The Lowdown: Oklahoma City University @ No. 14 Mid-America Christian University
Time: Thursday (Feb. 5) at 8 p.m.
Location: Gaulke Activity Center, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Live Video:
Live Stats:
1,000 Times as Nice: With a game-high 22 points last Saturday at Southwestern Assemblies of God University, senior guard Semar Farris passed the 1,000 point mark for his career, becoming only the third Evangel to reach the mark since joining the NAIA. Senior guard Reggie Davis is also closing in on the milestone with 967 career points.
Rarefied Air: MACU head coach Willie Holley become one of only 18 head coaches and only the second active NAIA head coach (Dr. Dave Holmquist, Biola University) to reach the 800 win plateau by winning 86-52 at Southwestern Christian University (1/17/15). 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 second winningest coach in NAIA history, Holley currently stands at 803 career wins.
The Dish on the Evangels: The Mid-America Christian University Evangels moved up three spots to No. 14 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll, tying their highest ranking since becoming an NAIA school in 2007. The Evangels had won seven straight games before falling 78-61 last Saturday afternoon (Jan. 31) to now No. 25 ranked Southwestern Assemblies of God University. MACU is two games on top of the Sooner Athletic Conference with an 8-2 conference record along with a 15-7 overall mark.
Semar Farris leads the Evangels in scoring (17.0 ppg), assists (118), steals (48) and threes (48). Farris is currently second in the SAC in both assists per game (5.4 apg) and steals (2.2 spg). Reggie Davis is second in scoring with 14.0 ppg and has a team-high 5.4 rebounds per game. Jarius Wilson (10.6 ppg) and Jerrick Massenburge (10.5 ppg) are also scoring in double-figures, while Chris Runnels has swatted a team-best 33 shots on the season, which ranks second in the SAC.
The Dish on the Stars: The Oklahoma City University Stars have responded to a three-game losing skid with a four-game winning streak that has placed them into a five-way tie for second place in the SAC at 6-4 with a 10-6 overall record. OCU won 85-71 at John Brown last Thursday (Jan. 29) and defeated Texas Wesleyan at home 98-83 on Saturday (Jan. 31).
Gary Inglett is pacing the Stars with 18.9 ppg and 10.3 rpg, followed by R.J. McGhee's 18.4 ppg. Tharone Chilton is also scoring in double-figures with 16.2 ppg and Jamil Donovan leads the Stars with 82 assists.
The Series: The Evangels won the first meeting between the schools this season 81-78 at OCU and are now 6-9 against the Stars since joining the NAIA in 2007. The two teams split the season series last year for the second straight year, but the Evangels bested the Stars 87-85 in the quarterfinals of the SAC Postseason Tournament. MACU is 3-4 vs. OCU inside the Gaulke Activity Center.
The Coaches:
Willie Holley is in his 42nd and final season as head coach at Mid-America Christian University and became just the 18th coach in college basketball history with 800 victories with an 86-52 victory at Southwestern Christian University (1/17/15). Holley now has an astounding 803 career wins, good for second all-time in the NAIA.
Last season, 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.
Dionne Phelps is in his fourth season as head coach at Oklahoma City University after spending five seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Oklahoma. During his time at OU, Phelps helped the Sooners to a 96-69 record, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2009 that featured eventual No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Blake Griffin.
Up Next: The Evangels will remain at home and host St. Gregory's University Saturday afternoon (Feb. 7) at 3 p.m.
