The Lowdown: No. 11 Wayland Baptist University @ Mid-America Christian University
Time: Thursday (Jan. 15) at 8 p.m.
Location: Gaulke Activity Center, Oklahoma City, Okla.
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The Countdown is On: MACU head coach Willie Holley is closing on his historic 800th win, as he is now only two 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 have rebounded from a four-game losing streak with two straight victories, with the last coming in a thrilling 81-78 win at Oklahoma City University last Saturday (Jan. 10). The game was tied at 78-78 when Jerrick Massenburge stepped back and calmly drilled the game-winning three with 2.7 seconds left to propel the Evangels to the victory.
Semar Farris now leads the Evangels in scoring (17.2 ppg), assists (85), steals (36) and threes (31). Reggie Davis is second in scoring with 15.8 ppg and has a team-high 6.1 rebounds per game. Jerrick Massenburge (11.6 ppg) and Jarius Wilson (10.4 ppg) are also scoring in double-figures while Chris Runnels has swatted a team-best 27 shots on the season.
The Dish on the Pioneers: The No. 11-ranked (T-11) Wayland Baptist University Pioneers enter tonight's matchup on quite a roll, 14-1 overall and winners of their last six.
Royal Crouch leads four Pioneers in double-figures with 18.3 ppg and is also second on the team in rebounding with 5.7 rpg. Robert Waters is second in scoring with 15.3 ppg along with a team-high 64 assists on the season. Bunja Yaboe leads WBU in rebounding with 6.5 boards per game.
The Series: The Evangels are 5-8 against Wayland Baptist since joining the NAIA in 2007 after losing both meetings with the Pioneers last season. The Evangels dropped their first four meetings with the Pioneers, but have won five of the last nine. The Evangels are 3-4 vs. WBU at home.
The Coaches:
Willie Holley is in his 42nd season as head coach at Mid-America Christian University and is closing in on his milestone 800th victory as his 798 career wins 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.
Matt Garnett is in his fourth season at the helm of his alma mater Wayland Baptist University after a one-year stint as head coach at McMurry University. Garnett guided the Pioneers to the NAIA National Tournament last season for the first time since 2008. At McMurry, Garnett took MU to the NCAA D-III National Tournament and was named the American Southwest Conference West Division Coach of the Year. Garnett was the Pioneers point guard for three seasons as a player and earned second team All-Conference honors as a junior.
Up Next: The Evangels will next be at Southwestern Christian University Saturday afternoon (Jan. 17) at 5 p.m. in Bethany, Okla.
