The inaugural Chris Paul HBCU Tip-Off was a double success for Virginia Union University.

Coach Jay Butler’s Panthers earned both a championship trophy and national TV coverage in the two-day event Nov. 22 and 23 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Relying on its trademark “circle zone” defense, as well as steady full-floor pressure, VUU defeated Winston-Salem State University 59-55 in the Nov. 23 final after beating West Virginia State University 75-49 in the semifinals on Nov. 22.

Unable to work free for clean looks, the Winston- Salem State Rams – the 2020 CIAA basketball champions—shot just 35 percent. Virtually every dribble, every pass and every shot was contested by the tireless Panthers.

Playing before a live ESPNU audience, VUU showcased arguably the best set of forwards in all of NCAA Division II hoops—Jordan Peebles and Raemaad Wright, both 6-foot-7.

Peebles, a graduate student from Emporia, had 16 points in the final after scoring 14 in the semifinal game. A junior from Suffolk, Wright had 14 points and 12 rebounds against Winston-Salem State after collecting 13 rebounds against West Virginia State.

The high-hopping Peebles even caught the eye of organizer Chris Paul, known as “CP3,” who was being interviewed virtually from Cleveland in the second half.

After a particularly entertaining alley-oop dunk by Peebles, Paul, who was watching the game at the same time, stopped what he was saying and went, “Whoooa!”

After missing the 2020-21 basketball season because of the pandemic, Coach Butler appears to have built a CIAA contender with the help of several stylish transfers.

Demarius Pitts (6- foot-5, from Univer- sity of Missouri-Kansas City), Keleaf Tate (6- foot-3, from Niagara University) and Devon Sims (6-foot-5, from Concordia College) took turns shining at the Chris Paul HBCU Tip-Off.

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VUU transported that stout defense with it from Connecticut to its Lombardy Street campus and Barco-Stevens Hall.

In its home opener last Saturday, the Panthers defeated CIAA rival Fayetteville State University 62-48. VUU held the visiting Broncos to 31.5 percent shooting while forcing 16 turnovers.

Leading the Panthers with 13 points in just 13 minutes was 6-foot-5, 230-pound Richmond native Robert Osborne, a transfer from Hamp- ton University. Wright added nine points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots.

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The Chris Paul HBCU Tip-Off isn’t by accident.

Paul, an 11-time NBA All-Star who currently plays with the Phoenix Suns, grew up in Winston-Salem, N.C., and played collegiately at Wake Forest University. He also has strong ties to HBCUs, including Winston-Salem State, where he enrolled in 2020 to pursue a communications degree. He left Wake Forest after two years for the NBA.

Both of his parents, Charles and Robin Paul, are graduates of Winston-Salem State. Chris Paul’s brother, C.J. Paul, played basketball at Hampton University.