The Lowdown: Texas Wesleyan University @ No. 25 Mid-America Christian University
Time: Thursday (Jan. 22) at 8 p.m.
Location: Gaulke Activity Center, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Live Video: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/macu.portal#
Live Stats: http://www.dakstats.com/WebSync/Pages/Webcasts.aspx?association=10
Rarefied Air: MACU head coach Willie Holley become one of only 17 head coaches and only one active NAIA head coach (Dr. Dave Holmquist, Biola University) to reach the 800 win plateau by winning 86-52 last week at Southwestern Christian University. The milestone win also puts Holley in elite company such as Mike Krzyzewski, Bobby Knight, Jim Boeheim, Dean Smith, Jim Calhoun, Adolph Rupp and Eddie Sutton.
The Dish on the Evangels: In addition to giving head coach Willie Holley his 800th career victory, the No. 25-ranked Mid-America Christian University Evangels are on quite a roll with four straight victories that have vaulted them into the NAIA Top 25 poll for the first time this season. MACU is currently tops in the Sooner Athletic Conference with a 5-1 conference mark along with a 12-6 overall record.
Semar Farris leads the Evangels in scoring (17.1 ppg), assists (96), steals (42) and threes (36). Reggie Davis is second in scoring with 14.9 ppg and has a team-high 5.8 rebounds per game. Jerrick Massenburge (11.1 ppg) and Jarius Wilson (10.7 ppg) are also scoring in double-figures while Chris Runnels has swatted a team-best 27 shots on the season.
The Dish on the Rams: The Texas Wesleyan University Rams defeated Arlington Baptist on Monday to halt a four-game losing skid that knocked out of the NAIA Top 25 after they had begun the season with 13 straight wins.
Sam Akano leads the Rams with 20.6 points per game, followed by Jerrell Ellis with 19.1 ppg. Merv Lindsay is scoring 13.2 ppg, while Chris Gracela has team-highs in rebounds (8.4 rpg) and assists (55).
The Series: The Evangels swept the season series last year with Texas Wesleyan University in the first two meetings between the schools since MACU joined the NAIA.
The Coaches:
Willie Holley is in his 42nd season as head coach at Mid-America Christian University and became just the 17th coach in college basketball history with 800 victories with an 86-52 victory at Southwestern Christian University last Saturday (Jan. 17).
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.
Brennen Shingleton is in his third season at the helm of Texas Wesleyan University after a 10-year tenure as an assistant coach and later as an associate head coach at TWU. Shingleton guided the Rams to their sixth straight 20-win season last year in his first season.
Up Next: The Evangels will host an NAIA Top 25 showdown Saturday afternoon (Jan. 24) against No. 8-ranked Oklahoma Baptist University. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. inside the Gaulke Activity Center.
