2010 NAIA D1 Men's Basketball Tournament Book by Momentummedia

Commemorative Book LI M I T E D E D I T I O N

32 TEAMS 31 GAMES 7 DAYS 1 CHAMPION SH N O I P M CH A

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AL N O I T A L N L A B T E SK A B ouri s s S i ’ M N , y E t M I as Ci s n N a O K I S DIVI um | i r o A t i I d u A N al A Municip

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letter from the director If you are a basketball fan, you must just love the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship. If you love history, the passion of college sports, or just watching people play their hearts out, you must just love the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship. By now, you’ve probably seen the slogans: 32 Teams. 31 Games. 7 Days. One National Champion. College Basketball’s Toughest Tournament. When you are a part of the tournament, whether it’s as a player, a coach, an administrator, an official, a member of the media, or a fan, you realize that these aren’t just slogans. They are relevant. As someone involved in the tournament in some capacity, you also realize that you are a part of something special. You become, in some small way, a part of basketball history and a part of the fabric of the Kansas City community. Were you there at Municipal Auditorium, one of the most historic arenas in this country, as the players and teams just played their hearts out for the right to be called a national champion? Were you part of the action? Did you witness one of the finest finishes to an NAIA National Championship game that has ever been played? In the end, we saw Oklahoma Baptist raise the Naismith Trophy as the 2010 National Champions, but we also watched 31 other teams act like true champions and relish the opportunity to compete in the longest-continuous national championship of any sport in this country. This is America’s Tournament. A little slice of apple pie. A little piece of Americana. Enjoy this wonderful book to commemorate the 73rd edition of the NAIA Tournament. Thank you to Mark Goldberg and his team at Momentum Media for the tremendous time and effort to make this book such a wonderful commemorative piece. Also, thank you to Brian Beard from Creative Images for the awesome photos that you see in this book. Enjoy! John McCarthy Tournament Director NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship Acknowledgements: Creative Images Photography supplied most of the photos for this book. Creative Images offers action photos of the NAIA Division I and Division II Men’s Basketball National Championships. To order specific photos showcased in the book go to www.ciphotography.com. The Oklahoma Baptist University sports information department also supplied photos for use in this book.

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S T N NTE Welcome to the longestrunning collegiate national championship of any sport in the country. The tournament is the brainchild of Dr. James Naismith, founder of the game of basketball, Emil Liston, athletic director at Baker University, and Frank Cramer, founder of Cramer Athletic Products. It began in 1937 with the inaugural tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. It was this tournament that led to the creation of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the NAIA, in 1952.

2-9 10 11-14 15 16-19 20 21 22-25 26-27 28-31 32-37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70-71 72 73

Round One Wrap-Up Mountain State: A Special Source of Motivation Round Two Wrap-Up Southern Polytechnic State: Taking It to the Next Level Quarterfinal Game Reports Tournament Finalists: The Cure for the Injury Bug Tournament Finalists: The Perfect Plan Semifinal Game Summaries Champions of Character: More Than a Game Championship Game Story National Champions: Oklahoma Baptist University Azusa Pacific University Bacone College Belhaven University Biola University Campbellsville University Central Methodist University Concordia University University Of The Cumberlands (Ky.) Evangel University Fresno Pacific University Georgetown College John Brown University Lee University Life University Louisiana State University-Shreveport McKendree University University of Montana Western Mountain State University Oklahoma Baptist University Oklahoma Christian University Oklahoma City University Olivet Nazarene University Park University Robert Morris College Southern Nazarene University Southern Polytechnic State University Saint Xavier University Texas Wesleyan University Tougaloo College Union University Westminster College William Jewell College Tournament Awards and Stat Leaders Tournament Bracket Champions of Character 2010 NAIA DI MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 1

ROU N D ON E R2

Southern Poly technic St. (Ga.) 78 Oklahoma Cit y 70

Xavier Dawson scored 21 of his 28 points in the second half, as unseeded Southern Poly upset No. 16 seed Oklahoma City. The Stars early 9-5 margin was their biggest and last lead of the contest before Southern Poly went on a 17-2 run for a 38-28 halftime lead. Oklahoma City closed the gap to three points, but could get no closer. The Hornets’ Jasmine Rogers tallied 20 points, and Kavon Lytch led the Stars with 23 points and 11 rebounds. BOX SCORE Oklahoma City (70) Phillips 4-6 2-4 10,

Nicholson 2-3 0-0 5, Williams 2-6 0-2 4, Brown 7-15 2-3 19, Graham 0-2 0-0 0, Ennis 0-0 0-0 0, Lytch 8-13 7-10 23, McKnight 0-0 0-0 0, Bingham 1-2 2-3 4, McCarty 1-5 3-4 5 Totals 25-52 16-26 70

Southern Poly (78) Jennings 4-7 2-2 10, Koloko 0-0 0-0 0, Rogers 4-14 8-10 20, Dawson 9-19 5-6 28, Lemons 5-9 1-2 13, Cummings 0-0 0-0 0, Hall 1-2 0-0 2, Coleman 0-0 0-0 0, Alexander 0-0 0-0 0, Beacham 0-5 2-2 2, Abbot 1-2 1-1 3 Totals 24-58 19-23 78 3-Point Goals: Oklahoma City 4-11 (Brown 3, Nicholson 1) Southern Poly 11-24 (Dawson 5, Rogers 4, Lemons 2) Rebounds: Oklahoma City 29 (Lytch 11) Southern Poly 38 (Jennings 10) Assists: Oklahoma City 11 (Lytch 3) Southern Poly 14 (Rogers 6) Total Fouls: Oklahoma City 20, Southern Poly 22

Mountain State (W.Va.) 105 Bacone (Okla.) 78

NAIA second-leading scorer Nick Aldridge recorded 32 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists to lead No. 1 seed Mountain State over first-time tournament participant Bacone College. Aldridge tallied 20 points to help the Cougars lead 50-37 at the intermission, as six Mountain State players scored in double figures for the game. It was the first time since 2007 that a team has compiled a 100-point outing. Ronnie Battle, the NAIA’s top scorer, paced Bacone with 24 points. BOX SCORE Bacone (78) Battle 10-22 2-4 24, Roby 2-3 0-0 4,

Richardson 1-8 0-0 2, Tyler 6-16 7-10 22, Juneil 4-9 0-0 9, Allen 1-2 0-0 3, Elix 1-1 0-0 2, Stallings 0-1 0-0 0, Weekes 1-3 0-0 2, Brown 1-3 0-0 2, Eubanks 0-3 0-0 0, Walker 1-2 0-0 2, Tumblin 3-4 0-0 6 Totals 31-77 9-14 78 Mountain State (105) Wellington 4-8 2-2 10, Hunter 4-12 7-7 16, Ormon 6-10 1-2 13, Aldridge 13-23 4-5 32, Robinson 3-8 4-4 11, Mosquera 2-3 0-0 4, Nesbitt 0-0 0-0 0, Duncan 1-1 4-5 6, Zivic 0-0 0-0 0, Lee 4-8 2-2 10, Wamsley 0-1 0-0 0, Sturgess 1-2 1-1 3 Totals 38-76 25-28 105 3-Point Goals: Bacone 7-30 (Tyler 3, Battle 2, Juneil 1, Allen 1) Mountain State 4-17 (Aldridge 2, Hunter 1, Robinson 1) Rebounds: Bacone 32 (Richardson 7) Mountain State 53 (Aldridge 11) Assists: Bacone 15 (Tyler 4) Mountain State 21 (Aldridge 8) Total Fouls: Bacone 18, Mountain State 14

2 2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Fresno Pacific (Calif.) 74 Campbellsville (Ky.) 61

Fresno Pacific University used a 21-3 run late in the game to upset No. 9 seed Campbellsville University 74-61, marking the third straight absence of a No. 9 team in the second round. There were five ties in the first half before Campbellsville went on an 18-1 tear to go up 28-20, and the Tigers were on top 32-30 at the intermission. With 14 minutes left and the score at 41-all, the Sunbirds began their run over a 9-minute stretch. Alex Davenport topped three Fresno players in double figures with 18 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Caleb Harris led Campbellsville with 13 points, while JaVaughn Espritt had a double-double of 12 points, 10 rebounds, and a game-high three blocked shots. BOX SCORE Fresno Pacific (74) Davenport 8-15 2-3 18,

Brown 0-7 4-4 4, Ash 5-6 1-2 11, Lewis 4-14 5-5 14, Childs 2-3 1-1 6, Hernandez 0-1 7-8 7, Wild 3-7 2-2 9, Parker 0-0 0-0 0, Cromwell 2-3 1-2 5 Totals 14-56 23-27 74 Campbellsville (61) Harris 4-10 5-8 13, Bishop 4-15 1-2 10, Vitatoe 0-0 0-0 0, Gill 0-0 0-0 0, Colmenares 3-5 1-4 7, Savage 2-8 0-0 6, Benock 1-3 0-0 3, Robinson 1-2 0-0 2, Hart 1-4 1-5 3, Crittenden 2-8 0-1 5, Espritt 5-10 2-3 12, Bohm 0-0 0-0 0 Totals 23-65 10-23 61 3-Point Goals: Fresno Pacific 3-15 (Lewis 1, Childs 1, Wild 1) Campbellsville 5-28 (Savage 2, Bishop 1, Benock 1, Crittenden 1) Rebounds: Fresno Pacific 41 (Davenport 7, Brown 7) Campbellsville 39 (Colmenares 10, Espritt 10) Assists: Fresno Pacific 11 (Davenport 3) Campbellsville 15 (Harris 5) Total Fouls: Fresno Pacific 23, Campbellsville 22

John Brown (Ark.) 73 OT McKendree (Ill.) 70

John Brown, down by six with 54 seconds remaining in regulation, tied the game on a three-point basket by Sam Bartlett with 21 ticks left, and went on to upset No. 8 seed McKendree in overtime. It was the first meeting between the two teams since 1972. After trading baskets in OT, John Brown converted three foul shots for the victory. Davaughn Jackson led the Golden Eagles with 21 points and nine rebounds. Eric Hobbie topped the Bearcats with 21 points and 15 rebounds, and Kenny Detmer had a double-double of 14 points and 11 caroms. With five minutes left in the first half, John Brown led 29-18, but McKendree rallied with a 13-1 run to lead at the break, 31-30. The 25th win of the season matched the all-time high for John Brown in school history. BOX SCORE McKendree (70) Hobbie 6-15 5-6 18, Copelin 1-2 0-0 2, Detmer 7-14 0-0 14, May 2-5 1-2 5, Wolff 3-8 2-3 10, Steppe 5-13 2-4 13, Pettiford 1-3 0-0 3, Rakers 2-6 1-1 5 Totals 27-66 11-16 70

