The Lowdown: Southwestern Assemblies of God University @ Mid-America Christian University
Time: Thursday (Dec. 4) at 8 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 five 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 open the Sooner Athletic Conference season at 7-2 following a hard-fought 103-96 setback at the University of Central Oklahoma Monday night (Dec.1). Prior to the loss at UCO, the Evangels had defeated three NCAA D-II squads in Oklahoma Christian University and Lincoln University, along with an exhibition victory at Missouri Southern State University.
Reggie Davis leads the Evangels this season in both points (18.0 ppg) and rebounds (6.6 rpg) and is tied for the team-lead with 16 threes. Semar Farris is second in scoring with 15.8 ppg and has dished out a team-high 39 assists on the season. Jerrick Massenburge (12.9 ppg) and Jarius Wilson (10.8 ppg) are also scoring in double-figures, with Wilson also nailing 16 treys this year.
The Dish on the Lions: The defending SAC regular season champion Southwestern Assemblies of God University Lions are 7-1 but are coming off their first loss of the year, 88-79 at Wiley College on Nov. 22.
Jonathan Walter has a team-high 13.5 ppg, followed by Tyler Guidry with 12.0 ppg. Jason Gentry is averaging 10.8 ppg along with a team-best 39 assists. Emmanuel Adoyi leads the Lions with 7.5 rebounds per game.
The Series: Despite this being SAGU's second season in the SAC, the two programs are quite familiar with each other as both are NCCAA schools. In the last seven years, the Evangels are 3-3 against SAGU after the Lions swept the two games last year. Prior to last season, the two schools met four times at the NCCAA Tournament, including MACU defeating the Lions 77-69 to capture the 2009-10 NCCAA Central Regional championship.
The Coaches:
Willie Holley is in his 42nd season as head coach at Mid-America Christian University and his 795 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.
Donnie Bostwick is in his fourth season at the helm of SAGU and made an immediate impact with the Lions by guiding them to the NAIA National Championship game in his second year at the helm and following that up with a SAC regular season championship last year.
Conference Opener tidbits: The Evangels are 3-4 in Sooner Athletic Conference openers since joining the NAIA in the 2007-08 season. MACU opened the conference season last year with a 96-86 victory at Texas Wesleyan University.
Up Next: The Evangels will hit the road for a showdown at No. 6-ranked St. Gregory's University Saturday afternoon (Dec. 6) at 5 p.m. in Shawnee, Okla. The two teams split last season's series, with each squad winning at home. The SGU Cavaliers are 4-4 on the season after advancing to the NAIA Final Four last year.
