PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men's basketball team will close out regular season play with a pair of home games against Emporia State University and Missouri Western State University this week.

The Gorillas and Hornets will meet Wednesday (Feb. 28) at 7:30 p.m. (CST) at John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court; and Pitt State will battle Missouri Western Saturday (Mar. 2) at 3:30 p.m.

The Gorillas will honor outgoing seniors Deshaun English II and Jeramy Shaw during pregame Senior Day activities Saturday.

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
Pitt State is 17-9 on the season and 13-7 in MIAA play. The Gorillas currently sit in a three-way tie for third place in the MIAA standings with Washburn University and Rogers State University. Pitt State swept a pair of road games against No. 14 ranked Fort Hays State University (67-63) and the University of Nebraska-Kearney (90-64) last week .

ESU is 18-10 overall (11-9 MIAA). The Hornets are tied for sixth place in the conference standings with the University of Central Oklahoma and Missouri Southern State University. ESU is currently riding a four-game winning streak.

MWSU is 15-11 overall and 9-11 in MIAA play heading into a Thursday (Feb. 29) road tilt against Newman University. The Griffons are seeking to halt a five-game slide.

Head Coach Jeff Boschee
Jeff Boschee is in his second year as head basketball coach at Pittsburg State. He guided a young Gorillas squad to an 8-20 record in his debut season. Boschee has an 25-29 (.463) mark at Pitt State and a 176-115 (.605) career record as a head coach.

Prior to accepting the Pitt State position, Boschee served as head coach at MIAA rival Missouri Southern State University the previous 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 and ESU will meet for the 204th time in program history Wednesday. The Hornets hold a 104-99 advantage in the series, but the Gorillas are 57-38 against ESU in games played in Pittsburg. The Hornets scored a 70-61 win in Emporia on Jan. 17.

Pitt State and Western have met 85 times previously. The Griffons lead the series, 46-39, and Western posted an 85-75 win over the Gorillas in the MIAA opener back on Nov. 30 at St. Joseph, Mo.

Scouting the Gorillas
Four Pitt State players – senior guard/forward Jeramy Shaw (16.6 ppg), sophomore guard Max Alexander (14.8 ppg), senior guard/forward Deshaun English II (14.2 ppg) and freshman guard Jordan Frison (12.8 ppg) – are averaging in double figures on the season.

Shaw returned to the Pitt State lineup for the High Desert Classic in December and he has made a big splash since. The St. Louis, Mo., native is averaging 16.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting .595 from the field (103-173). Shaw ranks fourth in the MIAA in scoring and second in the conference in field goal percentage. He earned MIAA Player of the Week honors on Dec. 20.

Shaw (6-6, 205) started 11 of 28 games played last season, averaging 6.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. He shot 51.3 percent from the field on the year, converting 61 of 119 attempts.

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.

Alexander (5-11, 180) is averaging 14.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He's shooting .432 from the floor (130-301) and .831 from the free throw line (108-130). Alexander ranks 11th in the MIAA in scoring and ninth in the league in free throw percentage.

He scored a career best 31 points vs. MWSU on Nov. 24. Alexander earned MIAA Player of the Week honors on Dec. 11 after averaging 29.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in a pair of wins.

Alexander (Buhler, Kan.) battled injury in his initial season in 2022-23, competing in two games for the Gorillas. He earned first-team Kansas All-State All-Class honors as a senior at Buhler High School in 2021, averaging 25 points, six rebounds and four assists per game for the Crusaders.

English (6-6, 220) is contributing 14.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots per game. He has made 141 of 256 (.551) shots from the floor. English leads the MIAA in rebounding, ranks second in blocks, eighth in field goal percentage and 14th in scoring. He has twice been named MIAA Player of the Week this season. English has posted 11 double-doubles this year and scored a career-best 28 points vs. NSU (Jan. 27).

