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Game Day Central
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PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men's basketball team will open up its 2013-14 season by traveling to Wichita, Kan., to face Newman University in a non-conference game Wednesday (Nov. 13).

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (CST) at Fugate Gymnasium.

The Records
Pitt State is coming off an 18-10 campaign during the 2012-13 season. The Gorillas reached the second round of the MIAA Postseason Tournament a year ago, falling 69-63 to second seeded Central Missouri at Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium.

The Gorillas return two players who started 10 or more games a year ago in junior guard Sam Pugh and sophomore guard Jake Bullard.
Newman is 0-1 on the young season. The Jets, who posted a 20-8 record and qualified for the NCAA Division II National Tournament last year, dropped an 84-67 home decision to West Texas A&M University last Saturday (Nov. 9).

Newman returns two starters from its 2012-13 team.

The Coaches
Pittsburg State's Kevin Muff begins his fourth 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 48-37 (.565) record in his short tenure with the Gorillas.  This will be his third meeting against Newman. He is 1-1 vs the Jets.

Mark Potter enters his 16th year as head coach of the Jets and his 16th season as a collegiate coach. Potter (Newman, '86) has a 281-164 (.631) career mark leading his alma mater.

Series History
This will be the 24th all-time meeting between the Gorillas and the Jets in a series that dates back to the 1974 season. Pitt State holds a 13-10 advantage in the series, but the Gorillas fell 89-79 when the two squads met last season in Pittsburg on Nov. 20.


PSU on the Road
The Gorillas have compiled a 11-22 (.333) record on the road during the last three seasons. University.

Scouting the Gorillas
Pitt State returns two players with starting experience from the 2012-13 campaign:  junior guard Sam Pugh and sophomore guard Jake Bullard.
Pugh started 10 of 28 games a year ago, ranking fourth on the team in assists and steals. The Branson, Mo., native also contributed 3.8 and 1.5 rebounds per contest.

Bullard, a Cleora, Okla. native, started 15 of 23 games played in his first season for the Gorillas.  Bullard contributed seven points and 2.7 rebounds per game. He tallied five points and two assists against the Jayhawks.

As a team, Pitt State shot 44.4 percent from the field in 2012-13 while its opponents converted 41.7 percent of their shots.  The Gorillas averaged 75.7 points per game and Pitt State was  +5.5 in the rebounding department.  The Gorillas averaged 13.4 offensive rebounds per game and recorded 7.4 steals per game, forcing the opposition into 15.3 turnovers per outing.

Pitt State's 2013-14 recruiting class includes four transfers and four incoming first-year collegiate athletes.  Several of the players are expected to play significant  roles for the Gorillas this winter.

Junior forward Cody Gafford joins the squad after not playing collegiate sports for two seasons. The Olathe, Kan., helped Olathe East High School claim a Class 6A sub-state championship in 2009 – the last time he was on the court.

Junior guard/forward Connor Kjer joined the Gorillas from St. Edward's University, where he averaged nine points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals per game last season.

Junior forward Lamine Dieng comes to Pitt State from Vincennes University. Dieng averaged four points and four rebounds per game while helping Vincennes to a 33-4 record and fourth-place finish in the NJCAA Division I National Tournament last year.

Junior guard Devon Branch joined the Gorillas after two seasons at Cloud County Community College. The Aberdeen, Md., native averaged 22 points per game, earning first-team All-Jayhawk Conference honors a season ago.

Branch recorded a game-high 27 in PSU's season opener against Kansas on Tuesday (Oct. 29). He also became just the third Pitt State player since 2010 season with a 30 point effort in the team's final exhibition game against Kansas State on Nov. 1. The University of Oregon transfer also pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds against the Wildcats.

After redshirting last season, junior forward Alex Williams tallied 15 points against Kansas.

Junior guard Jerrod Gaston joined the Gorillas after two seasons at Vincennes University. Gaston averaged five points, 2.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds per contest for the Trailblazers.

Pitt State's freshman class includes forwards Trevor Gregory, Hunter Leahy and guard/forward Josiah Gustafson.
Gregory averaged eight points and eight rebounds per game at Lee's Summit West High School, earning All-Districts and All-Conference honors as a senior.

Leahy was a three-year letterman at Kingwood High School. He averaged 11.2 points, six rebounds and 1.2 assists during his senior campaign.
Gustafson was named the Gatorade Nebraska Player of the Year last season, averaging 22 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game for Omaha's Millard North High School. He tallied seven points and three rebounds in his first collegiate action on Tuesday (Oct. 29) vs. KU.

Scouting the Jets
The Jets enter Wednesday's night contest with an 0-1 record after falling, 84-67, to West Texas A&M last Saturday (Nov. 9).

NU lost first-team All-Heartland performer Shamar Acuay, who averaged a team-high 14.7 points and 11.8 steals per contest a year ago.  The Jets also lost honorable mention performer Darrell Traylor who averaged 11 points and 4.3 rebounds last season.

Marquis Cuyler, a returning All-Heartland performer returns for his senior season after averaging 10 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest during his junior campaign.  Cuyler paced the Jets with 13 points against WTAMU.

Senior guard Trae Beck also returns after starting all 28 games for the Jets last season. Beck tallied 7.5 ppg and 1.5 rpg a year ago.

Ryan McCarthy will look to fill the void left by last year's seniors. The Wichita native averaged 5.7 points and 1.5 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game for Newman last season. Elhad Emerllahu also returns after averaging 5.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in 19 games. Emerllahu scored 13 points against WTAMU, while McCarthy chipped in with 11 points against the Buffs.

Junior transfer Jeremy Espinoza had a solid debut for the Jets, posting a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Espinoza averaged 15.4 points and. 7.7 rebonds per game at Northern Oklahoma College-Enid last year.

Pitt State Probable Starters
    F    4    Josiah Gustafson, 6-6, 190, Fr., Omaha, Neb.
    F    24    Terrell Eaddy, 6-5, 205, Sr., Bronx, N.Y.
    F    32    Trevor Gregory, 6-7, 235, Fr., Lee's Summit, Mo.
    G    1    Jake Bullard, 6-5, 190, So., Cleora, Okla.
    G    5    Devon Branch, 6-6, 180, Jr., Aberdeen, Md.

Newman Probable Starters
    F    4    Marquis Cuyler, 6-5, Sr., Brunswick, Ga.
    F    5    Jeremy Espinoza, 6-4, Jr., Uvalde, Texas
    G    2    Ryan McCarthy, 6-2, Jr., Wichita, Kan.
    G    3    Perryonte Smith, 5-10, Jr., Milwaukee, Wis
    G    11    Trae Beck, 6-3, Sr., Coldwater, Kan.