John Brown (73) Miller 7-10 1-2 15, Jackson 6-14 9-14 21, Bartlett 3-11 3-4 9, Rakestraw 4-9 0-0 9, A. Galliguez 4-10 1-2 12, McWoods 1-5 0-0 2, Allen 1-2 0-0 3, T. Galliguez 0-0 0-0 0, Mikutis 1-5 0-0 2, Hersha 0-0 0-0 0, Alexander 0-0 0-0 0, Thomas 0-0 0-0 0 Totals 27-66 14-22 73 3-Point Goals: McKendree 5-20 (Wolff 2, Hobbie 1, Steppe 1, Pettiford 1) John Brown 5-14 (A. Galliguez 3, Rakestraw 1, Allen 1) Rebounds: McKendree 47 (Hobbie 15) John Brown 39 (Jackson 9) Assists: McKendree 17 (Pettiford 5) John Brown 15 (A. Galliguez 5, McWoods 5) Total Fouls: McKendree 22, John Brown 18

Oklahoma Baptist 96 Saint Xavier (Ill.) 72

No. 3 seed Oklahoma Baptist shot 61 percent and scored 66 points in the paint to defeat Saint Xavier. The Bison led 62-35 at the half benefited by 72.7 percent shooting in the first 20 minutes. Oklahoma Baptist has 50 wins for the most in Tournament history, including a 20-8 mark in the last 10 years. Nate Brumfield, with 20 points in the first half, led all scorers with 30 points for the Bison, and AJ Hawkins added 20. Oklahoma Baptist did not record a threepoint field goal in its 96 points. Jake Listebarger topped Saint Xavier with 18 points and nine rebounds, and Stan Mayfield recorded 15 points. BOX SCORE Saint Xavier (72) Pikes 0-2 0-0 0, Samimy 2-8 0-0 4, Riggs 0-2 0-0 0, Scott 2-5 1-2 5, Listebarger 9-15 2-3 20, Morton 0-4 0-0 0, Johnstone 0-0 0-0 0, Green 3-7 0-0 8, Gilgenbach 0-0 0-0 0, Harvey 3-9 1-2 7, Chandler 0-0 0-0 0, Mayfield 3-6 7-7 15, Taloff 0-1 1-2 1, Opheim 2-6 2-2 6, Jackson 2-9 0-0 6 Totals 26-74 14-18 72

Oklahoma Baptist (96) Bowman 2-3 6-7 10, Brumfield 11-16 8-12 30, Swinton 6-10 2-3 14, Steinmetz 3-4 0-0 6, Hawkins 7-12 6-6 20, Tillmon 2-5 0-0 4, Wilson 1-2 2-2 4, McKay 0-0 0-1 0, Blessing 0-0 0-0 0, Duvall 0-0 0-0 0, Derry 0-0 0-0 0, Parker 3-5 0-1 6, Vojinovic 1-2 0-0 2 Totals 36-59 24-32 96 3-Point Goals: Saint Xavier 6-31 (Green 2, Mayfield 2, Jackson 2) Oklahoma Baptist 0-5 Rebounds: Saint Xavier 35 (Listebarger 9) Oklahoma Baptist 43 (Brumfield 8) Assists: Saint Xavier 9 (Green 5), Oklahoma Baptist 11 (Bowman 3) Total Fouls: Saint Xavier 23, Oklahoma Baptist 15

Park (Mo.) 83 Georgetown (Ky.) 75

Unseeded Park University was behind in both halves, and overcame double-digit deficits to send another seed home. Herschel Rodgers tallied 22 of his game-high 24 points after the intermission, as his team trailed 40-32 after 20 minutes of action. Park shot 64.3 percent after the break in out-scoring Georgetown 51-35. The Pirates scored the first seven points of the game, but the Tigers used a 13-2 run to go on top 13-9 midway through the opening period, and increased the margin to 31-18 with 6:10 remaining. Georgetown scored the first basket of the second half before the Pirates reeled off 10 straight points for a 42-42 contest. Park used an 8-2 run to take the lead for good, 62-56, with 9:05 remaining. Vic Moses led Georgetown with 23 points and nine rebounds. It was the first meeting between the two teams ever.

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BOX SCORE Park (83) Rausch 8-14 1-2 17, Deng 2-3 0-0

5, Howard 2-3 0-2 4, Dyer 3-12 5-6 11, Rodgers 9-17 6-8 24, Garnett 0-1 0-0 0, Price 1-2 1-2 4, Anderson 1-3 5-6 7, Hairston 1-3 0-0 2, Fairley 0-1 0-0 0, Quintero 3-4 3-5 9 Totals 30-63 21-31 83 Georgetown (75) Moses 9-18 5-6 23, Crutcher 5-9 1-2 11, Giles 5-11 0-0 11, Saxton 1-3, 0-0, 2, Gray 2-5 0-0 6, Walls 4-8 0-0 10, Hamilton 3-6 2-2 8, Boggs 0-0 0-0 0, Ferguson 2-3 0-0 4 Totals 31-63 8-10 75 3-Point Goals: Park 2-11 (Deng 1, Price 1) Georgetown 5-16 (Gray 2, Walls 2, Giles 1) Rebounds: Park 44 (Rausch 9, Rodgers 9) Georgetown 27 (Moses 9) Assists: Park 12 (Dyer 7) Georgetown 22 (Gray 8) Total Fouls: Park 18, Georgetown 24

Texas Wesleyan 74 Central Methodist (Mo.) 71

Texas Wesleyan University became the fifth unseeded team to record an upset with its decision over No. 14 seed Central Methodist University. It was another come-from-behind victory for an underdog, as Central Methodist led the entire first half (38-33 at the half ), and for the first 10 minutes after the intermission. Texas Wesleyan’s Jamel White, who had a game-high 30 points, made a three-pointer with 11:29 left in the game for its first tie (49-49), and he followed with another trey for his team’s first lead (53-52) of the night. The Rams went on top for good (55-54) with 9:53 remaining. Lucas Dahl topped Central Methodist with 28 points, and Matt Sherman tallied 18 of his 23 points in the second half. BOX SCORE Central Methodist (71) Dahl 11-18 5-6 28,

Edris 1-3 3-3 5, Sherman 7-16 2-2 23, Dykman 0-4 1-2 1, Prosser 1-4 2-2 4, Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Franklin 1-1 0-0 2, Bredehoeft 0-1 1-2 1, Stellwagen 1-1 0-2 2, Askren 0-0-0-0 0, Clark 2-2 1-1 5 Totals 24-50 15-20 71 Texas Wesleyan (74) Mayfield 7-9 0-0 14, White 9-18 7-11 30, Houliston 1-2 1-2 3, Wanamaker 4-10 8-9 16, Smith 2-9 0-0 5, Henry 0-0, 0-1 0, Waldrop 0-1 0-0 0, Mukweyi 2-3 0-0 4, Glanzer 0-2 2-2 2 Totals 25-54 18-25 74 3-Point Goals: Central Methodist 8-19 (Sherman 7, Dahl 1) Texas Wesleyan 6-15 (White 5, Smith 1) Rebounds: Central Methodist 24 (Dahl 5, Clark 5) Texas Wesleyan 35 (Mayfield 7, Wanamaker 7) Assists: Central Methodist 16 (Dahl 3, Dykman 3, Smith 3) Texas Wesleyan 10 (Wanamaker 4) Total Fouls: Central Methodist 23, Texas Wesleyan 18

Biola (Calif) 66 Belhaven (Miss.) 54

There was no turning back for No. 6 seed Biola University, as the Eagles jumped out to a 13-0 lead and led the rest of the day. During its string, Biola held Belhaven scoreless for the first 4:29 of action, and it increased its margin to 14 before settling for a 35-25 score going into the locker room at halftime. The 4 2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Eagles came flying out with a 10-4 run in the first 91 seconds of the second half, including eight of the 10 points from the foul line. Biola was 28-of-42 from the free throw stripe for the game to just 11-for-16 from the line for the Eagles. Danny Campbell of Biola led all scorers with 18 points, including 13-for-15 at the foul line. Teammate Rocky Hampton contributed 12 points, eight rebounds and seven blocked shots. Larell Bailey topped Belhaven with 12. BOX SCORE Biola (66) Miller 2-11 5-8 9, Hampton 4-9 4-7

12, King 2-7 1-4 6, Rakestraw 2-9 4-5 9, Campbell 2-6 13-15 18, Island 2-2 0-0 4, Island 2-2 0-0 4, Cline 2-5 0-2 4, Martin 0-2 0-0 0, Cone 0-0 0-0 0, Schroeder 2-2 0-0 4 Totals 18-53 14-28 66 Belhaven (54) Cowan 2-7 0-0 4, Grier 2-4 0-0 5, Winston 2-7 2-2 7, Taylor 0-4 1-2 2, Bailey 5-8 0-0 12, Howard 3-7 3-3 9, Wallace 4-15 0-0 8, McClain 0-0 0-0 0, Luckett 0-3 0-0 0, Rice 0-0 0-0 0, Roche 3-8 1-3 7, Johnson 0-1 0-0 0 Totals 21-64 8-11 54 3-Point Goals: Biola 2-14 (King 1, Campbell 1) Belhaven 4-19 (Bailey 2, Grier 1, Winston 1) Rebounds: Biola 50 (Rakestraw 10) Belhaven 42 (Roche 11) Assists: Biola 6 (Rakestraw 2) Belhaven 6 (Wallace 3) Total Fouls: Biola 12, Belhaven 28

Lee Universit y (Tenn) 79 Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 58

Using a hot shooting hand, No. 12 seed Lee University won a first-round battle over Olivet Nazarene. The appropriately named Flames shot 58.6 percent from the field in the first half to take a 44-32 margin after 20 minutes of play. Lee had four players achieve double-figure scoring led by Jerel Blocker and Josh Nofflet, with 18 points apiece, as the latter also grabbed nine rebounds to give his team an edge on the boards, 46-35. Tyler Wallenfang led the Tigers with 12 points, 10 of them coming before the intermission. The highlight play of the tournament at this point was a half-court pass by Blocker to Larriques Cunningham for an alley-oop dunk.

