PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men's basketball team will make its home debut Tuesday (Nov. 15) when the Gorillas host Newman University at 7 p.m. at Joh Lance Arena. Pitt State then will travel to Liberty, Mo., to take on William Jewell College Thursday (Nov. 17) at 7 p.m.

The Records
Pitt State is 0-2 entering Tuesday's home match-up against Newman. The Gorillas dropped a pair of games last weekend (Nov. 11-12) at the MIAA/NSIC Challenge at St. Cloud, Minn. Minnesota State University downed Pitt State, 85-80, in the season opener Friday and the host school, St. Cloud State University, claimed a 91-68 victory over the Gorillas Saturday.

Newman also is 0-2 on the young season.  The Jets dropped a pair of games at the Heartland/Lone Star Challenge last weekend at Commerce, Texas, falling to Cameron University (72-57) and Texas A&M University-Commerce (88-75).

William Jewell will make its season debut Tuesday (Nov. 15) at home against Missouri Western State University before entertaining the Gorillas Thursday.

Head Coach Kevin Muff
Pittsburg State's Kevin Muff is his seventh 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 92-82 (.529) record in his tenure with the Gorillas.

Muff was named the 2015 MIAA Co-Coach of the Year after leading the Gorillas to a 16-11 regular season record and a tie for third-place in the MIAA standings. Pitt State was picked to finish 10th in the 14-team league in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll after posting an 8-18 (4-15 MIAA) mark a year ago.

He then guided the Gorillas to a perfect 4-0 record in the MIAA Postseason Tournament, helping the Gorillas become the first No. 5 seed to claim the championship. Pitt State earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II National Tournament and finished the 2014-15 campaign with a 20-12 overall record.

Series History
Tuesday's action will be 27th all-time meeting between Pitt State and Newman. The Gorillas hold a 14-12 edge in the series, which dates back to the 1974 season. Newman defeated Pitt State, 98-89,at Wichita on Nov. 17, 2015.

Pitt State and William Jewell will meet for the 19th time Thursday. The Gorillas hold a 13-5 advantage in the series against the Cardinals, including a 100-97 victory in Pittsbug on Nov. 19, 2015.


Scouting the Gorillas
Pitt State has three players averaging in double figures early in the season:  freshman guard Brandon Clifford (16.5 ppg), junior guard Dakota Jones (13.5 ppg) and senior forward Creighton Brinker (10.5 ppg).

Additionally, junior guard/forward Isaiah Hicks is scoring 9.5 points per game, while junior guard Elijah Gaines and freshman guard R.J. Pair are each contributing 6.0 points per game.

Clifford (6-3, 190) scored a team-leading 24 points in his Pitt State debut on Nov. 11 against Minnesota State. The Paragould, Ark., native made eight of 11 shots from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers. He added nine points against SCSU the next night.

For the season, Clifford is shooting a team-best .706 from the field, converting 12 of 17 shots.

He was a two-time Arkansas Class 5A All-State selection at Paragould High School. He averaged 28 points, six rebounds and four assists as a senior, helping the Rams to a 20-5 finish.

Jones (5-11, 175) poured in 22 points in the season-opening loss to MSU on Nov. 11.  The Warrensburg, Mo., native had made 10 of 19 (.526) shots from the field on the season.

He averaged 11.7 points per game last season, and Jones has compiled 608 points in 63 career games (9.7 ppg).

Brinker (6-7, 215) broke out with a career-high scoring performance against SCSU Saturday.  The Seneca, Kan., native scored 18 points on five of seven shooting from the field. He connected on all four of his 3-point field goal attempts.

For the season, Brinker is shooting .667 from the field (6-9) including a perfect 1.000 from 3-point range (5-5).  He pulled down seven rebounds in the season opener vs. MSU and he's averaging a team-leading 5.5 rebounds per game to date.

Hicks (6-6, 205) joined the Gorillas from Cloud County Community College, where he averaged 6.8 points per game as a sophomore in 2014-15. The Long Beach, Calif., native averaged 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game as a freshman at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, Calif., in 2013-14.

In addition to his 9.5-point scoring average, Hick shares the team's assist lead (2.5 apg) to date.

Gaines (6-2, 175) averaged 11.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while helping Long Beach (Calif.) Community College to a second straight South Coast Conference championship in 2015-16.
Gaines is averaging 6.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game to date. He's grabbed a team-leading four offensive rebounds.

Pair (5-10, 175) signed with the Gorillas out of The Colony High School in The Colony, Texas. A two-time first-team All-District selection, Pair averaged 15 points, five assists and 4.5 rebounds per game his senior season. He compiled 1,143 points, 273 assists, 145 3-point field goals and 194 steals during his prep career.

On the young season, Pair has converted five of 11 shots (.455) from the field and also grabbed 2.5 rebounds per game.

Additionally, senior guard Jordan Phelps has averaged 4.5 points per game, while freshman forward Christian Edmondson has contributed 3.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.

Edmondson (6-6, 215) joined the Gorillas from Flower Mound (Texas) High School where he was a first-team Texas Class 6A All-District selection in 201516. He averaged a double-double for the season, generating 14.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game for the Jaguars.

Phelps (6-3, 180) transferred to Pitt State from Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) University.

The Gorillas have opened the season without the services of three veteran players:  two-time All-MIAA performer and senior guard Josiah Gustafson, senior forward Trevor Gregory and senior guard Jaxon Holden.

Gustafson (6-6, 205) has started 60 games the past two seasons for the Gorillas.  The Omaha, Neb., native averaged 15.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game during his junior campaign, garnering second-team All-MIAA honors.

He shot 49.8 percent from the field (143-287) and made a team-leading 53 3-pointers (.473, 53-112).  Gustafson ranked 11th in the MIAA in scoring, eighth in the league in field goal percentage and second in the conference in free throw percentage (.885, 92-104).

Gustafson scored in double figures 22 times during the 2015-16 campaign with six games of 20 points or more.

He earned first-team All-MIAA honors as a sophomore in 2014-15 when he averaged a team-leading 15.5 points per game as well as 3.6 rebounds per game.

Gustafson, who is battling back from a shoulder injury, enters the 2016-17 season with 1,137 points in 86 career games (76 starts), averaging 13.2 points per game.

Gregory started five of 16 games played last season while battling injury.  Gregory (6-7, 240) contributed 4.0 points and 2.5 rebounds, while shooting 55.3 percent (26 of 47) from the field. The Lee's Summit, Mo., native has scored 396 points in 73 career games (5.4 ppg).

Holden, who suffered a concussion in Pitt State's exhibition opener against Kansas State, averaged 7.7 points and 2.0 rebounds per game in his first season  for the Gorillas in 2015-16. The Flower Mound, Texas native shot 49.1 percent from the field and made 26 3-point field goals while starting 13 of 23 games played.

Holden played his freshman season at NCAA Division I Stephen F. Austin University in 2014-15, helping the Lumberjacks to a 29-5 record.

As a team, Pitt State is shooting 47.7 percent from the field (53-111), 42.1 percent from 3-point range (16-38) and 72.2 percent from the free throw line (26-36).  The Gorillas are averaging 74.0 points per game.

Pitt State Probable Starters
    F    1    Isaiah Hicks, 6-6, 205, Jr., Long Beach, Calif.
    F    23    Creighton Brinker, 6-7, 215, Sr., Seneca, Kan.
    G    3    Elijah Gaines, 6-2, 175, J., San Pedro, Calif.
    G    10    R.J. Pair, 5-10, 175, Fr., The Colony, Texas
    G    32    Dakota Jones, 5-11, 175, Jr., Warrensburg, Mo.