OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU men's basketball team will be looking to have a big bounce-back year in 2023-24 as the Evangels were picked to finish sixth in the Sooner Athletic Conference preseason poll announced on Friday.
In the poll voted upon by the league's 12 head coaches, the Evangels received 72 points, placing 14 points ahead of crosstown rival Oklahoma City in seventh while UNT Dallas rounded out the top eight with 44 points.
The 2022-23 SAC Champion and SAC Tournament Champion Langston was the overwhelming favorite to win the league again after receiving 121 points and 11 of the 12 first place votes while Wayland Baptist came in second at 111 points and a first place tally.
Mid-America Christian will be looking to continue to build upon what was a rebuilding year for the Evangels, who finished the season with an 11-17 overall record and an 8-14 mark against SAC completion.
However, the Evangels bring back several of its best players from last season, especially a pair of double-digit scorers in junior combo guard Eylan Goodwyn and senior forward Seth Hurd.
After seeing minimal playing time as a redshirt freshman, Goodwyn had a breakout season in his sophomore campaign, scoring the second-most point on the team with 353 (13.1 ppg) on a highly efficient 48.0 percent shooting while converting the second-most free throws by going 79-of-104 (76.0 percent) from the charity stripe. The Gladewater, Texas native also pulled down 103 boards (3.8 rpg) while also defensively blocking 13 shots.
In his first season at MACU, Hurd was the most efficient shooter for the Evangels in the low-to-mid post, knocking down 124-of-229 (54.1 percent) from the field to finish with 288 points (11.1 ppg) while also yanking down 124 boards (4.8 rpg).
Junior combo guard Tarrence Gaines will also look to continue elevating his game after a strong sophomore season. The Denison, Texas product in 2022-23 finished the season with 215 points (8.0 ppg) while leading the team on the glass with 196 rebounds (7.3 ppg). Gaines is also a great facilitator for the MACU offense, tallying 47 assists a season ago while also defensively being the team's best defender after finishing with a team-high 18 blocked shots to go with 19 steals.
However, one of the biggest differences in the MACU lineup this year that will make a world of difference is the return of graduate student point guard Jasiah Lewis. After missing nearly the entire 2022-23 season due to injury, the Brooklyn, N.Y. native was a 2021-22 All-SAC Honorable Mention selection after finishing that year with 273 points (9.3 ppg) on 42.6 percent from the floor, 32.1 percent from three and dished out 51 assists to go with 93 boards and 29 steals.
Overall, the Evangels have three redshirts as a whole who expect to make an impact this year, including Jalen Goar and Zalek Sharp, who were both in their first years with the program in 2022-23 but elected to redshirt to work on their development for this season and the seasons to come at MACU. Sharp is a senior guard transfer from Arkansas-Monticello, who saw action in 11 games for the Boll Weevils during the 2021-22 season while Goar was an incoming freshman last year.
The Evangels also return some key role players off the bench, including junior guard Connor Calavan, who led the team in three-point shooting last season by going 47-of-130 (36.2 percent) while averaging 7.1 ppg as well as junior forward Quentin Woodson averaged 4.8 ppg on 44.4 percent from the field and 3.3 rpg last season.
On-top of its returning talent, the Evangels bring in a strong wellspring of talent that have performed excellently at the NCAA Division II and JUCO level.
Senior guard Eddie Smith makes his way to MACU after competing for NCAA Division II Tournament qualifier Miles College (Ala.). Helping guide the Golden Bears to a 23-7 record in 2022-23, Smith saw action in 24 games and made 17 starts while finishing second on the team in scoring with 246 points (10.3 ppg) on 41.4 percent shooting, 36.3 percent from three and 72.9 percent from the free throw line.
Senior guard Mikel Henderson also brings a ton of scoring talent to MACU after competing for a strong NCAA D-II program at Central Missouri. Last season for the Mules, Henderson was the team's second-leading scorer, pouring in 327 points (11.7 ppg) on 37.3 percent shooting and 80.4 percent from the foul line while also finishing second on the team in assists with 69.
DeAngelo Adkins is another NCAA D-II transfer that comes to the Evangels after competing for Southwestern Oklahoma State. The 6-6 combo guard saw action in 28 games and made 26 starts last season for the Bulldogs, averaging 6.6 ppg while leading the team on the glass with 163 rebounds (5.8 rpg) while being an incredible defensive dynamo, tallying a team-high 34 blocked shots and the second-most steals with 43.
Rounding out MACU's incoming talent is senior post Magok Manyang. The 6-9 junior Australian forward averaged 7.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game at LSU-Eunice in 2021-22 before adding 3.5 ppg and 2.2 rpg last season for New Mexico Junior College last season.
Mid-America Christian will officially tip-off its 2023-24 season at home on Monday, Oct. 30 as the Evangels will host longtime crosstown rival Randall for a 7 p.m. tip inside the Gaulke Activity Center.