BOX SCORE Lee (79) James 1-1 0-0 2, McClellan 3-7 0-0 8,

Cutter 1-1 2-2 4, Nofflet 7-13 4-6 18, Blocker 7-18 2-3 18, Skogen 0-0 0-0 0, McElheney 1-1 0-0 3, Stilwell 0-0 0-0 0, Spruill 4-8 3-3 11, Cunningham 5-7 1-1 11, Jenkins 0-0 0-0 0, Sharp 0-1 0-0 0, Barnhart 0-0 0-0 0, Blue 1-1 0-0 2, Hardy 1-3 0-0 2, Wilson 0-0 0-0 0 Totals 31-61 12-15 79 Olivet Nazarene (58) Harks 5-12 0-0 10, Wallenfang 5-14 2-4 12, Bronke 0-5 0-0 0, Marshall 2-6 3-4 9, R. Mitchell 2-7 4-4 8, M. Mitchell 2-2 0-0 5, Rennewanz 0-1 0-0 0, Irish 0-1 1-2 1, Streets 1-7 0-0 2, Klomstad 1-3 0-0 2, Hainlen 2-6 2-2 7, Hasselbring 0-0 0-0 0, Baldwin 1-2 0-1 2 Totals 21-66 12-17 58 3-Point Goals: Lee 5-19 (McClellan 2, Blocker 2, McElheney 1) Olivet Nazarene 4-21 (Marshall 2, M. Mitchell 1, Hainlen 1) Rebounds: Lee 46 (Nofflet 9) Olivet Nazarene 35 (Harks 9) Assists: Lee 14 (Cutter 5) Olivet Nazarene 12 (Marshall 4) Total Fouls: Lee 17, Olivet Nazarene 16

Oklahoma Christian 80 LSU-Shreveport 70

Another seeded team bit the dust, as unseeded Oklahoma Christian turned the tables on No. 5 LSUShreveport. The Eagles used a 21-11 run in the first half to take a 38-32 advantage into halftime. Jeff Crocker had a game-high 26 points and six assists for Oklahoma Christian with 16 points coming after the intermission. Andre Vaughn contributed 18 points, and Jason Taylor added with 16 points and seven caroms. The Eagles made 23-of-26 free throws, with Taylor a perfect 12-for-12. The winners shot 51 percent for the game, while LSU-Shreveport hit on just 33.8 percent of its shots. The Pilots leading scorer was Derrick Parker with 18 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. BOX SCORE Oklahoma Christian (80) Vaughn 9-12 0-1 18, Taylor 2-7 12-12 16, Crocker 8-13 6-7 26, Endres 3-8 1-2 8, White 1-3 2-2 5, Hill 0-0 0-0 0, Troutman 0-1 0-0 0, Stephens 2-3 0-0 5, Manuel 0-0 0-0 0, Lovejoy 0-2 2-2 2 Totals 25-49 23-26 80

LSU-Shreveport (70) Parker 7-16 4-5 18, Washington 0-1 0-0 0, Stevenson 0-3 0-2 0, Bazile 1-5 5-6 7, Davenport 4-14 0-0 10, Greene 0-1 0-0 0, Anglin 5-14 0-0 15, Mims 2-2 0-0 4, Shyne 3-9 0-0 7, Pickens 0-4 0-0 0, Jackson 3-5 3-4 9, Washington 0-0 0-0 0, Lincoln 0-0 0-0 0 Totals 25-74 12-17 70 3-Point Goals: Oklahoma Christian 7-18 (Crocker 4, Endres 1, White 1, Stephens 1) LSU-Shreveport 8-28 (Anglin 5, Davenport 2, Shyne 1) Rebounds: Oklahoma Christian 38 (Endres 9) LSU-Shreveport 40 (Parker 10) Assists: Oklahoma Christian 15 (Crocker 6) LSU-Shreveport 14 (Bazile 7) Total Fouls: Oklahoma Christian 13, LSUShreveport 19

2010 NAIA DI MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 5

Azusa Pacific (Calif.) 72 Cumberlands (Ky.) 68

Reggie Owens converted a layup with 2.6 seconds remaining for the winning basket in No. 13-seed Azusa Pacific Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s victory over the University of Cumberlands. Marshall Johnson made a pair of foul shots with 1.3 seconds left to ice the win. The Cougars ran the clock down for a final shot, but missed and Cumberlands grabbed the rebound only to turn the ball over with 3.6 seconds remaining. A timeout set up the winning play. Azusa Pacific led 33-24 at the half, but saw the Patriots knot the score at 51-all and take their first lead of the game, 56-55, with 7:10 left. Owens recorded a career-high 28 points and grabbed seven caroms for the winners, while Brandon Russ topped Cumberlands with 14 points and nine rebounds. BOX SCORE Cumberlands (68) Jacobs 2-2 2-3 6, Harvey 6-10 1-2 13, Byron 5-19 1-2 12, Mitchell 3-8 2-3 10, Fothergill 4-9 2-2 13, Graves 0-3 0-0 0, Cherry 0-2 0-0 0, Russ 3-6 8-12 14, Snell 0-0 0-0 0 Totals 23-59 16-24 68

Azusa Pacific (72) Burgess 2-5 0-0 4, M. Johnson 1-8 8-8 10, D. Johnson 3-6 5-8 11, Caffese 3-8 3-4 10, Maynard 1-1 0-0 2, Owens 12-15 4-7 28, Katuala 0-0 0-0 0, Danielian 1-3 0-0 2, Staniland 0-0 0-0 0, Meehl 1-1 0-0 2, Stafford 1-2 0-0 3 Totals 25-49 20-27 72 3-Point Goals: Cumberlands 6-29 (Fothergill 3, Mitchell 2, Byron 1) Azusa Pacific 2-8 (Caffese 1, Stafford 1) Rebounds: Cumberlands 39 (Russ 9) Azusa Pacific 32 (Burgess 7, Owens 7) Assists: Cumberlands 10 (Harvey 4) Azusa Pacific 12 (Caffese 10) Total Fouls: Cumberlands 18, Azusa Pacific 17 6 2010 NAIA DI MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Westminster (Utah) 80 Evangel (Mo.) 74

In a game that featured eight ties and 10 lead changes, No. 4 seed Westminster College ran off seven straight points to go up 68-61 with under three minutes left to hold off upset-minded Evangel University. Ben Walker had 21 points (10 of 12 FGs), seven rebounds and three blocked shots for the Griffins, while Weston Anderson added 17 points, five caroms and a teamleading five assists. With the score tied at 60-all at the intermission, Westminster shot 60.9 percent in the second half to pull out the victory. Jonathan Huskisson led five Crusader players in double-figure scoring with 22 points, seven rebounds and a game-high four steals. BOX SCORE Westminster (80) Prowse 2-7 5-7 10, Walker

10-12 1-2 21, Nielsen 2-3 0-0 6, Anderson 5-13 5-6 17, Hopson 0-2 1-2 1, Cassity 0-0 1-2 1, Harley 0-0 0-0, 0, Stockton 3-8 8-10 15, Gregory 3-4 2-3 9 Totals 25-49 23-32 80 Evangel (74) Donnelly 4-9 2-2 10, McHenry 4-14 2-3 12, Huskisson 7-10 3-4 22, Gillaspy 5-12 1-3 11, Kleine 1-3 1-2 3, Fielding 0-1 0-0 0, Agbasi 0-0 0-0 0, Van Gundy 0-0 0-0 0, Allison 2-6 0-0 4, Storey 5-7 2-3 12, Sirois 0-0 0-0 0 Totals 28-62 11-17 74 3-Point Goals: Westminster 7-17 (Nielsen 2, Anderson 2, Prowse 1, Stockton 1, Gregory 1) Evangel 7-21 (Huskisson 5, McHenry 2) Rebounds: Westminster 31 (Walker 7) Evangel 36 (Gillaspy 10) Assists: Westminster 14 (Anderson 5) Evangel 15 (Donnelly 7) Total Fouls: Westminster 14, Evangel 25

Robert Morris (Ill.) 90 Life (Ga.) 72

No. 15 seed Robert Morris jumped out to a 10-0 lead to begin the game and was never behind. Trailing 4534 at halftime, Life closed the score to 63-59 midway through the second half, but the Eagles went on a 2613 run to pull out the victory. Billy Rush scored 14 of his 19 points before the intermission as Robert Morris shot 51 percent in the first 20 minutes. Rush also had 13 rebounds and four assists, and Yamani Ball added 18 points and five helpers. Life managed to stay in the game with eight steals by forcing 14 turnovers at the break. Ken Moore and Tay Barber had 20 and 18 points, respectively, for the Eagles. BOX SCORE Life (72) Moore 8-17 4-8 20, Dunn 0-3 0-0 0,

Barber 6-15 3-5 18, Hooper 0-5 3-4 3, Brown 4-13 0-0 8, Wyatt 3-10 0-0 8, Bennett 0-0 0-0 0, Rouse 3-5 0-0 8, Walker 1-5 0-0 2, Bates 1-5 3-4 5, Daugherty 0-3 0-0 0 Totals: 26-81 13-21 72 Robert Morris (90) Ball 7-11 0-0 18, Rush 7-17 0-0 19, Jones 4-7 2-3 10, Hardiman 5-7 5-8 15, Beard 5-6 1-4 11, Riley 0-0 0-0 0, Laing 3-11 6-7 14, Mendoza 1-4 1-2 3 Totals: 32-63 15-24 90 3-Point Goals: Life 7-25 (Barber 3, Wyatt 2, Rouse 2) Robert Morris 11-28 (Rush 5, Ball 4, Laing 2) Rebounds: Life 36 (Barber 6) Robert Morris 54 (Rush 13) Assists: Life 14 (Hooper 7) Robert Morris 18 (Ball 5) Total Fouls: Life 20, Robert Morris 20

Concordia (Calif.) 71 William Jewell (Mo.) 54

An 8-2 run propelled No. 2 seed Concordia to the second round with its victory over William Jewell. The Eagles shot 59.3 percent in taking a 41-25 lead into the locker room at the half. Justin Johnson tallied 12 of his team-high 18 points before the intermission, and he collared a team-best five rebounds. Concordia never trailed and it held the Cardinals scoreless over the final 4:34 of the opening half. Nick Larson scored a game-high 21 points for William Jewell, making 9-of-11 shots from the field. Jonathan Benson added 17 points and a game-high nine rebounds. The Cardinals won the battle of the boards, 35-27. Concordiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bench out-scored the opposition, 26-0. BOX SCORE Concordia (71) Cruz-Duncan 1-2 0-0 2, J. Johnson

8-11 2-2 18, Worthy 1-7 6-6 9, Murillo 5-6 2-3 12, Simon 0-1 4-4 4, Gliddon 4-10 0-0 9, M. Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Grier 0-5 0-0 0, Gasporra 3-6 0-0 8, Hucks 2-2 0-0 4, Smith 1-4 3-4 5 Totals: 25-54 17-19 71 William Jewell (54) Benson 7-14 3-4 17, Bernskoetter 0-2 0-0 0, Kennedy 0-3 2-4 2, Fisher 6-12 1-2 14, Larson 9-11 3-7 21 Carmichael 0-0 0-0 0, Mattson 0-4 0-0 0, Sellmeyer 0-0 0-0 0, Johnston 0-2 0-0 0, Morris 0-0 0-0 0, Wilson 0-1 0-0 0, Sissoko 0-0 0-0 0, Bayiha 0-0 0-0 0 Totals: 22-49 9-17 54 3-Point Goals: Concordia 4-20 (Gasporra 2, Worthy 1, Gliddon 1) William Jewell 1-13 (Fisher 1) Rebounds: Concordia 27 (J. Johnson 5) William Jewell 35 (Benson 9) Assists: Concordia 10 (Cruz-Duncan 2, Worthy 2, Murillo 2, Grier 2, J. Johnson 1, Simon 1) William Jewell 12 (Benson 5) Total Fouls: Concordia 17, William Jewell 14

