PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men's basketball team will travel to San Juan, Puerto Rico to take part in the Puerto Rico Challenge.

Pitt State will face opponents on three consecutive days starting with a match-up at 1 p.m. (CST) against the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Wednesday, Nov. 23. The Gorillas then will take on St. Edward's University on Thanksgiving day (Thursday, Nov. 24) at 11 a.m. and wrap up the three-day action with an 11 a.m. game Friday (Nov. 25) against the College of St. Rose (N.Y.).

The Records
Pitt State is 1-3 enteringWednesday's action. The Gorillas split a pair of games last week – defeating Newman, 84-76, in Pittsburg on Nov. 15 and falling to William Jewell, 91-57, at Liberty, Mo., on Nov. 17.

P.R.-Mayaguez is 0-6 on the season.  The squad dropped a pair of games to Rollins (104-79) and St. Leo (90-63) last weekend.

St. Edward's brings a 3-2 record into the P.R. Challenge. Thursday's match-up against the Gorillas will be the Hilltoppers first action since claiming a 94-84 win over Roberts Wesleyan in a game played in Rochester, N.Y., on Nov. 21.

Saint Rose is 1-3 on the season heading into a Tuesday (Nov. 22) match-up against Pace (N.Y.).

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 93-83 (.528) 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
The Gorillas will meet Puerto Rico-Mayaguez and Saint Rose for the first time while competing in the Puerto Rico Challenge.  Pitt State has a 2-0 record against St. Edward's, most recently taking an 87-70 win on Nov. 22, 1997, in Pittsburg.

Scouting the Gorillas
Pitt State has two players averaging in double figures early in the season:  junior guard Dakota Jones (12.3 ppg) and junior guard/forward Isaiah Hicks (10.8 ppg).

Additionally, freshman guard Brandon Clifford (8.5 ppg), senior forward Creighton Brinker (10.5 ppg), junior guard Elijah Gaines (7.8 ppg) and freshman guard R.J. Pair (7.0 ppg) all contribute seven or more points a game.

Jones (5-11, 175) poured in 22 points in the season-opening loss to MSU on Nov. 11.  The Warrensburg, Mo., native had made 18 of 35 (.514) shots from the field on the season, including eight of 16 3-pointers (.500).

He averaged 11.7 points per game last season, and Jones has compiled 630 points in 65 career games (9.7 ppg).

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 10.8-point scoring average, Hicks is second on the team in rebounds (5.3 rpg) and he has a team-leading four blocked shots.

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 .583 from the field, converting 14 of 24 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.

Brinker (6-7, 215) broke out with a career-high scoring performance against SCSU on Nov. 12.  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 .556 from the field (10-18) including .800 from 3-point range (8-10).  He pulled down seven rebounds in the season opener vs. MSU and he's averaging a team-leading 5.0 rebounds per game 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 7.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game to date.

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 11 of 28 shots (.393) from the field and also grabbed 2.3 rebounds per game.

Additionally, freshman forward Christian Edmondson has averaged 6.5 points and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds per game.  Edmondson (6-6, 215) posted a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds in the Gorillas' home win over Newman on Nov. 15

Edmondson 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.

Senior guard Jordan Phelps has averaged 4.8 points per game. Phelps (6-3, 180) transferred to Pitt State from Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) University.

Senior guard Josiah Gustafson made his season debut against William Jewell after missing the Gorillas' first three games. Gustafson (6-6, 190), a two-time All-MIAA performer, has battled a shoulder injury.

Gustafson started 60 games the past two seasons.  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 has scored 1,137 points in 87 career games (76 starts), averaging 13.1 points per game.

Junior guard Jaxon Holden suffered a concussion in Pitt State's exhibition game against Kansas State and has missed the Gorillas first four games.

Holden (6-1, 180) 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 44.8 percent from the field (104-232), 39.8 percent from 3-point range (33-83) and 71.6 percent from the free throw line (48-67).  The Gorillas are averaging 72.2 points per game.

Pitt State's opponents are shooting 49.6 percent from the field (119-240), 38.1 percent from 3-point range (32-84) and 70.0 percent from the free throw line (63-90) while averaging 83.2 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    10    R.J. Pair, 5-10, 175, Fr., The Colony, Texas
    G    20    Brandon Clifford, 6-3 190, Fr., Paragould, Ark.
    G    32    Dakota Jones, 5-11, 175, Jr., Warrensburg, Mo.