OKLAHOMA CITY – Coming off the winningest season in the NAIA era, the Mid-America Christian men's basketball team continues to build toward its winning tradition by signing seven collegiate and high school standouts to its 2020-21 class.
The signees include three college transfers in Jasiah Lewis, Derrick Magiya and Omar Boone as well as four high school student-athletes in Ethan Cole, Tarrence Gaines, Konner Davis and J Coons.
Arriving as a junior, Lewis comes to MACU after a sensational season at SUNY Sullivan, an NJCAA D-II school in Loch Sheldrake, N.Y. Last season, Lewis averaged 12.4 points per game while shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from the three-point arc. However, Lewis was also a strong offensive facilitator, dishing out 153 assists for a 5.1 assist per game clip on a 2.2 assist/turnover ratio while also ripping down 5.7 rebounds per game.
Last season, Lewis helped guide the Generals to a 28-2 record and an NJCAA D-II East District Championship, but unfortunately had championship aspirations cut short after the NJCAA national tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Jasiah will remind MACU fans of recent MACU graduates D'von Moore and Anthony Black," said MACU Head Coach Josh Gamblin. "He is an extremely skilled offensive player, but also brings toughness. He was a key part to one of the best D-II junior college programs in the country last year and he's been a winner everywhere he's played. Jasiah will jump right in and bolster our already experienced backcourt with guys like Tony Dorsey running the point."
Magiya makes his way to MACU after a strong two-year career at Hesston College in Hesston, Kan. Last year, the Plano, Texas product was one of the team's top inside players, averaging 9.6 ppg while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and ranked second on the team in both rebounds (200, 7.4 rpg) and blocked shots (11).
"Derrick was a steal for us," Gamblin added. "He has great character and is a skilled big who can score inside and out. He comes from the same AAU program as Malcolm Mann and Dominick Ford. We expect Derrick to have an immediate impact by playing at a high level on both ends of the floor. He and Marvin Lowe will be a very good front line for us this year."
A local Oklahoma City native, Boone will come to play his senior season at MACU after competing for NCAA D-II Newman last season. Last year for the Jets, Boone competed in 23 games and made eight starts, averaging 5.9 ppg while shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from behind the arc while recording 37 assists and 22 steals.
"First and foremost, Omar is a fantastic person," Gamblin mentioned. "He graduated from Casady High School here in Oklahoma City and is a biology major who carries a near 3.7 GPA. My relationship with Omar goes back to high school when he played for me on Team Griffin. Omar is a dynamic playmaker who can score from all three levels and his toughness allows him to guard multiple positions as well. I couldn't be more excited to coach Omar again."
The Evangels coaching staff is also incredibly pleased about this year's freshman class.
A product from Denison, Texas, Gaines highlights the stellar freshman class after being a four-time 10-5A All-District honoree for the Denison HS while also being the Yellow Jackets leading scorer a season ago. As a junior, Gaines led DHS to its first high school playoff appearance in eight seasons.
A suburban Tulsa product who competed for Collinsville High School, Cole comes to MACU after averaging 21 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game for the Cardinals. Cole was also selected as the Metro Lakes Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
While the Evangels are a team that held a premium for three-point sharpshooters last season, MACU added another with the signing of Davis. An All-Verdigris Valley Conference honoree, Davis ended his stellar high school career at Oologah by averaging just under 20 points per game. Earlier this season when the Mustangs took on Gibson High School on Feb. 1, Davis knocked down a career-high 11 three-pointers and scored 39 points.
Rounding out the freshman signing class was another stellar suburban Tulsa product in Coons. After averaging 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists for Catoosa High School, Coons was voted as the Tulsa World "Mr. Inside" Award recipient. In his high school career, Coons helped lead the Indians to back-to-back state tournament appearances in 2017 and 2018.
"I am very excited about the freshmen class we have put together," Gamblin added. "Konner Davis, Tarrence Gaines, J Coons and Ethan Cole will be key parts to our program for the next four to five years. Each one brings something different to the table on the court and all of them come from great programs. They are great kids who we are thrilled to have in the program."