2010 NAIA DI MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 7

Southern Nazarene (Okla.) 86 Tougaloo (Miss.) 73

No. 7 seed Southern Nazarene University sprinted away from a 44-41 halftime lead to out-score Tougaloo College by 10 points after the intermission in improving its all-time tournament record to 11-8. The first half featured seven ties before The Bulldogs jumped on top, 27-19, midway through the first period. Southern Nazarene used a 15-2 run to take a 40-35 lead with 2:20 remaining before the break, making 14-of-16 shots from the foul line. Jeremy Lightfoot led the Crimson Storm with 29 points, and Vladimir Bulut added 16 points and 10 rebounds. Walter Howard topped Tougaloo with 16 points, and Sylvester Collins added 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

BOX SCORE Tougaloo (73) Mabry 5-8 2-2 12, Luckett 2-8 2-4

6, Collins 5-8 1-8 11, Jacks 1-7 1-2 4, Gray 2-11 0-1 6, Rugley 1-1 0-2 2, Fisher 1-3 1-2 4, Howard 6-14, 0-0 16, J. Carter 3-8 3-4 9, D. Carter 0-0 0-0 0, Griffin 1-2 0-0 3 Totals: 27-70 10-25 73 Southern Nazarene (86) Bulut 4-8 4-4 16, West 1-4 2-2 4, Lightfoot 9-11 11-15 29, Thomas 6-13 2-2 15, Hunter 0-2 6-6 6, White 1-5 6-9 8, N’Gom 2-2 0-0 4, Boen 0-0 0-0 0, Black 0-0 0-0 0, Callaghan 2-5 0-0 4 Totals: 25-50 31-38 86 3-Point Goals: Tougaloo 9-25 (Howard 4, Gray 2, Jacks 1, Fisher 1, Griffin 1) Southern Nazarene 5-15 (Bulut 4, Thomas 1) Rebounds: Tougaloo 38 (Collins 14) Southern Nazarene 43 (Bulut 10) Assists: Tougaloo 10 (Jacks 5) Southern Nazarene 13 (Hunter 5) Total Fouls: Tougaloo 22, Southern Nazarene 21

Montana Western 82 Union (Tenn.) 79

The final upset of the first round took place in the last game of the evening as unseeded University of Montana Western knocked off No. 10 seed Union University. Montana Western took the lead for good with 5:22 left in the game, and used a 10-for-10 performance at the foul line in the last 1:09 to secure the victory. JaRon Brown topped MW with a team-high 20 points and six rebounds. Union’s Greg Truvillion had game-highs of 25 points and 12 rebounds. He was 14-for-16 at the foul line. Montana Western was 24-for-30 at the foul line, and Union converted 22of-28. It was a close contest throughout with 14 lead changes, including nine after the intermission. Union led 39-38 after 20 minutes of action. BOX SCORE Union (79) Tolliver

3-9 2-2 9, Hawkins 0-3 0-0 0, McNeil 5-14 0-0 11, Joseph 3-6 3-6 11, Truvillion 5-11 14-16 25, Alexander 6-14 3-4 17, North 0-1 0-0 0, Petrovic 0-0 0-0 0, Danache 1-2 0-0 2, Banhoro 2-4 0-0 4 Totals: 25-64 22-28 79 Montana Western (82) Lawson 6-7 2-4 16, Ga. Fink 2-5 0-0 5, J. Brown 7-13 6-7 20, Glaus 2-6 1114 15, Hauser 0-2 0-0 0, B. Brown 6-13 5-5 18, Hurley 1-4 0-0 2, Thueringer 2-3 0-0 4, Gr. Fink 1-1 0-0 2 Totals: 27-54 24-30 82

8 2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

3-Point Goals: Union 7-29 (Joseph 2, Alexqander 2, Tolliver 1, McNeil 1, Truvillion 1) Montana Western 4-9 (Lawson 2, Ga. Fink 1, B. Brown 1) Rebounds: Union 41 (Truvillion 12) Montana Western 31 (J. Brown 6, Thueringer 6) Assists: Union 11 (Tolliver 2, Hawkins 2, McNeil 2, Joseph 2) Montana Western 9 (Glaus 3) Total Fouls: Union 24, Montana Western 22

2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 9

MOUNTAIN STATE UNIVERSIT Y

A SPECIAL SOURCE O F M O T I VAT I O N

n a season that included a school-record 25game win streak, a regional championship, and the top seed in the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, it might be hard to believe that one of the highlights for Mountain State University was a player simply walking onto the floor to join his “I thought it was a lift to the team teammates for a half-court that he was able to, first of all, live huddle. But what eventually became one of the most through it, uplifting moments of the a n d t h e n b e a b l e t o j o i n Cougars’ season began as a devastating tragedy. the team on the court

j u s t o n e m o n t h l a t e r. ”

In early December, just two days before the squad was set to play a tournament at West Virginia Tech, junior forward Alvin Mitchell was shot eight times outside a house where several men’s basketball players resided. At the time, Mitchell’s life was in the balance. But just 33 days later, he went to practice and walked onto the court with his teammates. “That was a very touching moment,” Head Coach Bob Bolen said. “I thought it was a lift to the team that he was able to, first of all, live through it, and then be able to join the team on the court just one month later.” With Mitchell’s perseverance serving as motivation, the Cougars continued to overcome adversity throughout the remainder of the season. A mere week after Mitchell was shot, Mountain State flew to California for a pair of games against San Diego

Christian College and Azusa Pacific University. Due to a mix-up at the airport, the Cougars didn’t leave West Virginia until a full 24 hours after their scheduled departure. “We didn’t take off until 6 a.m. on Wednesday, and we were scheduled to play a game at 7:30 p.m. that night, which was really 10:30 p.m. eastern time,” Bolen said. “After landing, we went straight to the gym for a shoot-around, got something to eat, rested for one hour, then went out there and beat San Diego Christian by 26 points. We had been awake for nearly 24 hours by the time that game ended. I think doing that showed a lot of toughness.” Mountain State also displayed its toughness in a 21-point win over Life University in the Association of Independent Institutions Tournament; which eight days prior Life University had beaten the Cougars by 24. “To win the Association of Independent Institutions Tournament was a great accomplishment,” said Bolen, who was named NAIA Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and Basketball Times. “You just don’t see teams lose by 24 and eight days later win by 21. Our kids played with a lot of intensity and it was a good way to go into the national tournament.” A key contributor to Mountain State’s success was forward Nick Aldridge, who led the Cougars in points per game (24.0) and was second in rebounds (7.8) and assists (3.4). The senior was named the Basketball Times NAIA Player of the Year and selected to the NAIA Division I All-America First Team. “Nick has been an impact player since the first day he stepped on the court,” Bolen says. “Offensively, he was difficult to handle for every team we played. He was a consistent force throughout the entire season.” And although the Cougars’ national tournament run ended a few days earlier than they would have hoped, that doesn’t take any of the shine off a wildly successful season. Mountain State made its 12th straight NAIA tournament appearance, earned the tournament’s top seed for the fourth time in school history (and fourth in the last seven years) and was ranked No. 1 in nine of the 10 in-season polls. “When you get to the national tournament, there’s such a small difference between all of the teams,” Bolen said. “At 27-3, I don’t think we have anything to be ashamed of.”

10 2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

ROU N D TWO R1

John Brown (Ark.) 88 Fresno Pacific (Calif.) 82

Reserve guard Andrius Mikutis made two clutch three-point shots in the final two minutes to preserve the victory for the Golden Eagles. Mikutis was perfect in three tries from behind the arc for his 19 points, and was 8-for-10 from the foul line. He also pulled down eight rebounds. Ryland Allen came off the bench to add 19 points, including a big three-pointer during a 9-2 run by John Brown University that turned a 70-all game at the 3:50 mark into a Golden Eagles victory. It was the 12th tie of the contest, including 32-32 at halftime.

John Brown also received double-figure scoring from Adrian Miller with 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists; and Sam Bartlett with 13 points and six caroms. The Golden Eagles bench was extremely vital, contributing 35 points to eight for Fresno Pacific. The Sunbirds had four players score in double figures, including Todd Brown and Alex Davenport with 21 and 20 points, respectively. Fresno Pacific launched 36 shots from behind the arc, the most the Sunbirds had attempted all season, and they made 13. BOX SCORE BOX SCORE John Brown (88) Miller 7-9 1-2 16, Jackson 2-8 4-6 8, Bartlett 5-9 3-4 13, Rakestraw 3-7 0-0 8, A. Galliguez 2-8 3-4 8, McWoods 0-0 0-0 0, Allen 4-7 2-2 13, T. Galliguez 1-6 0-0 3, Mikutis 4-5 8-10 19 Totals 28-59 21-28 88 Fresno Pacific (82) Davenport 7-17 3-5 20, Brown 6-9 3-5 21, Ash 6-11 2-4 14, Lewis 2-11 4-4 9, Childs 3-11 2-2 10, Hernandez 1-4 0-0 3, Wild 0-7 0-0 0, Cromwell 2-2 1-3 5 Totals 27-72 15-23 82 3-Point Goals: John Brown 11-24 (Allen 3, Mikutis 3, Rakestraw 2, Miller 1, A. Galliguez 1, T. Galliguez 1) Fresno Pacific 1336 (Brown 6, Davenport 3, Childs 2, Lewis 1, Hernandez 1) Rebounds: John Brown 52 (Jackson 11) Fresno Pacific 33 (Ash 8) Assists: John Brown 19 (Miller 5, A. Galliguez 5) Fresno Pacific 17 (Childs 8) Total Fouls: John Brown 18, Fresno Pacific 23

Southern Polytechnic St. (Ga.) 93 OT Mountain State (W.Va.) 90 In the biggest upset of the tournament, unseeded Southern Polytechnic knocked out the No. 1 seed Mountain State in an extra session. Mountain State led 45-39 at the break, and the two teams battled fiercely with eight ties in the final seven minutes of regulation. The Hornets’ Jordan Lemons, who had a team-best 11 rebounds, made a pair of free throws to deadlock the game at 79-79 with just 34 seconds remaining.

