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PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men’s basketball team will make its 2012-13 season debut Tuesday (Nov. 13) when the Gorillas play host to Baker University. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (CST) at John Lance Arena.
The Records
Pitt State is coming off a 17-14 campaign during the 2011-12 season. The Gorillas reached the finals of the MIAA Postseason Tournament a year ago, narrowly missing an automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division II National Tournament in a 67-63 loss to Washburn University in the tournament finals at Kansas City’s Municipal Audotorium.
The Gorillas return four players who started 12 or more games a year ago and five players with starting experience.
Pitt State dropped a 100-56 exhibition game decision to NCAA Division I Wichita State on Nov. 5.
Baker is coming off a 21-12 record which saw the Wildcats qualify for the NAIA Division I National Tournament for the first time since 1941.
The Wildcats have posted a 3-1 record thus far this season. Baker swept a pair of games at the Ottawa University Invitational last weekend, defeating St. Mary’s, 71-66, Friday (Nov. 9) and Ottawa, 73-64, Saturday (Nov. 10).
The Wildcats have won three in a row since dropping a 61-54 season-opening decision to Hastings.
The Coaches
Pittsburg State’s Kevin Muff begins his third season leading the Gorillas. Muff (Kansas State, ’86) became the Gorillas’ 14th all-time head coach on Apr. 5, 2010, after spending 12 seasons at Cloud County Community College, where he helped the Thunderbirds to an average of 21 wins in each of the last five seasons.
He has a 30-27 (.526) record in his short tenure with the Gorillas. This will be his first meeting against Baker.
Sean Dooley (Columbia College, ‘02) enters his first year as head coach at Baker and his first season as a collegiate head coach. He has a 3-1 record in his short tenure leading the Wildcats. This will be his first meeting vs. Pitt State.
Series History
This will be the 24th all-time meeting between the Gorillas and Wildcats, with Pitt State holding a 13-10 advantage in the series. The Gorillas posted an 86-53 victory the last time the two squads met on Jan. 18, 1983.
Scouting the Gorillas
Pitt State returns five players with starting experience from the 2011-12 campaign: senior forward JaVon McGee, senior guards Marky Nolen and Courtney Ingram, senior center Rico Pierrevilus and sophomore guard Sam Pugh.
McGee, who has been slowed in the preseason by an off-season injury, started 26 of 31 games a year ago, earning honorable mention All-MIAA honors. The Grandview, Mo., native led the team in scoring, averaging 13.0 points per game. He also contributed 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
Nolen, a Wichita native, started 14 of 30 games played in his first season for the Gorillas. Nolen contributed 8.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
Ingram started 17 of 30 games played last year, averaging 7.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. The Tulsa, Okla., native made 28 of 89 (.315) 3-point field goal attempts on the season.
Pierrevilus joined the Gorillas at the semester break last year. He started four of 21 games played, scoring 7.0 points and grabbing 3.8 rebounds per game. The West Palm Beach, Fla., native also blocked 28 shots (1.3 bpg) and contered 51 percent of his shots from the field (51 of 100).
Pugh started 12 games at point guard as a freshman in 2011-12. The Branson, Mo., native contributed 3.7 points and 1.7 assists per game on the year.
As a team, Pitt State shot 43.7 percent from the field in 2011-12 while its opponents coverted 46.1 percnet of their shots. The Gorillas averaged 72.3 points per game and Pitt State was +6.4 in the rebounding department. The Gorillas averaged 13.9 offensive rebounds per game and recorded 9.0 steals per game, forcing the opposition into 16.7 turnovers per outing.
Pitt State’s 2012-13 recruiting class includes four transfers and four incoming freshmen. All eight players are expected to see court action for the Gorillas.
Junior forward A.J. Adams transferred to Pitt State from Eastern Arizona College. The Jeffersonville, Ind., native twice earned second-team All-Conference honors. He averaged 12 points and 6.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore after averaging 17 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as a freshman.
Junior guard Ethan Cordray joined the Gorillas from Coffeyville Community College, where he averaged five points per game and ranked third in the Jayhawk Conference in 3-point field goal percentage as a sophomore in 2010-11.
Junior guard/forward Terrell Eaddy comes to Pitt State from Monroe (N.Y.) College. Eaddy averaged 5.0 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while helping the Mustangs to a 33-4 record last year.
Junior forward Alex Williams joined the Gorillas after two seasons at Cloud County Community College.
Pitt State’s freshman class includes guards Ray Blanco, Jake Bullard and Kaleb Porter and forward Denton Hays.
Blanco averaged 24 points, six rebounds and five assists per game at Bloomfield Tech (N.J.) High School, leading the Super Essex Conference in 3-point field goals.
Bullard was a three-time Oklahoma Class 4A All-State selection at Vinita High School, averaging 18.6 points as a senior.
Porter was named the Tulsa Metro Player of the Year last season, averaging 21 points, three rebounds and 3.5 assists per game for East Central High School.
Hays averaged 9.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per game as a senior at Jenks High School as a senior in 2011-12.
Exhibition Opener
In the exhibition game opener against Wichita State, junior forward A.J. Adams paced the Gorillas with a team-leading 13 points in 27 minutes of action.
Senior forward Rico Pierrevilus also chipped in with 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while freshman guard Kaleb Porter added eight points.
Senior guards Marky Nolen and Courtney Ingram and junior guard/forward Terrell Eaddy all finished with seven points in the contest. Sophomore guard Sam Pugh did not score but paced the team with four assists.
Scouting the Wildcats
Baker finished last season with a 21-12 record. The Wildcats advanced to the finals of the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament before, earning the schools first NAIA National Tournament berth since 1941.
Baker dropped a 103-88 decision to Our Lady of the Lake in the first round of the NAIA National Tournament at Kansas City, Mo.
The Wildcats return three starters from last year’s squad. Senior forward Ben Steinlage, an All-Conference and All-America performer in 2012, is the team’s top returner. Steinlage led the team in scoring and rebounding last season, averaging 11.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Four games into the 2013 season he is averaging a team-high 11.8 points and 6.3 rebounds.
A 2012 honorable mention All-HAAC performer, senior guard Corey Anderson is the team’s current leading scorer. Anderson, who has come off the bench mostly this season, is averaging 11.2 points per game and shooting .500 (16-32) from the field. He also has recorded a team-high seven steals. Senior guard Todd Eils, a starter a year ago, also has shifted to a reserve player. Through four games Eils is averaging 6.3 ppg.
Junior guard Julian Mills has made an immediate impact for the Wildcats, joining the team after two years at Fort Scott Community College. Mills contributes and team-leading 3.5 assists per game while adding 5.0 points per game as well.
Junior guard Christopher Lockhart is averaging 6.0 points per game while shooting .450 (9-20) from the field after transferring from Prarie State College.
As a team, Baker is averaging 66.8 points per game. The team is shooting .398 from the field (92 of 231), .279 from behind the arc (17 of 61) and .756 from the free throw line (62 of 82).
Pitt State Probable Starters
F 20 A.J. Adams, 6-6, 210, Jr., Jeffersonville, Ind.
C 34 Rico Pierrevilus, 6-7, 240, Sr., West Palm Beach, Fla.
G 3 Kaleb Porter, 5-11, 170, Fr., Tulsa, Okla.
G 15 Marky Nolen, 6-4, 200, Sr., Wichita, Kan.
G 23 Courtney Ingram, 6-3, 205, Sr., Tulsa, Okla.
