PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men's basketball team will travel to Kansas City, Mo., to host the 16-team Central Region Challenge at historic Municipal Auditorium.

As part of the three-day, 16-game schedule, the Gorillas will face Winona State University at 4:15 p.m. (CST) Friday (Nov. 12) and Upper Iowa University at 2:30 p.m. Sunday (Nov. 14).

Both Friday and Saturday's action have six games on the docket beginning at 11 a.m., while the tournament will wrap up with four games beginning at 11 a.m. Sunday. Click Here for the full tournament schedule.

The Pitt State action can be heard throughout the Four States on 107.9 FM and 1340 AM. Click Here to listen to the games by live stream.

The Records
Pitt State enters its fifth season under head coach Kim Anderson. The Gorillas posted a 10-12 overall record during the 2020-21 season.

The Gorillas four starters from the 2020-21 campaign:  graduate forward Bobby Arthur-Williams Jr. (12.0 ppg), junior guard Quentin Hardrict Jr. (11.8 ppg), graduate guard Ryan Pippins (8.1 ppg) and senior forward Zach Burch (6.8 ppg).

Pitt State posted an 82-75 exhibition game victory over Avila at John Lance Arena on Oct. 29; and the Gorillas dropped a 79-58 exhibition game decision to Kansas State on Nov. 4 at Manhattan, Kan.

Winona State posted a 7-6 record during the Covid-19 abbreviated 2020-21 campaign. The Warriors claimed a 77-61 exhibition game victory over Saint Mary's (Minn.) on Sunday (Nov. 7).

Upper Iowa went 10-7 in 2020-21. The Peacocks, who make their season debut Friday against Missouri Southern, dropped a 76-61 exhibition game decision to Creighton on Oct. 30.

Head Coach Kim Anderson
Pittsburg State's Kim Anderson enters his fifth season leading the Gorillas. He has compiled af 56-56 record in his first four seasons 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 357-218 (.621) overall record 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
Friday's action will mark the first all-time meeting between Pitt State and Winona State. The Gorillas met Upper Iowa once previously, on Nov. 8, 2019, with the Peacocks prevailing, 73-62, at Kansas City, Mo.

Scouting the Gorillas
The Gorillas return six players who started eight or more games in 2020-21:  graduate forward Bobby Arthur-Williams Jr. (12.0 ppg), junior guard Quentin Hardrict Jr. (11.8 ppg), graduate guard Ryan Pippins (8.1 ppg), graduate forward Antonio Givens II (8.1 ppg), senior forward Zach Burch (6.8 ppg) and second-year freshman guard R.J. Forney (3.9 ppg).

Additionally, graduate guard Dejon Waters Jr. returns after excercising a medical redshirt season in 2020-21. Waters averaged 8.9 points while starting 22 games in 2019-20

Arthur-Williams (6-7, 225) averaged a team-leading 12.0 points and 6.7 rebounds a year ago, while starting 19 games for the Gorillas. He shot 45.8 percent from the field (70-153) and went to the foul line a team-leading 121 times on the season.

Arthur-Williams transferred to Pitt State from NCAA Division I University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He redshirted at MKE in 2019-20, after averaging 3.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game as a junior in 2018-19.

Arthur-Williams averaged 17.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Redlands Community College. The Potomac, Md., native played his freshman season at Louisburg (N.C.) College.

Hardrict contributed 10.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 2020-21. He shot 45.0 percent from the field (85-189).

Hardrict (5-10, 160) came to Pitt State from North Iowa Area Community College.

The Minneapolis, Minn., native was a two-time All-Iowa Community College Athletic Conference selection. Hardrict averaged 16.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game as a sophomore in 2019-20.

He contributed 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game during his freshman season.

Hardict has contributed 6.0 points and 6.0 assists per game in Pitt State's exhibition action this season.

Pippins chips in with 8.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game last year. He shot a team-leading 87.8 percent from the free throw line (43-49).

Pippins (6-0, 240) joined the Gorillas after four seasons at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. Pippins redshirted in 2019-20 while he battled back from an off season injury.

The Little Rock, Ark., native averaged 5.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per game as a junior in 2018-19.

Givens averaged 8.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game last year, starting eight of 20 games played. He shot 52.8 percent from the floor (57-108).

Givens (6-9, 260) averaged 8.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in 2019-20, shooting 53.6 percent from the field (89-166). The Columbus, Ohio, native transferred to Pitt State from NCAA Division I Kent State University where he redshirted in 2018-19.

Givens averaged 3.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Wabash Valley College in 2017-18.

Givens averaged 10.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in Pitt State's two exhibition games this season.

Burch contributed 6.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game last year, while shooting a team best 61.5 percent from the field (56-91). He also blocked a team-leading 13 shots.

Burch (6-6, 225) transferred to Pitt State from NCAA Division II member Rockhurst University. The Butler, Mo., native contributed 2.7 points and 1.6 rebounds per  game during the 2018-19 season for the Hawks.

Forney started eight games and averaged 3.9 points per game as a true freshman in 2020-21. He made 23 3-point field goals on the season.

Forney (6-3, 175) came to Pitt State from Tulsa's Union High School, where he averaged 10.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists his senior year.

Waters (6-4, 220) averaged 8.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 rebounds per game in 2019-20. He shot 47.3 percent from 3-point range, making 44 of 93 long range shots.

The Atlanta, Ga., native transferred to Pitt State from Central Georgia Tech.

Additionally, second year freshman Cameron Huefner (6.5 ppg), junior Ike Moore (5.4 ppg) and redshirt sophomores R.J. Lawrence (4.8 ppg) and Ethan Holloway (3.6 ppg) each contributed 3.5 or more points per game last year.

Huefner contributed 6.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game as a true freshman in 2020-21. He shot 51.1 percent from the floor (45-88), including 50.0 percent from 3-point range (14-28).

Huefner, an international player, signed with Pitt State from his native Australia. He averaged 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game for the Under 18 Norwood Flames.

Moore chipped in with 5.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting 51.2 percent (42-82) from the field last year.

Moore (6-3, 175) transferred to Pitt State from Arkansas State University Mid-South. He averaged 16.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game as a sophomore for the Greyhounds.

Lawrence (5-11, 145) averaged 4.8 points per game in 2020-21. The Blue Springs, Mo., native contributed 9.3 points for the Gorillas in 2019-20, before an injury cut short his season.

Holloway (6-8, 220) averaged 3.6 points and 1.8 rebounds in eight games played in 2020-21. The Iola, Kan., native shot 63.2 percent (12-19) from the field for the year.

In addition to the veteran players, a trio of newcomers – junior guard Tyler Hawkins, graduate guard Iziah James and sophomore guard Magic Reliford – are expected to make immediate impacts to the squad.

Hawkins (6-3, 175) joins the Gorillas from from Brookdale Community College, where he averaged 20.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game for the Jersey Blues during the 2019-20 season.

Hawkins averaged a team-leading 13.5 points in Pitt State's exhibition action this season.

James (6-0, 180) transferred to Pitt State from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. He averaged 5.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game for the Cougars during the 2020-21 season.

Reliford (6-2, 185) comes to Pitt State from Neosho Community College. The Parsons, Kan., native averaged 17.7 points per game and earned first-team All-Kansas Jayhawk Conference honors in 2020-21. He scored 30 or more points three times on the season and ranked eighth in the Jayhawk Conference in scoring.

Reliford averaged 7.5 points in the Gorillas' exhibition games against Avila and K-State.