In OT, Jasmine Rogers, with a game-high 30 points, broke an 84-84 tie with a three-point shot with 1:40 left, as Southern Poly went on a 9-3 run. Mountain State trimmed the deficit to 87-85, but Rogers was fouled on a drive, and his free throw made it 90-85 with 59.5 ticks remaining on the clock. Two free throws by the Cougars’ Barry Wellington brought the No. 1 seed to 90-87, but Rogers converted 3-of-4 foul shots to preserve the victory. Brent Jennings recorded 25 points and eight rebounds for the Hornets, and Xavier Dawson added 19 points and a game-high four steals. Nick Aldridge topped Mountain State with 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Winston Robinson contributed 20 points, and Brian Ormon added 18 points and a tournament-high 20 rebounds. BOX SCORE Southern Polytechnic St. (93) Jennings 9-17 7-7 25, Koloko 1-4 1-1 3, Rogers 9-21 7-11 30, Dawson 6-18 5-6 19, Lemons 2-6 2-2 6, Hall 0-0 0-0 0, Beacham 3-5 1-2 8, Abbot 1-2 0-0 2 Totals 31-73 23-29 93 Mountain State (90) Wellington 4-12 7-8 17, Hunter 3-12 0-0 7, Ormon 8-17 1-2 18, Aldridge 10-20 6-11 26, Robinson 8-11 1-2 20, Mosquera 0-0 0-0 0, Nesbitt 0-0 0-0 0, Duncan 0-2 1-2 1, Lee 0-1 1-2 1 Totals 33-75 17-27 90 3-Point Goals: Southern Polytechnic 8-28 (Rogers 5, Dawson 2, Beacham 1) Mountain State 7-23 (Robinson 3, Wellington 2, Hunter 1, Ormon 1) Rebounds: Southern Polytechnic 42 (Lemons 11) Mountain State 50 (Ormon 20), Assists: Southern Polytechnic 12 (Dawson 3, Lemons 3) Mountain State 14 (Wellington 7) Total Fouls: Southern Polytechnic 23, Mountain State 24

2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 11

BOX SCORE Lee (82) James 0-1 0-0 0, McClellan 3-8 2-2 11, Cutter 0-2 0-0 0, Nofflet 9-13 2-2 21, Blocker 10-17 3-3 26, Skogen 0-1 0-0 0, McElheney 1-1 0-0 3, Stilwell 0-1 0-0 0, Spruill 3-6 0-2 6, Cunningham 5-9 4-6 14, Jenkins 0-0 1-2 1, Sharp 0-0 0-0 0, Blue 0-1 0-2 0, Hardy 0-3 0-0 0, Wilson 0-0 0-0 0 Totals 31-63 12-19 82 Oklahoma Christian (52) Vaughn 1-4 3-4 5, Stephens 1-2 0-0 2, Taylor 7-13 1-2 16, Crocker 5-15 0-1 13, Endres 1-7 1-2 3, Hill 2-3 1-1 5, Anderson 0-1 0-0 0, Scofield 0-0 0-0 0, Troutman 2-6 0-0 6, White 1-8 0-0 2, Manuel 0-0 0-00 0, Lovejoy 0-3 0-0 0, Jonsson 0-1 0-0 0 Totals 20-63 6-10 52 3-Point Goals: Lee 8-21 (McClellan 3, Blocker 3, Nofflet 1, McElheney 1) Oklahoma Christian 6-31 (Crocker 3, Troutman 2, Taylor 1) Rebounds: Lee 48 (Nofflet 11) Oklahoma Christian 33 (Taylor 9) Assists: Lee 18 (Cutter 5) Oklahoma Christian 6 (Taylor 1, Endres 1, Crocker 1, Hill 1, Troutman 1, White 1) Total Fouls: Lee 13, Oklahoma Christian 16

Azusa Pacific (Calif.) 65 Westminster (Utah) 51

Lee Universit y (Tenn.) 82 Oklahoma Christian Universit y 52

No. 12 seed Lee University, winner in 15 of its last 16 outings, recorded its second easy victory of the tournament to advance to the quarterfinals, outnumbering the opposition by an average of 25.5 ppg. in two contests. The Flames took a 37-25 margin into halftime as Jerel Blocker tallied 15 of his game-high 26 points before the intermission. Lee kept burning in the second half, shooting a sizzling 55 percent, while holding Oklahoma Christian to 29 percent. The Eagles were out-scored 22-6 in the opening 6:38 of the second half. Lee had three players in double-digit scoring in addition to Blocker. Josh Nofflet recorded 21 points and 11 rebounds, Larriques Cunningham added 14 points, eight rebounds and a game-high five blocks, and Stephen McClellan contributed 11 points. The Flames shot 49.2 percent for the game, while holding the Eagles to just 31.7 percent. Oklahoma Christian was coming off an upset of No. 5 seed LSU-Shreveport, and was led by Jason Taylor with 16 points and nine rebounds. Jeff Crocker added 13 points. The 30-point margin of victory is the largest in the second round of the tournament since 2005, when Robert Morris defeated California Baptist by 34. 12 2010 NAIA DI MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Azusa Pacific University advanced to the quarterfinals for the fifth time in the last six years despite shooting only 40 percent from the field, upsetting No. 4 seed Westminster. The Cougars closed out the first half with an 18-8 run to take a 31-30 margin into the locker room. The underdogs pulled away in the second half via a 20-3 run, out-scoring the Griffins 25-8 in the final 12 minutes. Dominique Johnson scored 17 points and grabbed five rebounds for the winners, and freshman Christian Katuala came off the bench to score a career-high 15. Reggie Owens added 10 points and seven rebounds, as each team collared 30 caroms. Weston Anderson led Westminster with 13 points, while Ben Walker added 11. Azusa Pacific shot 57.1 percent from the field and had no turnovers in the final 12 minutes, while Westminster was just 1-for-11 on field goal attempts after making 50 percent of its shots in the first 20 minutes. The Cougars bench also excelled, scoring 27 points to the Griffins 11, and the team was 21-for24 at the free throw line. BOX SCORE Westminster (51) Prowse 0-5 3-4 3, Walker 5-7 1-2 11, Nielsen 1-5 2-4 5, Anderson 3-9 5-7 13, Hopson 3-7 2-4 8, Cassity 0-0 0-0 0, Harley 0-0 0-0 0, Stockton 4-4 0-0 9, Bjornberg 0-1 0-0 0, Davis 0-0 0-0 0, Gregory 1-3 0-0 2 Totals 17-41 13-21 51 Azusa Pacific (65) Burgess 3-7 0-0 6, M. Johnson 2-6 4-6 9, D. Johnson 5-10 4-5 17, Caffese 1-5 2-2 4, Maynard 0-1 0-0 0, Owens 4-7 2-2 10, Katuala 4-7 7-7 15, Danielian 0-1 0-0 0, Staniland 0-2 0-0 0, Meehl 0-3 0-0 0, Stafford 1-1 2-2 4 Totals 20-50 21-24 65 3-Point Goals: Westminster 4-16 (Anderson 2, Nielsen 1, Stockton 1) Azusa Pacific 4-17 (D. Johnson 3, M. Johnson 1) Rebounds: Westminster 30 (Hopson 9) Azusa Pacific 30 (Owens 7) Assists: Westminster 10 (Anderson 3) Azusa Pacific 12 (Caffese 7) Total Fouls: Westminster 19, Azusa Pacific 17

Oklahoma Baptist 85 Texas Wesleyan 75 OT

No. 3 seed Oklahoma Baptist nearly missed making it to the quarterfinals for the 14th time, and had to go an extra five minutes to advance to the next round. Going into the overtime tied at 67-all, the Bison went ahead to stay 73-69 on consecutive three-point baskets by Garrett Steinmetz and Tim Bowman, with the latter also making all six of his free throws in the extra session. The winners put five players in double figures led by Bowman with 19 points, followed by A.J. Hawkins with 17 points, and Nate Brumfield 15. Texas Wesleyan began the game on a 12-2 run and increased the lead to 15 (20-4) with 14:04 left in the half. Oklahoma Baptist was undaunted and tied the game at 29-all with 3:18 remaining before the intermission. The Bison’s first lead of the game was 35-34 at the break. A seesaw battle was witnessed in the second half with seven ties and neither team leading by more than five points. Jamel White scored a tournament-high 40 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and recorded a game-high three steals for Texas Wesleyan. He scored 28 of his team’s 41 points in the second half and OT. Brian Wannamaker pulled down a game-high 11 caroms and contributed eight points. BOX SCORE Texas Wesleyan (75) Mayfield 2-6 0-0 4, White 13-29 9-11 40, Mukweyi 4-6 1-2 9, Wanamaker 2-11 2-4 8, Smith 4-15 0-0 11, Graves 0-0 0-0 0, Henry 0-1 0-0 0, Waldrop 0-0 0-0 0, Houliston 0-0 1-2 1, Glanzer 1-2 0-0 2 Totals: 26-70 15-20 75 Oklahoma Baptist (85) Bowman 4-6 7-8 19, Brumfield 6-13 3-6 15, Swinton 5-6 3-10 13, Steinmetz 4-9 0-0 10, Hawkins 7-17 2-3 17, Tillmon 1-3 0-0 2, Wilson 1-2 2-2 5, McKay 0-0 0-0 0, Duvall 0-0 0-0 0, Parker 0-0 4-4 4 Totals: 28-56 21-33 85 3-Point Goals: Texas Wesleyan 8-24 (White 5, Smith 3) Oklahoma Baptist 8-19 (Bowman 4, Steinmetz 2, Hawkins 1, Wilson 1) Rebounds: Texas Wesleyan 47 (Wanamaker 11) Oklahoma Baptist 36 (Brumfield 8) Assists: Texas Wesleyan 12 (Wanamaker 7) Oklahoma Baptist 12 (Steinmetz 4, Hawkins 4) Total Fouls: Texas Wesleyan 25, Oklahoma Baptist 16

