PITTSBURG -- The Pittsburg State University men's basketball team will return from the Holiday break by opening a three-game MIAA road swing Thursday (Jan. 1) at Fort Smith, Ark.

The Gorillas will battle the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Thursday and then travel to Tahlequah, Okla., Saturday (Jan. 3) for a match-up against Northeastern State University. Thursday's action is set for 7:30 p.m. (CST) at Gayle Kaundart Arena and Saturday's contest is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at the NSU Event Center.

The Record
Pitt State is 8-4 on the season (2-0 MIAA). The Gorillas split a pair of games at the River City Holiday Classic at San Antonio, Texas on De. 16-17. Pitt State dropped a 75-68 decision to the University of Texas Permian Basin in day one action before bouncing back with a 66-55 win over Midwestern State University the next day.

The Gorillas opened MIAA play with home victories over the University of Central Oklahoma (77-63) and Rogers State University (86-64) in early December.

Arkansas-Fort Smith will bring an unblemished 11-0 record (2-0 MIAA) into Thursday's action. The Lions secured a 94-86 road win over Drury University in their last action on Dec. 21. UAFS also competed in the River City Holiday Classic, sweeping a pair of wins over Midwestern State (79-65) and UT Permian Basin (78-64).

NSU is 8-4 (1-2 MIAA) on the season heading into Saturday's match-up against Pitt State. The RiverHawks have won three straight games, including a 119-117 shoot out victory over Missouri Southern State University the last time out on Dec. 21.

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 206-133 (.608) career record, including a 55-47 (.539) mark leading the Gorillas. Boschee recorded his 200th all-time coaching victory in the Gorillas win vs. 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 UAFS will meet for just the sixth time in program history Thursday. The Gorillas hold a 4-1 advantage in the series against the Lions. Pitt State scored a 76-71 win in the last match-up on Feb. 1, 2025 at Fort Smith.

The Gorillas and RiverHawks have meet have met 83 times previously with Pitt State holding a 55-28 advantage in the series. NSU posted a 71-66 home win the last time the two squads met on Jan. 30, 2025, at Tahlequah.

Scouting the Gorillas
The Gorillas have two players scoring in double figures on the season:  junior guard Connor Rogers (21.4 ppg), freshman guard Mason English (12.6 ppg).

Rogers is contributing 21.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He currently ranks second in the MIAA in scoring. Rogers posted a career best 39 points in the Gorillas win over Sioux Falls on Nov. 14. His scoring output ranked in a tie for eighth place on Pitt State's single game scoring list. He has scored 20 or more points eight times to date and dished out a season best nine assists vs. Central Oklahoma on Dec. 4. Rogers ranks second in the MIAA in free throw percentage (.897, 61-68).

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.

English is contributing 12.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and an MIAA-leading 6.0 assists per game following his first 12 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 against MSU-Crookston on Nov. 15; and he posted his first career double-double with 19 points and 10 assists vs. Maryville on Nov. 20.

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 six players scoring between 5.2 and 9.3 points per game:  redshirt junior forward Donald Coats (9.4 ppg), freshman guard Landon Short (9.3 ppg), freshman guard/forward Ethan Sage (9.3 ppg), sophomore forward/center Alijah Curry (7.8 ppg), junior guard Hayden Shanks (5.2 ppg) and redshirt sophomore forward Evan Jackson (5.2 ppg).
Coats is averaging 9.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and shooting .506 from the field (39-77).

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.

Short is scoring 9.3 points per game and made 26 3-point field goals (26-76). Short (6-2, 165) garnered MIAA Player of the Week honors on Dec. 8 after averaging 23.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in a pair of wins to open MIAA play.

The Austin, Texas native posted career best scoring totals in back-to-back outings, going for 22 points in the Gorillas win over UCO last Thursday (Dec. 4) and accumulating 25 points in Pitt State's victory over Rogers State last Saturday (Dec. 6).

Short 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.

Sage is averaging 9.3 points, a team-leading 6.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 blocked shots in four games played. The Weatherford, Okla. native scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the season opener against WTAMU. He has missed the Gorillas last eight games due to injury.

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.

Curry is averaging 7.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game to date. He's also made 36 of 70 shots from the field (.514).

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.

Shanks has contributed 5.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game on the 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.

Jackson also is averaging 5.2 points and 2.8 rebounds 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).

Redshirt junior center Darrell Washington made his season debut for the Gorillas in the River City Holiday Classic. He contributed 5.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in those two outings.

Washington (Lake Charles, La.) started seven games for the Gorillas in 2024-25, before suffering a season-ending injury. He averaged 9.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting .538 (28-52) from the field a year ago.

Washington played his first two collegiate seasons at Odessa College and Lee College.

Senior center Tane Prictor is averaging 3.4 points and 2.0 rebounds in five games played this year. He has converted six of 12 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 87 blocked shots in 79 career games, ranking sixth in Pitt State history. 

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.

Sophomore guard David Cobin Jr. also has seen reserve action in Pitt State's first 12 outings, contributing 2.8 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.