The Lowdown: No. 25 (NAIA D-II) College of the Ozarks @ Mid-America Christian University
Time: Thursday (Dec. 11) at 7 p.m.
Location: Gaulke Activity Center, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Live Video:
Live Stats:
The Countdown is On: MACU head coach Willie Holley is closing on his historic 800th win, as he is only four wins away from the milestone. Only 16 head coaches have achieved the 800 win plateau and only one active NAIA head coach (Dr. Dave Holmquist, Biola University).
The Dish on the Evangels: The Mid-America Christian University Evangels fell short 79-75 last Saturday afternoon (Dec. 6) at St. Gregory's University to fall to 8-3 overall and 1-1 in the Sooner Athletic Conference. MACU trailed by as many as 16 but rallied late and came within two before the Cavaliers shut the door at the foul line. SGU went a perfect 14-of-14 at the charity stripe over the final 2:14 to hold off the Evangels.
Reggie Davis leads the Evangels this season in both points (17.4 ppg) and rebounds (6.4 rpg) and is tied for the team-lead with 20 threes. Semar Farris is second in scoring with 15.5 ppg along with a team-high 53 assists on the season and has also hit 20 treys. Jerrick Massenburge (13.0 ppg) and Jarius Wilson (10.1 ppg) are also scoring in double-figures.
The Dish on the Bobcats: The No. 25-ranked (NAIA D-II) College of the Ozarks Bobcats have won three straight and are now 7-3 on the season.
The Bobcats have four players scoring in double-figures, led by Ethan Murray's 16.7 ppg. Derek Daniels is right behind at 16.3 ppg and has a team-high 6.3 rebounds. Alex Santiago is third in scoring with 13.9 ppg and leads the Bobcats with 53 assists. Cameron Pashke is also averaging double-figure scoring with 12.7 ppg.
The Series: The Evangels won 84-63 at College of the Ozarks earlier this season to improve to 2-3 vs. the Bobcats in their five meetings since joining the NAIA.
The Coaches:
Willie Holley is in his 42nd season as head coach at Mid-America Christian University and his 796 career victories rank first in school history and second all-time in the NAIA.
Entering the 2014-15 season, Holley has announced that this year will be his last of a legendary tenure.
He coached the Evangels to a tie for second place in the Sooner Athletic Conference with a 12-8 league record, their highest-finish as an NAIA school.
He also led MACU to its first-ever SAC Tournament victory last season and had the program within one spot of qualifying for their initial NAIA National Tournament berth.
After coming up just short for the NAIA Tournament, the Evangels qualified for their 23rd National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Tournament appearance.
The 2013-14 campaign also featured Holley coaching an NAIA All-America performer for the fourth straight season, as guard Semar Farris earned second-team NAIA All-America honors.
Holley has helped the Evangels become competitive in a short period of time in the Sooner Athletic Conference and broke through in 2012-13. Holley guided the Evangels to a finish of third in the SAC with a 9-7 league record. MACU made their first appearance in the NAIA Top 25 in school history, coming in as high as tied for 23rd. The Evangels went on to capture their 20th NCCAA Central Regional Championship and finished fifth at the NCCAA National Tournament.
The 2012-13 season also featured guard Charlie Shorter, who was named SAC Player of the Year, NCCAA National Player of the Year and was a first-team NAIA All-America selection. It's the third straight season Holley has coached an NAIA All-American, as Shorter and Brandon Williams were Honorable-Mention selections in 2011-12 and 2010-11, respectively.
Holley's coaching style is to establish in his players a "no quit" attitude. This style led to an improbable NCCAA National Championship in 2007. The title was the fourth of Holley's illustrious career as he previously won the championship in 1998, 2003, and 2004. This year the plan is to take that same attitude and improve on last season's effort.
During his time at Mid-America, Holley has become a fixture in the athletic program, as he served as Athletic Director from 1973-2012. In 1997, Holley was inducted into the NCCAA Hall of Fame, and he has been named the NCCAA Division II Coach of the Year four times - 1985, 1995, 2000 and 2004. Holley has also coached 18 All- Americans and won numerous conference and regional championships.
Holley earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from University of Louisiana - Monroe in 1970. He and his wife, Janet, have three daughters: Angela, Jessica and Stacey.
Steve Shepherd is in his 13th season as head coach of the College of the Ozarks Bobcats. Shepherd has guided the Bobcats to nine 20-win seasons along with a national championship and three Final Four berths during his tenure with the program.
Up Next: The Evangels will host the University of the Southwest (N.M.) Mustangs next Thursday night (Dec. 18) at 7 p.m. inside the Gaulke Activity Center. USW is led by head coach Charles Goar, who played at MACU and previously served as the Evangels' assistant head coach for six seasons.