Biola Universit y (Calif.) 80 Park (Mo.) 64

No. 6 Biola closed out the first 20 minutes of play on a 23-5 run for a 43-25 halftime lead, and moved on to the quarterfinals. Rocky Hampton recorded a careerbest 32 points, including 23 before the intermission. He also grabbed 10 rebounds for his 13th doubledouble of the year. Reserve Clay Martin had a careerhigh 16 points for the winners. Marlon King scored 12 points and added a game-high nine assists, while Nate Rakestraw had his own double-double of 11 points and as many caroms. The paint was good to the Eagles, as they recorded 40 points inside to 20 for Park. In the second half, Biola went on a 12-0 run to grab the biggest margin of the game (63-37) with 8:55 remaining. Park wasn’t down and out, rallying for a 22-7 run that brought the Pirates within 10 (72-62) with just over a minute left in the contest. Biola was 7-for-7 at the foul line in the final minute. Herschel Rodgers topped four Park players in double figures with 15 points. Reserve Juston Hairston added 14, including a career-high four FGs from behind the arc. BOX SCORE Biola (80) Miller 0-1 0-0 0, Hampton 10-14 12-14 32, King 4-6 3-5 12, Rakestraw 3-6 3-4 11, Campbell 1-6 0-0 2, Cline 1-3 0-0 2, Martin 6-10 0-2 16, Schroeder 2-2 1-2 5 Totals 27-48 19-27 80 Park (64) Rausch 1-4 0-0 2, Deng 3-9 4-4 11, Howard 1-4 2-2 4, Dyer 4-14 0-0 10, Rodgers 6-9 2-4 15, Garnett 1-4 0-0 3, Price 1-3 0-0 3, Anderson 1-5 0-0 2, Hairston 5-10 0-1 14, Quintero 0-1 0-0 0 Totals 23-63 8-11 64 3-Point Goals: Biola 7-14 (Martin 4, Rakestraw 2, King 1) Park 10-31 (Hairston 4, Dyer 2, Deng 1, Rodgers 1, Garnett 1, Price 1) Rebounds: Biola 34 (Rakestaw 11) Park 35 (Dyer 7) Assists: Biola 16 (King 9) Park 12 (Howard 3, Dyer 3) Total Fouls: Biola 14, Park 23

2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 13

Robert Morris (Ill.) 67 Concordia (Calif.) 64

The final upset of the second round came in the next-to-the-last game, as No. 15 seed Robert Morris University scored 10 of the final 11 points of the contest to defeat No. 2 seed Concordia University. Concordia led 63-57 with 5:18 remaining before Robert Morris scored eight straight to take a 65-63 margin with just under 2 minutes to play. Concordia got one point back before Robert Morris converted its own missed shot to go up 67-64 with 1:07 remaining. Robert Jones had a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds for Robert Morris, while Roy Beard led the boards attack with 12 caroms. A. J. Gasporra came off the bench to lead Concordia with 19 points, including 11 before the intermission. Concordia led 22-12 just 8 minutes into the game, but Robert Morris rose to the occasion with a 12-1 run, and held its largest lead of the game, 38-31 with 1:53 left before the intermission. Concordia came back to get within one (40-39) at the break. BOX SCORE Robert Morris (67) Ball 4-12 0-0 10, Rush 2-11 3-4 9, Jones 8-13 4-4 22, Hardiman 7-9 1-2 15, Beard 3-4 1-6 7, Laing 1-4 0-0 2, Mendoza 0-5 2-2 2 Totals 25-58 11-18 67 Concordia (64) Gliddon 4-10 0-0 11, Cruz-Duncan 2-5 1-2 5, J. Johnson 3-10 1-2 7, Worthy 1-11 3-4 5, Murillo 3-6 3-7 9, M. Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Grier 0-0 0-0 0, Simon 0-1 0-0 0, Gasporra 6-10 4-4 19, Hucks 1-7 0-0 2, Smith 2-8 2-2 6 Totals 22-69 14-21 64 3-Point Goals: Robert Morris 6-17 (Ball 2, Rush 2, Jones 2) Concordia 6-25 (Gliddon 3, Gasporra 3) Rebounds: Robert Morris 48 (Beard 12) Concordia 39 (Cruz-Duncan 5, J. Johnson 5, Simon 5) Assists: Robert Morris 10 (Ball 4) Concordia 12 (J. Johnson 3, Worthy 3) Total Fouls: Robert Morris 19, Concordia 18

Southern Nazarene (Okla.) 81 Montana Western 78

No. 7 seed Southern Nazarene shot 50 percent or better for the second straight game in winning the final contest of the second round. Daniel White led a balanced attack with 17 points, grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and recorded four steals in helping the Crimson storm pull away down the stretch. Vladimir Bulut, Jon West and Jeremy Lightfoot tallied 13 points apiece for the winners who shot 53.4 percent from the field, and committed just eight turnovers. The lead changed hands nine times in the first 20 minutes and the game was deadlocked 37-37 at the 14 2010 NAIA DI MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

intermission. Montana Western took its final lead of the evening at 67-66 with 8:28 left in the game. Southern Nazarene tallied five points in a row, stretched the lead to six (81-75) in the final minute, and then held on as the Bulldogs Cody Thueringer tallied a three-pointer with 36 second left for an 81-78 score. Southern Nazarene then held off three potential game-tying three-pointers by Mountain Western to earn its way into the quarterfinals. Brandon Brown had 21 points for the Bulldogs, and Layne Glaus added 15 points and a game-high five assists. BOX SCORE Southern Nazarene (81) Bulut 4-9 3-5 13, West 5-6 2-2 13, Lightfoot 6-9 1-4 13, Thomas 1-6 1-2 3, Hunter 4-11 2-2 11, White 7-10 2-6 17, Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Gom 0-1 1-4 1, Boen 2-4 0-0 6, Brewer 0-0 0-0 0, Callaghan 2-2 0-0 4 Totals 31-58 12-25 81 Montana Western (78) Lawson 1-5 2-2 4, Fink 0-2 0-0 0, J. Brown 5-8 1-1 11, Glaus 2-6 10-13 15, Hauser 6-14 0-0 16, B. Brown 7-10 5-6 21, Hurley 0-0 0-0 0, Thueringer 3-5 2-2 10, Fink 0-1 1-2 1 Totals 24-51 21-26 78 3-Point Goals: Southern Nazarene 7-21 (Bulut 2, Boen 2, West 1, Hunter 1, White 1) Montana Western 9-22 (Hauser 4, Brown 2, Thueringer 2, Glaus) Rebounds: Southern Nazarene 34 (White 8) Montana Western 28 (Thueringer 5) Assists: Southern Nazarene 14 (Hunter 3, White 3) Montana Western 11 (Glaus 5) Total Fouls: Southern Nazarene 22, Montana Western 18

SOUTHERN POLY TECHNIC STATE UNIVERSIT Y

TAKING IT TO THE NEXT

ust a few days removed from his school’s first ever appearance in the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament semifinals, Southern Polytechnic State University Head Coach Jeff Jones was back on the recruiting trail. Already, the veteran coach had noticed a difference in how his program THwas perceived.

11 “I think we have a lot of recruits who are going to listen to us now, where before they really wouldn’t 32-3 consider us,” Jones said. “We’re now competing for recruits NDagainst some of the top NAIA programs in the2country. And the players who are returning next year will have high expectations, too.” 13-3 And who can blame them? After entering the national tournament unseeded, the Hornets knocked off No. 16 Oklahoma City University and then turned in the biggest upset of the tournament championship, a 93-90 overtime victory of top-seeded Mountain State University. The win, spurred by 30 points from senior guard Jas Rogers, advanced Southern Poly past the second round for the first time in 13 national tournament appearances. For those close to the Hornets program, Rogers’s performance on the NAIA’s biggest stage came as no surprise. And while the Southern States Athletic Conference Player of the Year averaged 21.5 points per game in Southern Poly’s four national tournament games, his contributions came in more places than just the scoreboard. “He raised the bar for our program,” Jones said. “He made everyone on this team accountable for their actions. He’s not going to take a possession off, and he’s going to make sure nobody else does either. He’s also not a quiet leader. He’s the type of

Before the Mountain State game, I remember telling the players that they had to believe. They just looked up at me and said,

‘ We d o b e l i e v e . We ’ re g o i n g t o g e t t h i s d o n e . D o n’ t worry about it.’”

LEVE L

person who will get in your face and tell you when you’re doing something wrong. The fact that he came from a winning high school program was a plus for us, because he was able to bring some of that fire and spirit with him here to Southern Poly.” Rogers’s leadership proved vital during winter break, when the Hornets lost four of their tallest players and were forced to go small and alter their style of play. Southern Poly, normally a grind-it-out, half-court, pound-it-inside team, switched to a more up-tempo pace dominated by guard play—namely Rogers and junior Xavier Dawson. By tournament time, the entire team had bought into the new system and the Hornets were buzzing. “It actually ended up helping us,” Jones said. “Mountain State is extremely big, but we forced their bigs to guard some of our smaller post players, and we were able to stretch them out a little bit. I give a lot of credit to Jordan Lemons, a junior, who really communicated with his teammates after we lost those four players and convinced them that the season wasn’t over. “This team truly believed in their heart they were going to win every game, even if they were down by 10 or 15 points,” he continued. “They played with so much courage, so much confidence, and they believed in each other. Before the Mountain State game, I remember telling the players that they had to believe. They just looked up at me and said, ‘We do believe. We’re going to get this done. Don’t worry about it.’”

2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 15

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Southern Poly technic St. (Ga.) 71 John Brown (Ark.) 66 With 15 minutes remaining to play, Southern Polytechnic was down but not out. With a firstever trip to the NAIA semifinals on the line, the Southern Poly players were not about to be denied.

The Hornets overcame a 15-point second-half deficit to defeat John Brown 71-66 to advance to the semifinals. Southern Poly outscored John Brown 24-7 in the final 6:52 of the game to pull out the triumph. Head Coach Jeff Jones said, “We just compete. That’s all we do. We play hard and sometimes we play for a purpose. These guys are going to keep on fighting and keep on competing.” Southern Polytechnic took early first-half leads, but John Brown retaliated with a 17-4 run to go up 31-20 with just over 6 minutes left before the intermission. The Hornets slowly narrowed the gap, but the Golden Eagles took a 36-30 margin into the locker room. John Brown came flying out for the second half and took its largest lead of the contest (52-37) via an 11-2 run with 14:42 left. Trailing 59-47, the Hornets’ suffocating defense went into action and held John Brown without a field goal for more than eight minutes down the stretch. A 14-1 run put Southern Poly on top for the first time of the second half at 61-60. Senior forward Davaughn Jackson hit two free throws on John Brown’s next possession for a 62-61 margin, but the Hornets tallied six straight points to take the lead (67-62) for good. The foul line was good to Southern Polytechnic, as it made 16 of 19 free throws in the second half, and was 6 for 6 in the final 32 seconds. For the game, the Hornets made more free throws (22-28) than John Brown attempted (9-18). Senior guard Jas Rogers topped the Hornets with 22 points and five steals. Junior guard Xavier Dawson added 16 points, and classmate Jordan Lemons, also a guard, contributed eight points and a team-leading eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Abel Galliguez led a balanced Golden Eagles attack with 15 points and three assists. Jackson nearly had a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds, and sophomore 16 2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

forward Adrian Miller added 10 points. John Brown completed a 26-10 season. BOX SCORE John Brown (66) Miller 4-6 2-6 10, Jackson 5-10 4-6 14, Bartlett 4-12 1-2 9, Rakestraw 1-5 0-0 3, A. Galliguez 5-12 0-0 15, McWoods 0-2 0-0 0, Allen 1-4 2-4 4, T. Galliguez 1-3 0-0 3, Mikutis 3-7 0-0 8 Totals 24-61 9-18 66 Southern Polytechnic St. (71) Jennings 2-9 4-4 8, Koloko 1-2 0-0 2, Rogers 6-15 9-12 22, Dawson 5-9 5-6 16, Lemons 3-10 1-2 8, Hall 1-5 2-2 5, Beacham 0-2 1-2 1, Abbot 4-7 0-0 9 Totals 22-59 22-28 71 3-Point Goals: John Brown 9-28 (A. Galliguez 5, Mikutis 2, Rakestraw 1, T. Galliguez 1) Southern Polytechnic 5-13 (Rogers 1, Dawson 1, Lemons 1, Hall 1, Abbot 1) Rebounds: John Brown 45 (Jackson 9, Bartlett 9, Mikutis 9) Southern Polytechnic 38 (Lemons 8) Assists: John Brown 12 (A. Galliguez 3, McWoods 3) Southern Polytechnic 5 (Rogers 2) Total Fouls: John Brown 20, Southern Polytechnic 19

