PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men's basketball team will close out the regular season with a pair of MIAA match-ups this week.
The Gorillas will complete a three-game homestand by hosting Missouri Southern State University Tuesday (Feb. 21) at 7:30 p.m. at John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court. Pitt State then will travel to Warrensburg, Mo., Saturday (Feb. 25) for the regular season finale against the University of Central Missouri. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. (CST) at UCM's Multipurpose Building.
The Records
Pitt State is 5-20 overall and 3-14 in MIAA play entering Tuesday's action. The Gorillas are currently in a three-way tie with Missouri Western and Northeastern State for 12th place in the MIAA standings.
Pitt State, which is fighting to qualify for the 12-team MIAA Postseason Tournament, posted a 65-63 home win over Missouri Western in its last action on Saturday (Feb. 18).
MSSU is 16-10 overall, 10-7 in the MIAA and tied – along with Fort Hays State and Central Oklahoma – for fourth place in conference standings. The Lions knocked off previously unbeaten and No. 1 ranked Northwest Missouri, 88-71, last Saturday (Feb. 18) at Joplin, Mo.
UCM is 17-8 overall, 11-6 in the MIAA and tied – along with Nebraska-Kearney – for second place in the conference standings heading into a Thursday (Feb. 23) road match-up against Missouri Southern. The Mules have dropped two straight games, including a 59-51 home loss to Lindenwood in their most recent action last Saturday (Feb. 18).
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 97-100 (.492) 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.
Tuesday's action will be Muff's 13th meeting vs. MSSU. He's 5-7 against the Lions. Muff has a 4-8 mark against the Mules.
Series History
Pitt State and MSSU will meet for the 99th time Tuesday. The Lions hold a 52-46 advantage in the series, but the Gorillas are 31-16 against MSSU in games played in Pittsburg. The Lions posted an 88-70 victory over Pitt State on Feb. 4 at Joplin, Mo.
Pitt State and UCM will meet for the 117th time Saturday. The Mules hold a 72-44 advantage in the series, including a 45-13 edge in games played at Warrensburg, Mo. UCM scored a 73-58 road win over Pitt State on Feb. 8.
Scouting the Gorillas
Pitt State has four active players scoring more than seven points a game – junior guard/forward Isaiah Hicks (10.2 ppg), junior guard Elijah Gaines (9.1 ppg), freshman guard R.J. Pair (7.9 ppg), senior forward Creighton Brinker (7.2 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 10.2-point scoring average, Hicks also averages a team-leading 5.3 rebounds per game.
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. He is averaging 9.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game to date.
Gaines scored a season-high 22 points vs. Lindenwood on Dec. 8 and posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds vs. Avila on Jan. 2. He hit the game-winning basket with two seconds remaining in Pitt State's 65-63 home win over MWSU on Feb. 18.
Pair (5-10, 175) scored a season-best 20 points against MWSU on Jan. 5 on nine of 13 shooting and he added 16 points against MSSU on Feb. 4.
He 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.
Pair has grabbed 1.8 rebounds per game and dished out a team-leading 50 assists to go along with his 7.9-point scoring average.
Brinker (6-7, 215) broke out with a career-high scoring performance against SCSU on Nov. 12. The Seneca, Kan., native scored 18 points, connecting on all four of his 3-point field goal attempts.
Brinker bettered that performance with a 26-point, eight-rebound effort vs. UNK on Dec. 1, making 10 of 15 shots from the field.
Brinker has made a team-leading 34 3-point field goals. He's also averaging 4.8 rebounds and a team-leading 1.4 blocked shots per game to date.
Additionally, freshman guard Brandon Clifford and senior guard Jordan Phelps are scoring more than four 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. Clifford is averaging 6.9 points per game on the year.
Clifford 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.
Phelps has averaged 4.8 points per game. He scored a season-best 19 points in his first start of the season against MSSU on Feb. 4 and he had 13 points against NSU on Jan. 28.
Phelps (6-3, 180) transferred to Pitt State from Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) University.
Freshman forward Christian Edmondson has averaged 4.3 points and 3.2 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 2016. He averaged a double-double for the season, generating 14.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game for the Jaguars.
Junior guard Jaxon Holden averaged 10.5 points per game before suffering a season-ending injury vs. NSU on Jan. 28.
Holden (6-1, 180) missed the first seven games of the season after suffering a concussion in Pitt State's exhibition game against Kansas State. He played in 13 games before his injury in the NSU game.
Holden 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 played his freshman season at NCAA Division I Stephen F. Austin University in 2014-15, helping the Lumberjacks to a 29-5 record.
Senior guard Josiah Gustafson averaged 3.3 points per game in limited action after returning from an off-season shoulder surgery. He has missed the Gorillas' last 17 games and will not return to the Pitt State lineup.
Gustafson, a two-time All-MIAA performer, started 60 games the previous 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.
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 1,150 points in 90 career games (79 starts), averaging 12.8 points per game.
Junior guard Dakota Jones averaged 9.4 points per game, but he has missed the last 17 contests due to injury. He will not return to the Pitt State lineup.
Jones (5-11, 175) poured in 22 points in the season-opening loss to MSU on Nov. 11 and he added 20 points in a home win vs. Newman on Nov. 15.
The Warrensburg, Mo., native averaged 11.7 points per game last season, and Jones has compiled 656 points in 69 career games (9.5 ppg).
As a team, Pitt State is shooting 43.1 percent from the field (590-1369), 34.3 percent from 3-point range (174-507) and 65.0 percent from the free throw line (268-412). The Gorillas are averaging 64.9 points per game.
Pitt State's opponents are shooting 47.5 percent from the field (645-1359), 37.6 percent from 3-point range (187-498) and 71.7 percent from the free throw line (363-506) while averaging 73.6 points per game.
Pitt State Probable Starters
   F   1   Isaiah Hicks, 6-6, 205, Jr., Long Beach, Calif.
   F   33   Christian Edmondson, 6-6, 215, Fr., Flower Mound, Texas
   G   3   Elijah Gaines, 6-2, 175, Jr., San Pedro, Calif.
   G   10   R.J. Pair, 5-10, 175, Fr., The Colony, Texas
   G   34   Jordan Phelps, 6-3, 180, Sr., Broken Arrow, Okla.
