OKLAHOMA CITY – The Mid-America Christian men's basketball team reached new heights during the 2019-20 season. Not only did the Evangels win an NAIA era program record 30 games by going 30-2 to finish tied for the best record in the NAIA, MACU also locked up its first ever No. 1 seed the NAIA National Championship Tournament before the event was cancelled due the COVID-19 pandemic.
By going 19-1 in Sooner Athletic Conference play, the Evangels won their second ever league championship, their first since the 2014-15 season where the Evangels went 14-6 against SAC competition.
"What an amazing run," remarked MACU Head Coach Josh Gamblin. "These guys worked their tails off all year and you saw that on the court. They were not just a joy to coach, but they were a joy to be around. I am not sure that it has set in yet that we didn't get to finish, but to win the SAC regular season title to go along with 30 wins is something these guys will have forever."
MACU opened the campaign by winning its first 20 games, not only snapping the longest winning streak during the NAIA, an eight-game stretch set by the 2015-16 NAIA National Championship team, but set the longest streak since the 2014 NCCAA Division II National Championship team won 19 in a row to close out the year.
After the completion of the season, Gamblin received multiple coaching accolades, including Sooner Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, NCCAA Central Region Coach of the Year and NCCAA National Coach of the Year.
Leading the Evangels was senior combo guard/forward Ashford Golden. In his lone season with the Evangels, Golden led MACU by becoming just the third NAIA First Team All-American in program history, joining Charlie Shorter in 2013 and Semar Farris in 2015.
On top of being an NAIA All-American, Golden was also selected as the NCCAA Player of the Year while being selected to the NCCAA First Team All-American. Golden was only one of two players to be named a unanimous All-Sooner Athletic Conference First Team honoree after being the only player in the conference to finish in the top five in scoring (551, 5th), rebounding (221, 3rd) and blocked shots (33, 2nd).
During the season, Golden averaged 17.2 points per game and also led the team at 6.9 rebounds per game to go with 31 steals. The local Oklahoma City native was MACU's all-around best shooter, knocking down 46.3 percent from the field, 41.6 percent from the three-point arc and 81.4 percent from the free throw line.
"Ashford really had a special year," remarked Gamblin. "He is a talented young man, but what people don't see is how much time he puts in the gym. He truly wanted to get better every day and you saw that with his in game success. He had the senior year everyone dreams of having and it is a credit to him."
Mid-America Christian also received a lot of strong leadership from another one-year senior in forward Cedric Wright. Despite missing a third of the season due to injury, Wright was still an All-SAC Second Team honoree and an All-NCCAA Second Team selection after scoring 15.2 ppg on the top shooting percentage in the NAIA at 71.2 percent, the highest clip of any MACU player with 100 or more made field goals in a season.
"Ced was such a dominant force for us," Gamblin commented. "We were 19-0 in games he played in. What I will miss most about Ced is how he came to practice every day. He rarely lost drills and competed at a high clip. If it wasn't for injuries, he would have been an All-American without a doubt. He is as good of a post scorer as anybody we have ever had."
In his first season with the Evangels, junior guard Terrance Jones established himself as MACU's leader off the bench. The MACU sixth-man was an NAIA All-American Honorable Mention as well as an All-SAC Second Team honoree and an All-NCCAA Central Region Second Team selection.
Jones finished second on the team with 428 points on a 56.7 percent shooting clip, the third-best shooting percentage in a single season during the NAIA era. The Dallas, Texas product was also the team's second-leading rebounder at 5.8 boards per game, while also ranking second with 34 steals and 15 blocks.
"It is hard to put into words the type of year TJ had," Gamblin added. "He was so efficient and dependable. He really found himself in our system about half way through the year and to cap it off in final five or six games of the season there wasn't a player who was better than him in the country."
Overall, the Evangels were one of the best all-around offensive and defensive teams the program has ever put together during the NAIA era. The 91.8 ppg the team scored over the course of the campaign was the most in any single season during the NAIA era while the 75 ppg allowed was the third-lowest defensive scoring average since the 2007-08 season.
"It was such a blessing to be around these guys every day," said Gamblin. "They made my job easy. I am thankful for the leadership of President Fozard, Dr. Spurgeon-Harris and Athletic Director Marcus Moeller. Their support of our team and our athletic department is truly special. I would also like to say that I am so thankful for my wife, kids, parents and in-laws who NEVER miss games and love on our team and our players."