Azusa Pacific (Calif.) 75 Lee (Tenn.) 70

It wasn’t going to happen this year. In Azusa Pacific’s last three NAIA tournament losses, the Cougars had led at the half only to see the margin evaporate in the final 20 minutes of play. The 2010 quarterfinals were different as No. 13 seed Azusa Pacific never trailed and advanced to its fifth semifinal appearance in 18 trips to “college basketball’s toughest tournament.” The last time the school was there was in 2005, when it finished runner-up. “I’m thankful that we played a great 35 minutes of basketball to get ourselves that lead and that we have a deep team with other guys who were ready to step up and close it out,” said Azusa Pacific Head Coach Justin Leslie. Clutch free throws by David Stafford and Reggie Owens made the difference when Jerel Blocker’s down low basket brought Lee to within three points (73-70) with 23 seconds remaining. The Cougars made just 15 of 28 shots from the charity stripe for the game, but hit the ones that counted most. Azusa Pacific erupted in the first six minutes to run up a double-digit lead, and increased the

margin to 50-31 at halftime via hot shooting (18-34, .529). The Cougars made six baskets from behind the 3-point arc in 16 tries (.375) in the first 20 minutes of action, as three players were already in double-figure scoring. After the intermission, Azusa Pacific increased its lead to 69-45 with less than 10 minutes to play. Senior guard Dominique Johnson, who had 14 points in the first half, made a jumper with 7:28 remaining, and it was the Cougars’ last field goal of the game, as they missed their last five shots. In the meantime, Lee found its shooting eye down the stretch, making 8 of 12 shots, and after going just 1 for 17 from behind the arc, the Flames converted five of their last nine attempts. Sophomore guard Marshall Johnson and Owens led Azusa Pacific in scoring with 16 points apiece, and Dominique Johnson added 15. Junior guard Mike Caffese recorded four steals as his team forced 17 turnovers. Senior forward Josh Nofflet had 15 points for Lee, and Blocker, who had six points before the break, also recorded 15. Stephen McClellan scored all 10 of his points in the final 20 minutes. Larriques Cunningham was the top rebounder in the game with 10 caroms. Lee wound up the 2009-10 season at 28-8.

BOX SCORE Azusa Pacific (75) Burgess 1-6 1-2 3,

Owens 6-8 4-6 16, M. Johnson 6-12 1-5 16, D. Johnson 5-10 3-4 15, Caffese 3-7 1-3 8, Katuala 1-3 3-4 5, Roberts 0-1 0-0 0, Danielian 3-6 0-0 8, Staniland 0-1 0-0 0, Meehl 0-1 0-0 0, Stafford 1-2 2-4 4 Totals 26-57 15-28 75 Lee (70) James 2-4 0-0 5, McClellan 3-13 1-1 10, Cutter 1-2 0-2 2, Nofflet 5-9 5-6 15, Blocker 7-15 0-0 15, Skogen 0-2 0-0 0, Spruill 3-5 1-2 7, Cunningham 1-2 2-2 4, Sharp 0-1 0-0 0, Blue 1-1 3-4 5, Hardy 3-5 0-0 7 Totals 26-59 12-17 70 3-Point Goals: Azusa Pacific 8-24 (M. Johnson 3, D. Johnson 2, Danielson 2, Caffese 1) Lee 6-26 (McClellan 3) Rebounds: Azusa Pacific 31 (Owens 8) Lee 40 (Cunningham 10) Assists: Azusa Pacific 13 (Caffese 4) Lee 14 (Cutter 7) Total Fouls: Azusa Pacific 16, Lee 24

Oklahoma Baptist 59 Biola (Calif.) 54

Large deficits don’t seem to be a problem for No. 3 seed Oklahoma Baptist. For the second straight contest, the Bison rallied from a 15-point or larger deficit to pull out the victory, advancing to the next round as the highest remaining seed. No. 6 seed Biola’s 2-3 zone defense held the favorites to just 25.9 percent shooting in the first half, and a season-low 17 points in the opening period. After the Bison had gone up 13-10 midway through the half, the Eagles flew to a 31-17 lead at intermission thanks to a 21-4 run. “We played average ball early in the game,” said Bison Head Coach Doug Tolin, “but played badly at the end of the half. Give credit to Biola and its defense, but we didn’t move the ball quickly enough. There’s no room for error against a good defensive team.” Biola didn’t stop its onslaught after the intermission, and extended its lead to 16 points on four occasions, the last coming at 4125 on a basket by senior center Rocky Hampton with 13:58 remaining. Oklahoma Baptist started its run and out-scored the Eagles 12-4 to put the deficit at three points (47-44) with 5:15 left. A layup by senior forward Nate Brumfield, off a pass from classmate A.J. Hawkins, made it a new game (49-49) with 3:33 showing on the clock. Senior guard Marlon King converted an “old fashion” 3-point play

2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 17

QUARTE R FI NALS R1 R2

on a layup and a foul shot to put Biola back on top 20 seconds later. Brumfield started an eight-point run that put the Bison back on top to stay, 57-52. Biola missed a shot from behind the arc and Bowman iced the game with a pair of foul shots with 6.8 ticks remaining. The teams exchanged the lead or were tied four times in the final five minutes. Hawkins led Oklahoma Baptist with 20 points, with 15 coming after the intermission. “A.J. made some big plays for us for a long stretch in the second half,” said Tolin. Kevin Swinton pulled down a game-high eight rebounds to go with his 10 points, while Garrett Steinmetz added 12 points. The Bison shot 65 percent in the second half after only hitting 26 percent in the first 20 minutes. King paced the Eagles offense with 21 points, 16 coming before the intermission. He made 8 of 9 field goal attempts, including 2 of 2 from three, and was perfect at the foul line in three attempts. King also contributed four assists and a game-high four steals. Hampton added 12 points. BOX SCORE Biola (54) Miller 3-9 0-1 6, Hampton 6-10

0-0 12, King 8-9 3-3 21, Rakestraw 1-9 0-0 2, Campbell 1-9 2-2 5, Cline 2-2 0-0 4, Martin 0-1 0-0 0, Schroeder 2-3 0-1 4 Totals 23-52 5-7 54 Oklahoma Baptist (59) Bowman 1-4 4-4 6, Brumfield 5-6 1-2 11, Swinton 4-11 2-4 10, Steinmetz 5-9 0-0 12, Hawkins 7-11 2-2 20, Tillmon 0-1 0-0 0, Wilson 0-7 0-0 0, McKay 0-1 0-0 0, Parker 0-0 0-0 0 Totals 22-50 9-12 59 3-Point Goals: Biola 3-16 (King 2, Campbell1) Oklahoma Baptist 6-18 (Hawkins, Steinmetz 2) Rebounds: Biola 23 (Miller 4, Rakestaw 4) Oklahoma Baptist 36 (Swinton 8) Assists: Biola 12 (King 4, Campbell 4) Oklahoma Baptist 11 (Bowman 3, Hawkins 3) Total Fouls: Biola 15, Oklahoma Baptist 13

Robert Morris (Ill.) 109 Southern Nazarene (Okla.) 101

In a game that turned out to be a downtown shootout, Robert Morris became the eighth 15 seed ever to advance to the semifinal round of the tournament—and the only Fab Four team to repeat from a year ago—by defeating Southern Nazarene in the semifinals, 109-101. The Eagles advanced to the semis for the fifth time in the last seven years. With both schools over the century mark, it was the first time that both teams scored over 100 points since Robert Morris hung a 124-119 defeat on Concordia University (Calif.) in four overtimes three years ago. 18 2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Robert Morris made 14 of 26 shots from behind the arc and No. 7 seed Southern Nazarene was 10-for23. The 14 treys were just three off the tournament record. Senior guard Yamani Ball scored 27 points for Robert Morris, with 22 coming after the intermission. His specialty was the foul line, converting 18 of 19 shots. Junior guard Ricardo Laing came off the bench to score 22 points, including six 3-point baskets, and was joined by senior guard Bill Rush with 19 points on four 3-pointers. Robert Morris Head Coach Al Bruehl was concerned going into the game about how much fuel his team had in the tank on day three. He said, “I was happy with our energy because you never know how much you’re going to have in the third game. We broke loose midway through the first half, and I think that separation was the difference in the game.” The Eagles used a 13-4 run to build a 34-22 lead with 9:06 to play in the first half. They stretched this lead to 17 points before settling for a 15-point margin at intermission. Robert Morris was 9-for-15 from behind the arc after 20 minutes of play, and had three players with 10 or more points. The winners kept a comfortable lead until late in the second half, when Southern Nazarene used a quick 8-2 run to get within seven (89-82) with 2:20 remaining. The Crimson Storm then started fouling

the Eagles, which turned disastrous as Robert Morris made good on 18 of 20 shots from the foul line for the rest of the game. Junior guard A.J. Thomas topped the Crimson Storm with 27 points, and sophomore forward Jon West and senior post Jeremy Lightfoot each added 16 points, with the latter grabbing a team-high nine rebounds. The Crimson Storm was deadly at the free throw line, making 23 of 27. Southern Nazarene completed its season at 27-8. The Crimson Storm suffered its first semifinal loss in three tries. The last time a team scored 100 or more points in regulation in a losing effort was Lipscomb University (Tenn.) in 1997. BOX SCORE Southern Nazarene (101) Bulut 4-9 3-3 14, West 6-12 2-2 16, Lightfoot 6-14 4-4 16, Thomas 8-18 7-8 27, Hunter 3-4 3-4 9, White 6-10 2-4 15, N’Gom 0-0 2-2 2, Boen 0-2 0-0 0, Brewer 0-0 0-0 0, Callaghan 1-5 0-0 2 Totals 34-74 23-27 101 Robert Morris (109) Ball 4-10 18-19 27, Rush 6-9 3-6 19, Jones 5-12 3-4 15, Hardiman 2-3 2-7 6, Beard 8-11 1-4 17, Laing 7-9 2-3 22, Mendoza 1-3 0-0 3 Totals 33-57 29-43 109 3-Point Goals: Southern Nazarene 10-23 (Thomas 4) Robert Morris 14-26 (Laing 6) Rebounds: Southern Nazarene 34 (Lightfoot 9) Robert Morris 38 (Hardiman 10) Assists: Southern Nazarene 12 (Hunter 6) Robert Morris 20 (Jones 11) Total Fouls: Southern Nazarene 28, Robert Morris 20

2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 19

TOURNAMENT FINALISTS

THE CURE FOR THE INJURY BUG

11TH

ny coach at any level knows that injuries are a part of the game. For Head Coach Justin Leslie and the Azusa Pacific University men’s basketball team, they were just a slightly bigger part of the game than the Cougars ever could have imagined.

