GREENVILLE, S.C. – After posting the best record in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) during the 2019-20 season, the Mid-America Christian men's basketball team swept the postseason honors as senior Ashford Golden was selected as the NCCAA Division I Player of the Year and Head Coach Josh Gamblin was picked as the Coach of the Year on Thursday.
The Evangels also had a pair of players in Calon Woodson and Torrey Young selected to the NCCAA Scholar-Athlete list. To be selected as an NCCAA Scholar-Athlete, a student-athlete must have competed during the 2019-20 season while also possessing a cumulative GPA of 3.4 or better.
Golden is the second Evangels player to ever receive NCCAA Division I Player of the Year accolades, joining Charlie Shorter who was the recipient after the 2012-13 season.
The hometown Oklahoma City native is the first Evangels player to ever finish in the top 10 in points scored in a single season as well as the top five in both rebounds and blocked shots during the NCCAA Division I era.
Despite the program having its postseason run cut short due to the COVIR-19 pandemic, Golden still recorded the seventh-most points in a single season with 551 points (17.2 ppg), just 14 points back of Shorter in sixth and 33 points away from Devonse Reed for fifth on the single season scoring list.
Golden ripped down 221 rebounds (6.9 rpg) over the course of the season, placing fifth on the single season rebounding list, just three back of Nick Tate while also finishing fifth on the single season blocks list with 33.
The 6-6 combo guard/forward's best game came in a pivotal road matchup on Dec. 13, 2019 against Science & Arts. Golden rallied the Evangels from a 14-point deficit in the first half to push MACU to a 98-86 road victory. In the matchup, Golden rattled off a career-high 39 points on 12-for-15 shooting while going 7-for-9 from the three-point arc and 8-of-10 from the foul line.
The 39 points scored in the meeting tied for the fourth-most points scored in a single game during the NCCAA Division I era, joining Shorter and Angelo Lewis on that list. The seven three-pointers made by Golden in that contest was the fifth-most made in a single game during that time span.
Later in the season, Golden poured in 37 points in a home win over Oklahoma City on Feb. 20 after knocking down 11-for-18 from the field, 8-of-11 from beyond the arc and 7-for-7 from the charity stripe. The eight triples knocked down tied for the third-most made in a single game with Camilo Valencia, placing just one back of Semar Farris and Olajuwon Gardner for the program's NCCAA Division I era record.
Golden will also go down as one of the most prolific free throw shooters in MACU history after recording the fifth-best free throw percentage in a single season after going 114-of-140 (81.4 percent) from the line, the fifth-best clip in one season. Golden is also the first MACU player to ever go 8-for-8 or better from the charity stripe in a single game twice, converting 10-of-10 in a 103-89 victory against No. 11 LSU-Shreveport on Nov. 7, 2019 and then knocking down 8-for-8 in a 90-86 win over No. 22 Southwestern Assemblies of God on Jan. 18.
Gamblin added one more coaching accolade in just his fifth season at the helm by becoming MACU's third ever NCCAA Coach of the Year. Gamblin is the first win the award since Willie Holley was named the NCCAA Division II Coach of the Year in 2000 as well as in 1985.
Gamblin guided the Evangels to a 30-2 overall record, the best in the entire NCCAA Division I as well as tied for the best record in the NAIA along with Georgetown. Under Gamblin, the Evangels won their second ever Sooner Athletic Conference regular season title after finishing with a 19-1 record in league play.
Mid-America Christian opened the season with an incredible 20-game win streak, which is not only the longest during the NCCAA Division I era, but also surpassed the 19-game win streak set by the 2003-04 NCCAA Division II National Championship team.
In a crucial 73-59 home win over John Brown on Jan. 2, Gamblin won his 100th career game at Mid-America Christian before ending the season with a five-year coaching record of 117-53 (.688).
Under Gamblin, the Evangels received their first ever No. 1 seed in the NAIA Tournament as MACU was going to compete for its second ever NAIA National Championship before the tourney was cancelled due to the COVIR-19 pandemic.