English (Pittsburg, Kan.) returned for a second season following an All-MIAA junior campaign for the Gorillas. He started all 27 games played for the season, averaging a team-leading 14.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game and posting 12 double-doubles on the year. English ranked 10th in the MIAA in scoring, second in the conference in rebounding and third in the league in blocked shots.

English enjoyed a record setting game vs. Lincoln (Nov. 28) last year, scoring 17 points and tying a 56-year-old school record with 23 rebounds.

For his career, he has scored 766 points (14.5 ppg), grabbed 512 rebounds (9.7 rpg) and blocked 78 shots (1.5 bpg) in 53 games.

English joined 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.

Frison (5-11, 165) is off to a solid start to his Pitt State career. He's averaging  12.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game through 25 games played. The Memphis, Tenn., native also is shooting .487 from the field (111-228). Frison currently ranks second in the MIAA in assists.

He scored a career best 24 points vs. Newman on Feb. 3.

Frison broke the Pitt State single game record by dishing out 13 assists against Henderson State on Dec. 19. He added 17 points to post his first career double-double for the Gorillas.

Frison averaged 28 points, six assists and four rebounds per game at Overton High School. He helped OHS to the 2023 Tennessee Class 4A state championship, while garnering Class 4A MVP honors.

Sophomore guard Tanner Mans also made his season debut at Las Vegas; and he's averaging 8.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 18 games for the Gorillas. He has hit 35 3-pointers to date (35-83, .422, 1.9 per game), ranking eighth in the MIAA in 3-point field goals per game.

Mans (Wichita, Kan.) came to Pitt State from Virginia Military Institute, where he averaged 5.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game during the 2021-22 season. He was a Kansas Class 5A All-State performer as a senior at Bishop Carroll High School.

Junior center Braydon Redd is contributing 6.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 19 games played. He's shooting .526 from the field (41-78) to date.

Redd (6-10, 260) averaged 13 points and nine rebounds per game at Seminole State College. The Houston native was a TABCA All-America selection at Cypress Falls High School.

Redshirt junior guard R.J. Forney Jr. is averaging 7.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He scored a career high 18 points vs. RSU on Jan. 24, making six of seven 3-point field goal attempts in the game. Forney has made a team-leading 52 3-pointers on the season (52-126, .413), ranking seventh in the MIAA (2.1 pg) in 3-point field goals per game.

Forney (Broken Arrow, Okla.) averaged 8.9 points and 2.8 rebounds last year and hit a team-leading 70 3-point field goals. He averaged 2.5 3-point field goals per game, shooting .417 from behind the arc (70-168).

Forney (6-3, 180) scored a season best 17 points and hit five 3-pointers vs. MWSU (Dec. 1) and vs. MSSU (Feb. 11) last season.  He ranked second in the MIAA in 3-point field goal percentage.

Forney has started 57 of 92 career games for the Gorillas, compiling 533 points (5.8 ppg), 226 rebounds (2.5 rpg) and 149 3-point field goals.

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.

Sophomore center Tane Prictor is averaging 5.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5blocked shots in 21 games played. He ranks third in the MIAA in blocked shots.

Prictor (Bend, Ore.) started in five of 21 games played in his debut season in 2022-23, averaging 3.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. He also blocked 18 shots on the season.

Prictor (6-11, 275) posted his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds vs. MSSU (Feb. 11) last year.

Prictor signed with Pitt State out of Mountain View (Ore.) High School where he was an honorable mention Oregon Class 6A All-State performer as a senior for the Cougars. He averaged 16 points, eight rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots per game, leading the state of Oregon in blocked shots.

Redshirt freshman Hayden Shanks also returns for his second year in the Pitt State program. Shanks (Bentonville, Ark.) garnered Arkansas Class 6A All-State honors as a senior at Bentonville High School, averaging 12 points and five rebounds a game his senior season.

Freshmen Carter Hjelmstad also seen significant action for the Gorillas.

Hjelmstad (6-5, 205) earned All-State honors at Edmond (Okla.) Memorial High School last year.