The Lowdown: Southwestern Christian University (RV) @ Mid-America Christian University
Time: Feb. 16 @ 8 p.m.
Location: Gaulke Activity Center, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Live Video:
Live Stats:
The Dish on the Evangels: The Mid-America Christian University Evangels are currently 14-12 overall, with a 5-9 mark in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
Olajuwon Garner leads the Evangels in scoring (15.9 ppg) and is first in both the SAC and NAIA with 3.65 threes per game this season. He is also first in the SAC and eighth in the NAIA in three-point percentage (.490).
Devonse Reed is second in scoring with 14.0 ppg and Tyler Chaisson is third at 11.4 ppg. Ex'Zavia Seaton is pulling down a team-high 8.5 rebounds a game, while Malcolm Mann is second in the SAC and 11th in the NAIA with 4.9 assists per game.
Seaton's rebounds per game is third in the SAC and he is also tops in the league and fourth in the NAIA in defensive rebounds per game (7.23).
As a team, the Evangels are all over the map in the NAIA rankings. MACU is first in threes per game (10.8), third in scoring offense per game (90.0), fifth in defensive rebounds per game (31.1) and seventh in both assists per game (18.0) and free-throw percentage (.744).
The Dish on the Eagles: The Southwestern Christian University Eagles have won four of their last six games and are currently 16-10 overall and 8-6 in the SAC. SCU received votes in the latest NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll, released on Tuesday (Feb. 14).
Marvin White is leading the Eagles with 19.3 ppg and has also hit a team-high 60 threes on the season. Joshua Simmons is second in scoring at 16.3 ppg along with a team-leading 9.8 rebounds. Shawn Scott is scoring 16.0 ppg and has dished out a team-best 100 assists while ranking fifth in the NAIA in field-goal percentage (.579). Jamal Ray is also averaging double-figure scoring at 14.4 ppg.
The Eagles rank eighth in the NAIA in three-point field goal percentage defense (.302) and 10th in overall field-goal percentage defense (.405).
The Series: The Evangels are 8-2 vs. Southwestern Christian since joining the NAIA. However, the Eagles have won the past two matchups, including the first meeting this season in Bethany, Okla. MACU has won three of four outings against SCU at home.
Ahead of the Curve: Senior guard Olajuwon Garner is having a historic season shooting behind the arc, leading the Sooner Athletic Conference and ranking eighth in the NAIA with a 49 percent clip from three-point distance. Garner's three-point percentage is currently well ahead of current single-season leader Anthony Jackson's 43.9 percent set in the 2003-04 season.
The Coaches:
Josh Gamblin is in his second season as head coach of the Mid-America Christian University men's basketball program.
In his first season at the helm, Gamblin made a historic, immediate impact. Gamblin guided the Evangels to their first-ever NAIA National Championship, capping off the memorable title run with a thrilling, 100-99 overtime victory over then No. 1-ranked Georgetown (Ky.). In the process, Gamblin become the youngest coach (27 years old) in college basketball history to win a national championship at a four-year institution.
Following the championship triumph, Gamblin was named the 2015-16 Rawlings-NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coach of the Year. His character influence was also felt throughout the year, culminating with the program receiving the Dr. James Naismith-Emil S. Liston Sportsmanship award at the conclusion of the NAIA National Tournament.
Overall, Gamblin is 42-21 as head coach of the Evangels.
Recently, Gamblin had the privilege of speaking at the Nike Championship Basketball Clinic on the campus of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla. Gamblin presented the topic "Covering the Pick and Roll" to attendees and was joined by other premier coaches and players from around the U.S., including coaches Lon Kruger and Sherri Coale from the University of Oklahoma and retired NBA center Swen Nater.
Gamblin came 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.
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.
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 one-year old son Miles.
Dave Bliss is in his second season as head coach of the Southwestern Christian University Eagles. In his first season at the helm, Bliss guided the Eagles to their best season as an NAIA program with a fourth-place finish in the SAC. The Eagles also finished as the runner-up at the NCCAA National Tournament. Bliss previously served a stint as the athletic director and head coach at Allen Academy in Bryan, Texas. Bliss has won over 500 games in his career, with coaching stops at Oklahoma (1975-80), Southern Methodist (1980-88), New Mexico (1988-89) and Baylor (1999-2003).
Up Next: The Evangels will host No. 21-ranked Southwestern Assemblies of God University Saturday evening (Feb. 18) at 5 pm inside the Gaulke Activity Center.
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