PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men's basketball team will open the 2026-27 season by traveling to Kansas City, Mo., to host the six-team Central Region Tipoff Challenge at historic Municipal Auditorium Friday and Saturday (Nov. 13-14).

The two-day classic format tournament will feature three games per day with each day's action starting at Noon (CST). Pitt State will face off against a pair of teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Gorillas will battle the University of Sioux Falls at 2 p.m Friday and Minnesota State University-Moorhead at 2 p.m. Saturday.

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Pitt State posted a 15-15 overall record during the 2025-26 campaign, including a 9-10 mark in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association play. The Gorillas return three starters and two additional letterwinners from last year's squad.

The Coaches
Head coach Jeff Boschee begins his fifth year leading the Pitt State program. He guided the Gorillas to a 21-11 record and a berth in the NCAA Division II National Tournament during the 2022-23 campaign. His 2023-24 squad reached the finals of the MIAA Postseason Tournament, while the 2024-25 team advanced to the tournament semifinals.

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.

He has a 213-144 (.597) career record as a head coach.

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.

Scouting the Gorillas
The Gorillas return three starters and two additional letterwinners from last year's squad, including Pitt State's All-MIAA backcourt tandem of senior Connor Rogers and sophomore Mason English.
 
Rogers and English finished the season as the team's leading scorers and distributors, providing on average 33.1 points and 7.9 assists a game. Rogers, a second-team All-MIAA pick, led the team at 18.0 points with .467/.382/.853 shooting splits. He scored a season high 39 points against Sioux Falls and his 540 points scored on the season was good for 17^th best in PSU single-season history. English, an honorable mention All-MIAA selection, averaged 15.1 points, 5.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds a game while having .408/.321/.874 shooting splits. He became the first Gorilla since Hall of Famer Oscar Gonzalez (1996-99) to record three or more games with double figure assist totals.
 
Redshirt senior guard Hayden Shanks also started all 30 games for the Gorillas last season. He contributed 5.3 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting .508 from the floor.

Sophomore guard Landon Short returns after a productive freshman campaign a year ago. He provided 6.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in 18.3 minutes of action. Short knocked down 45 3-point field goals (1.5 pg). He garnered MIAA Player of the Week honors in December after contributing 23.5 points in a pair of early season MIAA victories.

Junior guard David Cobin Jr. is back for his third year in the Pitt State program. He averaged 16.4 minutes of action in 28 games played, supplying 3.9 points and 2.2 rebounds of bench production to the Gorillas lineup.

The Gorillas also added nine newcomers to their roster, including a quartet of veteran front court acquisitions:  senior center Charles Caporaso (7'0", 235 lbs) from Jacksonville University; redshirt junior forward/center Cristian Revenco (6'10", 240 lbs) from Morton College; junior forward Lucas N'Gombo (6'8", 235 lbs) from Seward Community College; and sophomore center Brody Johnson (7'0", 220 lbs) from Central (Neb.) Community College.

Exhibition Opener
Pitt State faced the University of Kansas in an exhibition game at Allen Fiedhouse on Oct. 16 with the Jayhawks posted an 80-62 win over the Gorillas.

Pitt State put up a game effort against KU, scoring seven of the game's first nine points. The Gorillas still led, 22-21, on a dunk by senior newcomer Charles Caporaso with 9:58 to play in the first half, before the Jayhawks exploded for a 22-0 run to take control.

KU led 47-30 at halftime and twice extended its margin to 25 points in the second half, but Pitt State battled back to within 16 points of the Jayhawks before settling for the game's final 18-point margin.

Caporaso and junior forward Lucas N'Gombo paced the Gorillas with 11 points apiece. Caporaso (Lake Mary, Fla.) added eight points, three assists and two blocked shots. N'Gombo (Nice, France) made five of seven shots from the floor while battling foul trouble in 14 minutes of action.

Sophomore guard Landon Short (Round Rock, Texas) also finished in double figures with 10 points, while freshman guard Sydney Thompson (Bartlett, Tenn.) chipped in with seven points.