard work,” he said. 

As he prepared to enter eighth grade at Owen Middle, Craig met Anthony Barringer, who had recently graduated from Warren Wilson College where he helped lead the Owls to their first USCAA National Championship.

Barringer, who would go on to spend four seasons as the head coach of the Warren Wilson men’s basketball team from 2014 through 2018, had just launched his own personal training business, which is now 323 Performance Enhancement. 

“I was working with (former Warhorse basketball standout) Mike Pomeroy at the time,” Barringer recalled his first meeting with Craig, which came about when former Owen and current North Buncombe head coach Chuck Robinson introduced him to the middle school program. “Coach Chuck wanted me to help Ben get ready to be the starting point guard for the varsity team by his freshman season.”

Barringer quickly learned that his new student was eager to learn the game and unafraid of competition. 

“I threw him to the wolves,” Barringer said. “I had Ben, as an eighth-grader, playing pick-up games with the players from Warren Wilson at the time. I pushed him just as hard as my high school players and college players because to me it was obvious that he had it in him.”

Craig’s skills developed and sharpened under the tutelage of his mentor as he started for Robinson’s Warhorses in 2014 and remained the starter through a career in which he would score over 1,000 career points. In his junior season, the point guard helped lead Owen to a 23-6 record and a trip to the third round of the NCHSAA State Playoffs.

Former Owen and current North Buncombe head coach Chuck Robinson presents Ben Craig with a ball commemorating his 1,000th point as a Warhorse. Photo courtesy of Total Sports Network

“That was such a fun team to be a part of,” he said. “All of the players were really close, and I really love Coach Robinson. I feel like that experience helped me understand what it took to be successful as a player, and as a team.”

Craig averaged 20 points, 5 assists and 1.7 steals per game as a junior, including a career-high 32 points against Hendersonville. While his performance on the court turned heads, it was his growth as a person that impressed Barringer. 

Ben Craig (30) celebrates with his Warhorse teammates after winning the Cherokee Christmas Tournament in 2017. Photo courtesy of Ben Craig

“He really became a leader during the latter part of his sophomore season going into his junior year,” Barringer said. “He would come to the gym after a game and put up 300 shots just to get the extra work in. Here he was one of the best players in this area and he was working like he was trying to make the team.”

His best shot

Craig announced his transfer to Christ School before his senior year. The decision wasn’t easy, he said, but the move allowed him to take his game to a bigger stage. 

“It’s unfortunate, but honestly it’s really hard to get noticed as a basketball player for a public school in Western North Carolina,” he said. “It can definitely be done, and there are guys who have done it, but it’s difficult. I decided to transfer to Christ School because going into that season we were nationally ranked and I knew that could increase my chances of getting some attention from college programs.”

He joined a roster that included current NBA guard Jalen Lecque, Louisville freshman center Gabe Wiznitzer, Rhode Island freshman Norance Berry, Harvard freshman Justice Ajogbor and Western Carolina University freshman Brad Holverson. 

“That whole roster will end up playing college basketball, and many of them for D-1 programs,” Craig said. “Competing and practicing with those guys, day after day, really helped me adjust to the speed of the game and it made me a better basketball player.”

He reclassified as a junior at his new school, but his minutes declined drastically with the Greenies. Craig graduated before the 2018-19 season, but he believed his experience at Christ School put him in a position to make the roster at Davidson, where he enrolled to pursue a degree in economics. When he tried out as a freshman, however, there were no available walk-on opportunities at the time. 

Ben Craig transferred to Christ School before the 2017-18 season following a three-year career at Owen. While his playing time declined for the Greenies, Craig believes the experience helped prepare him to make the team at Davidson College. Photo courtesy of Christ School Athletics

“I came to a crossroads,” he said. “I could go down one path and be really unhappy, feel sorry for myself, and let it impact my college experience, or I could make the most of my time in college and enjoy it.”

