PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men's basketball team will make its 2018-19 season debut Friday and Saturday (Nov. 9-10) when the Gorillas travel to Warrensburg, Mo., to take part in the four-team Central Region Tipoff Challenge.

The Gorillas will face Wayne State College from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference at 5 p.m. (CST) Friday, while MIAA rival University of Central Missouri will take on Harding University from the Great American Conference at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, Pitt State will battle Harding at 6 p.m. and UCM will host Wayne State at 8 p.m. to close out the classic format tournament.

Pitt State action both both days can be heard on ESPN 100.7 FM radio, online at espn1007.com/go or through the ESPN 100.7 or KSHQ app for phones or mobile devices.

The Records
Pitt State enters its second season under head coach Kim Anderson. The Gorillas posted a 17-13 overall record during the 2017-18 season advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2018 MIAA Postseason Tournament.

The Gorillas return three starters and six letterwinners from last year's squad.

Senior guard Donovan Franklin leads Pitt State's returning contingent. Franklin, an honorable mention All-MIAA selection a year ago, averaged 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game as a junior in 2017-18.

Head Coach Kim Anderson
Pittsburg State's Kim Anderson enters his second season leading the Gorillas. He compiled a 17-13 record in his first season at Pitt State.

Anderson (Missouri, '79) became the Gorillas' 15th all-time head coach on Apr. 10, 2017, after coaching the previous three seasons at his alma mater – the University of Missouri.

He has a 318-175 (.645) record in 17 seasons as a collegiate head coach, including the 2014 NCAA Division II National Championship as head coach at the University of Central Missouri as well as two more Division II Final Four appearances (2007, 2009) while compiling a 274-95 (.743) record at the school.

Anderson led UCM to seven trips to the NCAA Division II National Tournament and seven 20-win seasons.  In his final season with the Mules he guided the squad to a 30-5 overall record and the D2 national title.

His Mules teams captured six MIAA regular season titles (2005, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014) and four MIAA Tournament titles (2005, 2007, 2009, 2013).

He was selected the MIAA Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2010, and the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year in 2014.

Series History
Pitt State and Wayne State wil meet for the 29th time Friday. The Wildcats hold a 17-11 advantage in the series. The two squads last met on Nov. 12, 2000, at Orlando, Fla., with WSC pulling out a 72-70 decision.

The Gorillas and Reddies will meet for the fourth time Saturday – the first since the 1994 season. PSU holds a 2-1 advantage in the series.

All-Time Victories
Pitt State has compiled a 1423-1181 (.546) all-time record in 109 seasons of intercollegiate play. The Gorillas rank 15th on the NCAA Division II wins list (1424).

Scouting the Gorillas
Pitt State returns three starters and six letterwinners from its 2017-18 squad.  

Senior guard Donovan Franklin (16.5 ppg), senior guard Grant Lozoya (13.0 ppg) and senior forward Demetrius Levarity (10.7 ppg) all scored 10 or more points a game a year ago.

Franklin (6-5, 205) earned honorable mention All-MIAA honors in his initial season with the Gorillas, averaging 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 26 games played.

The St. Louis, Mo., native shot 49.2 percent from the field, converting 130 of 264 shots on the season. Franklin shot 40.2 percent from 3-point range (41-102). He also made 87.2 percent of his free throw attempts, sinking 129 of 148 charity tries.

Franklin scored 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds in his Pitt State debut against Minnesota State on Nov. 10, 2017. He scored 20 or more points eight times, including a season-high 31 points against Missouri Western on Feb. 17, 2018. He scored in double figures in 22 of 29 games and averaged 18.7 points per game over the final seven games of the 2017-18 campaign.

Franklin joined the Gorillas from Indiana State University. He averaged 4.2 points and 1.5 rebounds in 26 games for the Sycamores in 2016-17. He averaged 14.9 points a game as a freshman at Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, Fla.

Lozoya (6-3, 180) averaged 13.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while making 29 starts for the Gorillas a year ago.

The Agoura Hills, Calif., native made a team-leading 44 3-point field goals (44-114, .386) and he shot 48.0 percent from the field overall (129-169).

Lozoya scored 20 or more points six times in 2017-18, including a career-best 24 points against Central Oklahoma on Jan. 25, 2018.

