OKLAHOMA CITY – Josh Gamblin and the Mid-America Christian University men's basketball program announced their 2018-19 recruiting class on Tuesday, and the Evangels have a solid group of players coming in from NCAA schools to round out a roster that finished fifth at the NCCAA National Championships in 2017-18.
"We are extremely excited about each of these young men," Gamblin remarked. "We expect all four of them to have an immediate impact on our program. We bring back several really good pieces, and as a staff we believe these four will fit in really well with those guys."
Three of the four players who are transferring in played their 2017-18 seasons at the NCAA Division II Level, with the fourth coming from the NCAA Division I level.
Anthony Black comes to MACU after competing at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock as a junior. At UALR, Black appeared in 26 games, starting 13 times. He averaged seven points per game including a season high 19 points against the University of the Ozarks in Little Rock on December 18, 2017. He shot 42% from the floor in 2017-18, including 35.1% from beyond the arc.
"We recruited Anthony really hard out of junior college before he went to Arkansas-Little Rock," Gamblin noted. "He is a dynamic playmaker who can score and create for others. He fits extremely well with the guards we have coming back with his ability to play on and off the ball."
Two of the Division II Transfers come to MACU after competing in the Great American Conference (GAC) in 2017-18, competing just outside the Oklahoma City Metro.
Charles Beauregard, Jr. joins MACU after competing at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. While with the Bulldogs, Beauregard was SWOSU's leading scorer in 2017-18, with an average of 20.3 points per game. He also led the Bulldogs with 29 steals.
Britt Hammons played his 2017-18 campaign at Oklahoma Baptist University. He averaged 8.5 points per game at OBU, where he shot 33.3% from the floor.
Gamblin said of the two, "CB is one of the better scoring guards in the region. He is a dynamic athlete who brings it every single night. His energy on the court is contagious. More than anything he is a competitor."
"We have a long-standing relationship with Britt," Gamblin continued. "Coach Rollins coached him back in high school. Britt is extremely talented and we expect him to have his best year of college basketball this year with us. His body type is something that we haven't had for the past two years."
Rounding out the class is Khalil Thompson, who comes to MACU after competing in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference at Northwest Nazarene University. The 5-10 guard put up a season high 29 points for the Nighthawks at Regis University on November 25, and he finished the season with a scoring average of 10.2 points per game.
When asked about Thompson, Gamblin said, "Khalil brings versatility to the guard position. He can play either guard spot and has a knack for really putting the ball in the hole. Much like Anthony he is just as good off the ball as he is on it."
Gamblin and the Evangels open their 2018-19 season at home on October 26 with a tilt against Manhattan Christian College at 8 p.m.
