The Lowdown: No. 14 Mid-America Christian University vs. No. 3 Biola University
Time: Mar. 18 @ 10:45 a.m.
Location: Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Mo.
Ticket Info: Click HERE or call the NAIA National Office @ 816-595-8142
Live Broadcast: (With a paid subscription, $9.95 for single-day pass, $29.95 for tournament pass)
Live Stats:
Live Audio:
The Dish on the Evangels: The No. 14-ranked Mid-America Christian University Evangels pulled out a dramatic 88-86 victory over No. 20-ranked Park University yesterday (Mar. 16) to advance to the second round of the NAIA National Championship tournament.
"What a gutty effort by our group," MACU head coach Josh Gamblin said. "So many guys stepped up and played well in a hostile environment. I couldn't be more proud of our kids."
Bryon Miller led the Evangels with 26 points and Devonse Reed scored 23. Chris Runnels recorded a double-double of 12 points along with a career-high 15 rebounds and two blocked shots, tying the overall school record of 55 swats in a season. Tate also reached double-figure scoring with 10 points and Malcolm Mann dished out a game-high seven assists.
The Evangels are now 24-9 overall and are looking for their second straight NAIA quarterfinal berth.
Tate currently leads the Evangels in both points (16.3 ppg) and rebounds (6.7 rpg), with Reed second in scoring with 15.2 ppg. Miller is third in scoring with 13.1 ppg and has hit 76 threes, while Jerrick Massenburge is averaging 12.2 ppg with a team-high 79 makes from beyond the arc. Mann has dished out a team-high 167 assists on the season, while Runnels is also scoring in double-figures with 11.5 ppg and has a team-best 55 blocks.
The Dish on the Eagles: The top-seeded Biola University Eagles, out of the Golden State Athletic Conference, are 30-3 overall and are riding an NAIA-best 11-game winning streak.
Dakari Archer leads the Eagles in points (16.3 ppg), threes (56) and assists (74) this season. Terrell Funches is second in scoring with 15.8 ppg, while Jeff Gonzalez has a team-high 7.2 rebounds per game this season.
The Series: This will be the first matchup between the Evangels and Eagles since MACU became an NAIA school in 2007.
Fact of the Century: Under first-year head coach Josh Gamblin, the Evangels have scored 100 or more points on 10 occasions this year, already more than any other season since joining the NAIA. In fact, the Evangels had only reached the century mark 11 times in the eight combined prior seasons as an NAIA school. MACU is 9-1 when scoring at least 100 points this season, but have lost all four times they've allowed the opposition to reach the century mark.
The Coaches:
Josh Gamblin is in his first season as the head coach of the Mid-America Christian University men's basketball program. Gamblin's impact has been immediate, guiding the Evangels to a 24-9 record this season and a second straight NAIA National Tournament second round appearance.
Gamblin comes to MACU from the University of Oklahoma, where he was a Graduate Assistant Coach under Head Coach Lon Kruger. There he assisted in all practices and logged scout games. Gamblin also worked with coaches on opponent scouting reports for a squad that advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last season.
"We really appreciate all of Josh's assistance during his time with the Sooners and I know he'll do a fantastic job," Kruger said. "MACU is lucky to have him."
Prior to arriving at OU, Gamblin served two-years at Southwestern Christian University (SCU) as lead Assistant Coach on Head Coach Quinn Wooldridge's staff. Gamblin's duties at SCU involved recruiting, leading film sessions and analyzing opponent's scouting reports.
During the 2011-12 basketball season, Gamblin worked in the NBA as the Intern Video Coordinator for the Los Angeles Clippers under then-Head Coach Vinny Del Negro. Gamblin helped prepare pre-game scouting reports for the Clippers, as well as logging all opponent games and being involved in coaches meetings. His efforts with the Clippers led to the best winning percentage in team history.
"Josh has worked at the highest level and continually strives to learn and become a better coach each day," Del Negro said. "He is constantly working to improve his craft and striving for excellence is everything he does."
Off the court, Gamblin has served as Clippers' All-Star Forward Blake Griffin's Summer Basketball Trainer for the past three seasons. Gamblin helped Griffin prepare for upcoming basketball seasons by working on a number of offensive and defensive drills—specifically pick and roll coverages, low post moves and ball handling drills.
Gamblin's collegiate-athlete experience includes, but not limited to: competed at SCU on the Men's Basketball team from 2007-11; Varsity Captain (twice); named SCU Male Newcomer of the Year in 2008; and selected as Team MVP for the 2011 season. Additional honors include: Association of Christian College Athletics (ACCA) Honorable-Mention All-America honors in 2010; a Midlands Collegiate Athletic All-Conference selection in 2011; and named "Mr. Southwestern" in 2011, (awarded to the student who exemplifies the values, traditions and spirit of SCU). After the 2011 season, Gamblin received the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference Scholar Athlete award.
He graduated from SCU in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and is currently enrolled in the IAA Master's program at the University of Oklahoma.
Gamblin and his wife Jennifer live in Oklahoma City with their infant son Miles.
Dr. Dave Holmquist is in his 36th season at the helm of the Biola University Eagles and has amassed 921 career wins. The eighth winningest coach of all-time for four-year college coaches, Holmquist was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2002 and is a three-time GSAC Coach of the Year.
Up Next: With a win, the Evangels will play in the quarterfinal round Saturday (Mar. 19) at noon against the winner of sixth-seeded Cumberlands (Ky.) and second-seeded Talladega (Ala.).