Lozoya came to Pitt State after three years at Stetson University. He averaged 9.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game as a freshman for the Hatters in 2014-15, earning All-Freshman honors from the Atlantic Sun Conference. Lozoya contributed 7.4 points and 2.5 rebounds as a sophomore in 2015-16, before exercising a medical redshirt in 2016-17.

Levarity (6-7, 210) contributed 10.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game last season. The New Orleans, La., native shot 50.2 percent from the field (105-209) and he converted 37 of 90 3-point attempts (.411).

Levarity scored in double figures in 17 of 27 games played. He posted three double-doubles, including a 19-point, 11-rebound effort against Fort Hays State on Dec. 2, 2017. Levarity scored a season-high 22 points against Missouri Western on Feb. 17, 2018.

Levarity transferred to Pitt State from Sam Houston State University, where he redshirted in 2016-17. He contributed 15.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Southeastern Illinois College.

Senior forward/center Jonathan Murray returns for his second season in the Pitt State program. Murray (6-9, 220) averaged 2.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 10 games in 2017-18. The Macon, Mo., native scored a season-high eight points and grabbed seven rebounds in a home win against Baptist Bible College on Dec. 16, 2017.

Murray transferred to Pitt State from Kansas City Kansas Community College where he averaged 14.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore in 2016-17. He contributed 10.9 points and 7.1 rebounds and blocked 41 shots as a freshman in 2015-16.

Senior forward Lucas Wilson returns for his fifth year in the Pitt State program. The Paola, Kan., native saw action in seven games in 2017-18. Wilson (6-6, 190) has played in 45 career games for the Gorillas, including six starts.

Junior forward Christian Edmondson also returns for his third season for the Gorillas. The Flower Mound, Texas, native saw action in 15 games in 2017-18, averaging 1.7 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. Edmondson (6-6, 215) averaged 4.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game as a freshman in 2015-16.

Additionally, the Gorillas added several key newcomers for the 2018-19 squad, including: junior guard Marcel Cherry, senior forward Trenton Clayton, freshman guard Ray Elliott, junior forward/center Ethan Steinbronn and junior guard A.J. Walker.

Cherry (6-1, 185) joined the Gorillas from Wabash Valley College where he averaged 7.7 points and 3.2 assists per game in 2017-18. The Merrillville, Ind., native averaged 9.1 points per game and earned honorabl mention All-Conference honors as a freshman at Howard College.

Clayton (6-9, 230) transferred to Pitt State from the University of North Alabama. The Montgomery, Ala., native averaged 6.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game for the Lions last season. He averaged 8.4 points and 4.8 rebounds a game as a sophomore at Shelton State Community College.

Elliott (6-4, 165) averaged 36 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game as a senior at Tulsa's Nathan Hale High School last year. He earned first-team Oklahoma Class 5A All-State honors after leading the state in scoring his senior prep season.

Steinbronn (6-11, 270) joined the Gorillas from Little Priest Tribal College, where he avearged 16.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore in 2017-18. The Westgate, Iowa, native played his freshman season at NCAA Division II Upper Iowa University, averaging 4.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

Walker (6-0, 165) transferred to Pitt State from State Fair Community College. The Kansas City, Mo., native averaged 13.7 points and 7.0 assists per game for the Roadrunners in 2017-18, earning honorable mention NJCAA All-America honors.

Exhibition Action
Levarity led the Gorillas in their two exhibition games against Oklahoma and Kansas State, averaging 11.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in the two contests and shooting .474 from the field (9-19).

Franklin also contributed 10.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while Lozoya averaged 8.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.

Lawrence averaged 7.5 points in a reserve role for the Gorillas.

Walker and Steinbronn missed Pitt State's exhibition games, but both players to see action for the Gorillas this weekend.

Pitt State Probable Starters
    F    0    Trenton Clayton, 6-9, 230, Sr., Montgomery, Ala.
    F    5    Demetrius Levarity, 6-7, 210, Sr., New Orleans, La.
    G    1    A.J. Walker, 6-0, 165, Jr., Kansas City, Mo.
    G    2    Grant Lozoya, 6-3, 180, Sr., Agoura Hills, Calif.
    G    3    Donovan Franklin, 6-5, 205, Sr., St. Louis, Mo.