PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men's basketball team will travel to Kansas City, Mo., to host the 11-team Central Region Challenge at historic Municipal Auditorium.
As part of the three-day, 11-game schedule, the Gorillas will face Winona State University at 7 p.m. (CST) Friday (Nov. 11) and the University of Sioux Falls at 1 p.m. Sunday (Nov. 13).
Both Friday and Saturday's action have five games on the docket beginning at 11 a.m., while the tournament will wrap up with the Pitt State - USF game Sunday. Click Here for the full tournament schedule.
The Pitt State action can be heard on ESPN 100.7 FM radio, online at espn1007.com/ or through the ESPN 100.7 or KSHQ app for phones or mobile devices.
The Record
The Central Region Challenge action will mark the first games under head coach Jeff Boschee who was hired to lead the Pitt State basketball program on Mar. 9, 2022. The Gorillas made their season debut in an exhibition game against the University of Kansas on Nov. 4.
Boschee became the 16th head basketball coach at Pitt State, replacing former head coach Kim Anderson who announced his retirement on Mar. 1. Anderson coached the Gorillas for five seasons, from 2017-2022.
The Gorillas return one starter – senior guard Quentin Hardrict Jr. – and four letterwinners from a 2021-22 squad that posted an 8-20 overall record (7-15 MIAA). Hardrict averaged 8.8 points and 2.3 assists in 17 games played for the Gorillas a year ago.
Boschee, and his staff, have supplemented the roster with four transfers and six incoming freshmen.
Head Coach Jeff Boschee
Jeff Boschee is in his first year as head basketball coach at Pittsburg State.
Prior to accepting the Pitt State position, Boschee served as head coach at MIAA rival Missouri Southern State University the past eight seasons. He compiled a 151-86 (.637) overall record leading the Lions.
Boschee directed MSSU to four 20-win seasons and three consecutive trips to the NCAA Division II National Tournament between the 2017-18 and the 2019-20 campaigns. He was selected the 2017-18 MIAA Coach of the Year and his 2018-19 squad reached the NCAA Sweet 16 while posting a 25-8 record.
As a collegiate player, Boschee was a four-year starter at the University of Kansas under former KU coach Roy Williams from the 1998-99 to 2001-02 seasons. While at KU he helped the Jayhawks win a Big 12 Conference Championship and a Big 12 Conference Tournament title, and he played in the 2002 NCAA Final Four.
Series History
Pitt State will meet both Winona State and Sioux Falls for the second time in program history in this weekend's Central Region Challenge.
The Gorillas dropped a 79-68 decision to Winona State last year in Kansas City on Nov. 12, 2021. Pitt State and USF met in Kansas City on Nov. 9, 2019, with the Gorillas taking a 62-55 decision.
Scouting the Gorillas
The Gorillas return five players from the 2022-23 season: senior guard Quentin Hardict Jr. (8.8 ppg), junior guard Magic Reliford (4.2 ppg), redshirt sophomore guard R.J. Forney Jr. (1.0 ppg), redshirt junior center Ethan Holloway (1.0 ppg) and redshirt freshman forward Jason Jones.
Hardrict averaged 8.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game during his junior campaign. He started 14 of 17 games played, shooting .500 from the field on the year (43-86).
Hardrict (6-0, 165) contributed 10.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 2020-21. He shot 45.0 percent from the field (85-189). He 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.
Reliford is back for his second season with the Gorillas. The Parsons, Kan., native averaged 4.2 points per game, while making three starts on the season. Reliford shot .358 from 3-point range, converting 24 of 67 attempts on the season and averaged 12.8 points during the final five games of the season.
Reliford (6-2, 172) came to Pitt State from Neosho Community College where he 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.
Forney (6-3, 195) saw action in 17 games, including one start, a year ago. He has played in 39 career games, scored 103 points (2.6 ppg) and made 27 3-point field goals.
Forney started eight games and averaged 3.9 points per game as a true freshman in 2020-21. He 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.
Holloway (6-8, 220) returns for his fifth year in the Pitt State program.
The Iola, Kan., native has played in 29 career games, averaging 1.7 points and 1.1 rebounds per game and shooting .488 from the field (20-41).
He was a two-time Kansas Class 4A All-State performer and a four-year All-SEK League honoree at Iola High School.
Jones (6-7, 180) redshirted in his initial season in the Pitt State program in 2021-22. He was a two-time All-District and All-Conference performer at Nixa (Mo.) High School.
