OKLAHOMA CITY – The No. 18 Mid-America Christian men's basketball team will have a busy start to the 2019-20 season as the Evangels will host three home games in a four-day stretch. The Evangels officially open the campaign Friday night with an 8 p.m. game against Ecclesia College before taking on Manhattan Christian College at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The Evangels will wrap up the home stand with a Monday night matchup at 7 p.m. against Texas A&M-Texarkana.
NEW TEAM, SAME EXPECTATIONS
After returning to the NAIA Tournament for the first time since winning the NAIA Championship in 2016, Mid-America Christian will look for a return to its championship form. While the Evangels return just three players from last year's team that finished with a 21-13 record, Mid-America Christian is expected to turn some heads with its newcomers. The Evangels were picked to finish third in the Sooner Athletic Conference Preseason Poll with 76 votes, finishing just a vote back of Science & Arts for second in the poll.
Competing in one of the toughest conferences in the country, the Evangels are also receiving national attention in the NAIA Top 25 Preseason Poll. With 109 votes, Mid-America Christian is ranked 18th in the inaugural 2019-20 NAIA Top 25 Poll.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Despite bringing in a fresh crop of talent, junior forward Dominick Ford headlines the returning class after a strong sophomore season. The 6-5 forward from McKinney, Texas was one of the most improved players from his freshman year to his second, averaging 7.3 points per game and finishing second on the squad with 151 rebounds.
Of the incoming talent, senior guard/forward Ashford Golden will look to make his presence known. A 6-5 transfer from NCAA Division II Central Oklahoma, Golden was the Bronchos second leading scorer with a 15.5 ppg average while shooting 45.4-percent from the floor and 80-percent from the foul line.
A 6-7 forward, Cedric Wright will be looking to make a big impact in his redshirt senior season with the Evangels. A transfer from Thomas University (Ga.), Wright comes to MACU after earning All-Sun Conference Second Team accolades, scoring at a 14 ppg clip on a blistering .547 shooting percentage and averaged 6.7 rpg.
Junior guard Tony Dorsey will look to highlight an explosive backcourt. The 6-0 transfer from Southwestern Christian Junior College brings a dangerous long range game with him after averaging 17.3 ppg on a 40-percent clip from the three-point arc last season.
NIGHT FOR 900
The Evangels will be seeking out the 900th win in the history of the program this weekend. Between the 813 career wins of Mid-America Christian's first head coach Willie Holley and the 86 victories by current head coach Josh Gamblin, MACU is just a win away from hitting the program milestone.
THE ECCLESIA PROFILE
Mid-America Christian will be facing Ecclesia for the third time in the last three seasons. In the previous two meetings, the Evangels dominated the Royals with a 104-60 win on Nov. 11, 2017 and followed it up with a 107-61 victory on Dec. 5, 2018.
The Royals are coming off a tough 2018-19 campaign that saw EC go 5-26 overall. Sophomore guard Deonte Phillips will look to lead a bounce back year for the Royals after finishing second on the team with a 14.3 ppg scoring average while ripping down 4.9 rpg a season ago.
THE MANHATTAN CHRISTIAN PROFILE
The Evangels will head into their 10th meeting against Manhattan Christian with a 7-2 edge in the all-time series, which includes winning the last five matchups. In last season's meeting, MACU came away with a 96-73 victory on its home court.
The Thunder are coming off a 15-14 season and were two points away from winning the Midwest Christian College Conference Championship after falling 78-77 to Ozark Christian the championship tilt. The Thunder advanced all the way to the Southwest Region Semifinal Round before falling to Randall University.
MCC returns its top five scorers from a season ago, led by junior guard Gabe Awbrey. As a sophomore, Awbrey averaged 16.3 ppg and led the team with 131 rebounds (7.1 rpg) and was second on the squad with 39 steals. Sophomore guard Nate Awbrey also makes his return after scoring at a 14.7 ppg clip.
THE TEXAS A&M-TEXARKANA PROFILE
Texas A&M-Texarkana is entering its inaugural year as a collegiate basketball program. The Evangels will see some familiar faces in the matchup as former John Brown players Desmond Kennedy and Marquis Waller are competing on the 2019-20 Texarkana team.