Craig stepped away from the sport for the first time since the eighth grade. He spent his freshman and sophomore years meeting people outside of the athletic arena and adjusting to a life that didn’t center around basketball. 

“It was really the first time I’d made friends outside of sports,” he said. “It forced me to look inside at what I value and who I want to surround myself with, and I found a great group of friends who were really focused on school and that helped me out a lot.”

He didn’t even play pick-up basketball as a freshman, although he would eventually play for an intramural team. 

“It was the first time in my life I had free time,” he said. “All through middle school and high school I would wake up every day and think about what I had to do for basketball that day. When I was away from basketball I would wake up and only have class. It was weird, but I think it helped me in a lot of ways.”

Making a dream come true 

Craig still had connections to basketball through his roommate, who was a member of the Davidson team. He would occasionally spend time with some of the other players and was reminded of the bond that is shared between teammates. 

“That made me think about playing basketball again,” he said. 

Returning his focus to the dream of one day putting on a Wildcats uniform, Craig knew exactly where to turn. 

While he had temporarily cut ties with the game of basketball, his bond with Barringer remained strong. The two connected when Craig came home to Montreat during his sophomore year.

“We have a tradition that we play one-on-one every time we get together,” Barringer said. “So as we were playing, I was like, ‘this kid can still hoop.’ And, he had gotten so much stronger because he had been lifting weights. I used to be able to be able to push him around on the court, and I couldn’t do that anymore. He could’ve started at any college in WNC at that point.”

Barringer has trained dozens of high school and college athletes, including four who have played at the D-1 level. He was eager to start working with his protégé again.

“I told him that this was something he’d dreamed about his entire life,” Barringer said. “I knew he could do it; I’ve always known he could.”

Craig remained in excellent physical condition during his time away from the sport, according to Barringer, so the pair spent two weeks “tightening up” his mechanics and skills. Craig would spend evenings shooting on the hoop outside of his mother’s Black Mountain office when he wasn’t participating in workouts. 

“He really didn’t miss a beat,” Barringer said. “I just kept thinking that he’s really doing exactly what he’s supposed to do. It’s like he enjoys doing the work.”

Craig returned to Davidson confident in his ability, but humble about his role with the team. He expressed an interest in trying out for the team, and the Wildcats coaching staff allowed him to compete for a spot.  

“Being a walk-on isn’t glamorous,” he said. “You have to be willing to help out however you can, be selfless and prove that you’re a team player. But, I just want to soak it all in and enjoy every moment because two years ago all I could think about was how I would’ve done anything to have this opportunity.”

As Craig continued to be a presence at team workouts, he began to realize that the dream he had invested so much of his life into was within his grasp. 

“The day before media day, coach came up and asked me if I wanted to get my picture taken,” Craig recalled. “He said, ‘OK, you’re on the team.’ I couldn’t wait to call my parents and tell them because they know more than anybody how hard I’ve worked for this.”

A text message Barringer received that night elicited an emotional response. 

“Ben sent me a picture of his Davidson gear and said ‘I think I made the team,’” he recalled. “I just sat there in silence, tearing up for a few minutes. It made me think about how humble and hard-working he is, and I thought about all of the work he’s done to get here. He really deserves this and I don’t think many people besides myself, Coach Robinson and Ben’s parents truly understand everything he’s had to do to make his dream a reality.”

Maui in the mountains

If Craig was making his college basketball debut in any other year, he would be doing so on Thanksgiving weekend in Lahaina, Hawaii, which has been home to the Maui Invitational since 1984. However, the 2020 iteration of the tournament, which will be closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be played less than 20 miles from his home. 

“Out of all of the places we could have ended up playing this tournament, it ends up being in Asheville,” he said. “It seems a little funny, but really special, that my first game for Davidson will be so close to home, even if people can’t come see me play.”

The Wildcats finished the 2019-20 season, 16-4, compiling a 10-8 record in the Atlantic 10 Conference.