The Gorillas welcome four transfers into the program: senior forward Calvin Poulina, junior guard/forward Deshaun English II, junior guard Albert McBride and junior guard/forward Jeramy Shaw.
Poulina, an international player, transferred to Pitt State from Bethune-Cookman University, where he averaged 3.2 points and 2.0 rebounds per game in 2021-22.
Poulina (6-8, 240) contributed 6.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game in 2019-20 at Eastern Florida State College. The native of Leiden, Netherlands played his freshman season at Binghampton University in 2018-19.
English is a local product who joins the Gorillas from Butler Community College. He was a two-time All-Jayhawk Conference performer for the Grizzlies, earning third-team All-Conference honors as a sophomore in 2021-22 and honorable mention All-Conference recognition as a freshman in 2019-20. He played at NCAA Division I University of Northern Colorado during the 2020-21 season.
The 2018 Kansas Class 5A Player of the Year, English averaged 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game his senior year at Pittsburg High School.
McBride joins the Gorillas from Coffeyville Community College. He averaged 13.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists for the Red Ravens last year.
McBride (6-3, 190) also played at the University of North Carolina-Asheville in 2019-20. He was a first-team All-District performer at Houston's Manvel High School as a senior in 2018-19 (18.2 ppg).
Shaw transferred to Pitt State from the University of Detroit Mercy. He played one season for the Titans, after earning second-team NJCAA All-America honors at North Central Missouri College in 2020-21. He averaged 16.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting .559 from the field during his All-America campaign.
Shaw was a two-time Missouri Class 3A All-District performer at St. Louis' Valley Park High School.
Additionally, the Gorillas welcome six freshmen into the program for the 2022-23 season: guard Max Alexander (Buhler, Kan./Speights Academy), guard Landon Hughlett (Dallas, Texas/Kimball High School), guard Nick Maryland (Simsboro, La./Simsboro High School), center Tane Prictor (Bend, Ore./Mountain View High School), guard Maverick Ridenour (Kingfisher, Okla./Link Year Prep) and guard Hayden Shanks (Bentonville, Ark./Bentonville High School).
Gorillas Battle Jayhawks in exhibition
Jalen Wilson scored a game-high 23 points to lead the University of Kansas to a 94-63 victory over Pittsburg State University on Nov. 3 in an exhibition game at Allen Fieldhouse.
The defending national champion Jayhawks placed three players in double figure scoring as Grady Dick added 20 points and Kevin McCullar chipped in with 13.
KU pulled away in the second half against the Gorillas, but Pitt State tested the Jayhawks early in the contest.
The Gorillas exploded out of the gate against the Jayhawks, scoring the game's first 12 points and leading 15-2 on a 3-pointer by Deshaun English II with 15:20 to play in the first half
R.J. Forney Jr. drained a pair of 3-pointers to open the contest and the Gorillas followed with baskets by English and Quentin Hardrict Jr. and back-to-back buckets by Albert McBride.
The Gorillas stretched their lead to 21-6 with 11:10 play in the first half, before Kansas countered with a 14-0 run of its own to trim the margin to 21-20 as McCullar scored seven straight points to cap the lengthy run.
Forney ended the run with his third triple of the contest and a 24-20 Pitt State advantage at the 8:45 mark, but the Jayhawks scored 11 of the next 15 points to go in front, 31-28.
English gave the Gorillas their final lead of the night, 32-31, on a 3-pointer with 3:21 to play in the opening half. KU closed out the opening period with an 8-2 burst to lead 39-24 at the break.
The Jayhawks took control of the game with a 15-2 run to open the second half as KU stretched its margin to 54-36 with 16:03 to play in the game.
English paced the Gorillas with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Forney finished the night with 12 points on 4-for-9 shooting from distance. Hardrict also scored in double figures with 12 points, while Magic Reliford added nine points and Jeramy Shaw contributed eight points and six rebounds.
Pitt State Probable Starters
F 3 Deshaun English II, 6-6, 200, Jr., Pittsburg, Kan.
F 23 Calvin Poulina, 6-8, 240, Sr., Leiden, Netherlands
G 00 Albert McBride, 6-3, 190, Jr., Houston, Texas
G 5 Quentin Hardrict Jr., 6-0, 165, Sr., Minneapolis, Minn.
G 10 R.J. Forney Jr., 6-3, 195, R-So., Tulsa, Okla.
