PITTSBURG -- The Pittsburg State University men's basketball team is set to host the four-team Pitt State Classic at John Lance Arena Thursday and Friday. As part of the two-day, classic format tournament, the Gorillas will face Maryville University at 6 p.m. (CST) Thursday (Nov. 20) and Oklahoma Baptist University at 6 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 21).

MIAA rival Missouri Southern State University will take on OBU at 4 p.m. Thursday and MU at 4 p.m. Friday.

The Record
Pitt State will bring a 3-1 record into this week's tournament action.

The Gorillas posted a 2-0 record in the Central Region Challenge held last week at John Lance Arena. Pitt State posted a 91-76 win over the University of Sioux Falls and a 94-74 victory over Minnesota State University-Moorhead in the 10-team, two-day tournament hosted by the Gorillas.

Pitt State also split a pair of games Nov. 1-2 in the D2CCA Tip-Off Challenge at St. Joseph, Mo. The Gorillas dropped a 76-70 to West Texas A&M University in the season opener on Nov. 1, before Pitt State bounced back with a 75-53 victory over Minnesota State University the next day.

Maryville is 0-2 on the young season. The Saints dropped a pair of games to Nothern Michigan University (91-70) and No. 13 Michigan Tech University (72-61) at Wisconsin Dells, Wis., last week.

OBU is 2-0 heading into Thursday's match-up against MSSU. The Bison posted wins over Northern State University (83-72) and the University of Mary (94-76) at Bethany, Okla., Nov. 14-15.

Head Coach Jeff Boschee
Jeff Boschee is in his fourth year as head basketball coach at Pittsburg State and his 12th season as a collegiate head coach. He has a 201-130 (.607) career record, including a 50-44 (.532) mark leading the Gorillas. Boschee picked up his 200th career coaching win with a 91-76 victory over the University of Sioux Falls on Nov. 14.

Boschee guided the Gorillas to a 21-11 record and a berth in the NCAA Division II National Tournament in 2023-24. Pitt State posted a 15-7 mark in MIAA play and the squad reached the finals of the 2023-24 MIAA Postseason Tournament.

Last year, the Gorillas posted an 18-12 overall record (13-6 MIAA) and reached the semifinals of the 2024-25 MIAA Postseason Tournament.

Prior to accepting the Pitt State position, Boschee served as head coach at MIAA rival Missouri Southern State University for 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. Including four seasons as an assistant, MSSU compiled a 237-118 (.668) record during Boschee's time on the Lions' staff.

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 Maryville will meet for the third time in program history Thursday. The Gorillas are 2-0 all-time against the Saints. The two squads last met on Nov. 19, 2018, in Kansas City, Mo., with Pitt State pulling out a 71-66 decision.

Pitt State holds a 7-2 advantage in its series against Oklahoma Baptist, but the two programs will meet for the first time in four decades Friday. The Gorillas claimed a 51-50 decision in the last meeting on Feb. 26, 1983. 

Scouting the Gorillas
The Gorillas have three players scoring in double figures early in the season: junior guard Connor Rogers, redshirt junior forward Ben Coats, and freshman guard Mason English.

Rogers is contributing 21.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He posted a career best 39 points in the Gorillas win over Sioux Falls last Friday (Nov. 14). Rogers' scoring output ranks in a tie for eighth place on Pitt State's single game scoring list. He also posted 20-point scoring games against Minnesota State on Nov. 2 and MSU-Moorhead (Nov. 15).

Rogers (Starkville, Miss.) came to Pitt State from East Central (Miss.) Community College. He garnered second-team All-Conference honors a year ago after contributing 19 points, five rebounds and four assists a game. Rogers (5-11, 185) prepped at Starkville High School.

Coats is averaging 11.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and shooting .536 from the field (15-28).

Coats (Chicago) began his collegiate career at MIAA rival Missouri Southern before spending two seasons at Parkland Community College. He spent the 2024-25 season at MIAA rival Emporia State, averaging 7.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game before an injury cut short his season. Coats (6-7, 218) contributed 11.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore at PCC in 2023-24.

English is contributing 10.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game following his first four collegiate games. The Pittsburg native scored 10 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out nine assists in the season opener against West Texas A&M. He posted a 22-point scoring night last Saturday against MSU-Crookston.

English (6-2, 192) was a three-time Kansas Class 5A All-State performer at Pittsburg High School. He averaged 33.4 points, six rebounds and eight assists per game his senior year. English attended Link Year Prep Academy during the 2024-25 season.

The Gorillas also have four players scoring between 6.8 and 9.3 points per game:  freshman guard/forward Ethan Sage (9.3 ppg), freshman guard Landon Short (7.5 ppg, redshirt junior guard Hayden Shanks (7.3 ppg) and sophomore forward/center Alijah Curry.

Sage is averaging 9.3 points, a team-leading 6.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 blocked shots following his first four games for the Gorillas. The Weatherford, Okla. native scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the season opener against WTAMU.

Sage (6-7, 200) helped Weatherford High School to the Oklahoma Class 5A state championship during his senior season, when he averaged 12.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.

Short is scoring 7.5 points per game and shooting .471 from 3-point range (8-17). Short (6-2, 165) scored a season best 16 points and hit four 3-point field goals against MSU-Moorhead.

The Austin, Texas native was an All-District performer as a senior at Stony Point High School, where he averaged 16 points and six rebounds per game last year.

Shanks has contributed 7.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game on the young season.

Shanks (6-2, 185) played in 22 games in a reserve role in 2024-25. He scored a career best 15 points against McPherson College last year. Shanks garnered Arkansas Class 6A All-State honors at Bentonville High School, averaging 12 points and five rebounds per game during his senior campaign.

Curry is averaging 6.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game to date. He's also made 11 of 20 shots from the field (.550).

Curry (6-9, 215) transferred to Pitt State from Manhattan University where he saw action in reserve role last year. The Memphis, Tenn. native prepped at Camden High School in New Jersey where he averaged 18.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game while helping the team to a 30-2 record and a state championship.

Prictor is contributing 4.5 points and 3.0 in two games played this year. He has converted four of eight field goal attempts (.500).

Prictor (Bend, Ore.) averaged 7.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and a block a game while shooting .620 from the field a year ago. Against Central Oklahoma (Mar. 8, 2025) in the MIAA Tournament Semifinals, Prictor recorded a 16-point, 17-rebounds double-double performance. He has recorded 81 blocked shots in 74 career games, ranking sixth in Pitt State history heading into his final campaign. 

Prictor joined the Pitt State program from Mountain View (Ore.) High School. An Oregon Class 6A All-State performer as a senior at MVHS, he averaged 16 points, eight rebounds and 2.1 blocks a game, lead the state in block shots that season.

Redshirt sophomore Evan Jackson also is contributing 3.3 points per game to date.

The Chicago native is looking to build upon a breakthrough redshirt freshman season in 2024-25 in which he averaged 7.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Jackson (6-7, 200) started a pair of games last year and posted double-doubles against Central Oklahoma (Dec. 4) and Rogers State (Jan. 15). 

Sophomore guard David Cobin Jr. also has seen reserve action in Pitt State's first four outings, contributing 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game so far.

Cobin (5-11, 170) saw action in 23 games in a reserve role as a true freshman in 2024-25. He averaged 19.6 points, 5.3 rebound, 4.9 assists and 4.2 steals during his senior campaign at De Soto High School.