“Everybody got to have a hand in this thing,

a n d a s a re s u l t , i t re a l l y m a d e u s a l o t s t ro n g e r. ”

Over the course of the 38game season, six different Azusa Pacific players went down with injuries, including three starters. To make matters worse, another player, who also could have started, tore his ACL before the season began and was never in the mix. In all, the Cougars played only 10 games with Leslie’s projected preseason starting lineup in tact.

“We had the worst injury-laden year that we’ve ever had here,” Leslie said. “It was just one thing after another. As soon as we felt like we were getting back to full strength, someone else would go down. It was really an extraordinary circumstance.”

Fortunately, the Cougars also had an extraordinary player—Dominique Johnson—to help lead the way. Johnson played in every game, scoring a team-best 17.1 points per game, and was named an NAIA First Team All-American. But that doesn’t mean Johnson had to shoulder the load by himself. Sophomore Marshall Johnson emerged to become an all-conference player, and junior David Stafford was a valued utility player with the versatility to play point guard on offense and then turn around and guard the opposing center on the defensive end. “Everybody got a chance to contribute because we had so many injuries during the season,” Leslie said. “Everybody got to have a hand in this thing, and as a result, it really made us a lot stronger. “I was telling anyone who would listen that I thought this was God’s way of testing the will of our team and putting all these other guys in situations they normally wouldn’t be in,” he continued. “I thought if we could just find a way to get healthy by the end of the year and make it to Kansas City we could make a run. And we did.” Seeded 13th, Azusa Pacific defeated University of the Cumberlands in the first round, upset No. 4 Westminster College in the second and No. 12 Lee University in the quarterfinals, then knocked off upstart Southern Polytechnic State University in the semifinals before falling to Oklahoma Baptist University in the championship game, 84-83. The Cougars had an opportunity to steal the championship away in the final seconds, but Dominique Johnson’s jumper with three seconds to play refused to fall, and Marshall Johnson’s put-back came just after the buzzer. “It was close,” Leslie said. “One more tenth of a second and it would have been good. But, we played our best game of the season, down two starters. The guys gave it everything they had and left it all on the floor. It’d be easy to be haunted by how close it was, but we can sleep well at night knowing we did our best. We’re pretty proud of that.”

20 2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

TOURNAMENT FINALISTS

THE PERFECT 11TH 32-3 2ND 13-3

ay back in October, Azusa Pacific University Head Coach Justin Leslie drew up a play, not knowing when—or if—he would ever use it in a game. Once every two or three weeks, his Cougars would run the play in practice, perfecting the series of movements their coach had mapped out. Then, in the first round of the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, Azusa Pacific found itself locked in a 68-all tie with the University of the Cumberlands, and mere seconds remaining on the clock. Suddenly, it was time. Out of a timeout, guard Mike Caffese set up to inbound the ball in front of the Cougars bench. Meanwhile, junior Reggie Owens lined up on the elbow opposite Caffese, and began eyeing a potential back screen set by Dominique Johnson. And in the midst of all this, Leslie’s mind was racing. “We ran the play out of a box set, very similar to what Cumberlands runs,” he said. “Everything they do in that set is to run a double for their best

As soon as their coach started yelling ‘double,’ and I saw how they adjusted, I leaned over in Mike’s ear, and said, ‘The lob is going to be there.’

H e t h re w i t — h o o k , l i n e , a n d s i n k e r. I t was set up perfect.”

PLAN

player. So I put my best player, Dominique, in the same position where they would put theirs, and immediately they start calling out, ‘Double, double, double.’ “All that did was just set up the back screen,” Leslie continued. “As soon as their coach started yelling ‘double,’ and I saw how they adjusted, I leaned over in Mike’s ear, and said, ‘The lob is going to be there.’ He threw it—hook, line, and sinker. It was set up perfect.” Owens caught the pass and laid the ball in with 1.3 seconds left to give Azusa Pacific a two-point lead, and a pair of Marshall Johnson free throws sealed the Cougars’ victory. Although the 2009-10 season will be remembered for advancing to the national championship game, that wouldn’t have been possible if not for the team’s play in the final seconds of the opening round. For Leslie, watching his team—specifically Owens—come up big in a late-game situation was no surprise. “Reggie has always had a tremendous knack for the game of basketball,” Leslie said. “He knows how to put himself in the right place, and I only have to tell him something or give him a look one time, and he knows what to do. Reggie had five game-winning or game-clinching baskets for us this season— and he missed 10 games with an injury. It was no coincidence.”

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SE M I FI NALS R1

Oklahoma BaPtist 81 Robert morris 79 Oklahoma Baptist recovered from its third consecutive double-digit deficit, it’s second overtime and some fatigue to move into the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship game with an 81-79 victory over Robert Morris Monday night in Municipal Auditorium. Nate Brumfield was 11 of 14 from the field and hit the game-winner with 3.3 seconds left in the overtime to finish with 29 points. Kevin Swinton added 20 and A.J. Hawkins 15. “Nate is just a special player,” said OBU coach Doug Tolin. “He just makes plays and wins games. We decided to get it down there to him and the move he made - some guys can’t make that alone in the gym but he made it with three red shirts flying around him.” OBU trailed by 13 with 7:05 left in the first half, 30-17, but the Bison had been there before. They trailed by 15 in the second round before beating Texas Wesleyan and were down 16 with 14 minutes left in their quarterfinal win over Biola. Swinton converted a three-point play to trigger a 14-0 run, in which he scored seven points, including a monster slam, going high for a rebound and coming down with a dunk. “Once Kevin got going, he really helped us out with some big shots - that dunk on the putback - and some blocks,” Tolin said. There were eight lead changes in the first half with Hawkins scoring the last four in the period to give OBU a 36-35 halftime edge. The Bison had a five-point lead with 5:03 to play in regulation after a couple of free throws by Garrett Steinmetz and a basket by Tyler Parker, but Robert Jones scored and Roy Beard converted a three-point play for a 65-65 tie with 3:06 left. Jacolby Hardiman would score with seconds to play to give RMU a 70-68 lead. Brumfield was fouled going to the basket and converted both free throws with 14.4 seconds left in regulation. The Eagles missed two shots on the final possession. Hawkins hit a three-pointer and Brumfield and Swinton scored inside to give the Bison a 79-72 lead with 2:03 left in the overtime. Hardiman converted 22 2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

another three-point play and Jones made back-to-back baskets to make it a 79-79 contest with 34 seconds left. “We were spent in the overtime; you could see it in our guys’ eyes,” Tolin said. “I asked them if they were giving up and they looked at me like, ‘What are you talking about?’ They got mad at me. I’m proud of the effort they gave out there tonight.” After an OBU timeout, Hawkins whittled down the clock out high and eventually got the ball to Brumfield, who made a quick move, got close and lofted a shot into the goal with 3.3 seconds left. A long heave just inside half court was off the mark and OBU celebrated a spot in the championship game. “I saw their guy jump to the right so I knew the middle was open so that’s where I went,” Brumfield said. “That was my move.” The Bison shot 50 percent from the field (31-62) and until Hawkins’ three-pointer in overtime, were struggling at 10 percent behind the arch. Swinton brought down a dozen rebounds for the Bison. Tim Bowman and Hawkins had three assists each. The loss avenged an overtime quarterfinal setback that Robert Morris dealt the Bison in 2007. By Fred Fehr of the Shawnee News-Star, published March 24,2010

Robert Morris Oklahoma Baptist

NO PLAYER P

FGA

FTA OFF DEF TOT PF TP A TO BK S

22 Ball, Yamani * 6 16 3 8 2 2 24 Rush, Billy * 2 8 1 5 1 2 31 Jones, Robert * 10 22 0 1 2 3 34 Hardiman, Jacolby * 8 11 0 0 1 4 44 Beard, Roy * 3 7 0 0 3 6 10 Laing, Ricardo 1 5 0 2 0 0 12 Mendoza, Daniel 3 4 0 0 0 0 40 Mccrimon, Evin 0 1 0 0 0 0 Team Rebounds Team Totals 33 74 4 16 9 17

NO PLAYER P

FGA

3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0

38 42 36 42 27 18 19 2

225

FTA OFF DEF TOT PF TP A TO BK S

MIN

0 4 3 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 11

0 4 7 4 5 1 1 1 2 25 2 5 9 4 3 0 0 1 1 4 29

2 1 17 1 6 3 6 3 7 3 22 2 10 4 17 5 7 5 9 0 2 2 2 1 4 4 6 0 1 0 0 0 2 41 22 79 12 2 2 6 9 3 29 12 4 20 4 0 8 3 2 15 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 3 1 2 5 40 13 81

3 1 1 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 9

0 2 2 2 5 0 0 0 0 11

MIN

1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0

10 Bowman, Tim * 3 10 0 3 0 0 21 Brumfield, Nate * 11 14 0 0 7 9 23 Swinton, Kevin * 8 13 0 0 4 6 24 Steinmetz, Garrett * 2 4 1 2 3 5 25 Hawkins, Aj * 6 15 1 3 2 3 3 Tillmon, Jerrod 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 Wilson, Emmanuel 0 3 0 2 0 0 11 Mckay, Heath 0 1 0 1 1 2 30 Parker, Tyler 1 1 0 0 0 0 Team Rebounds Team Totals 31 62 2 11 17 25

2 2 0 6 2 1 3 0 0 16

0 6 3 1 3 0 0 0 0

0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 2 1 0 2 0 0 0 0

39 43 35 38 42 3 7 6 11

225

2010 NAIA DI MENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 23

SE M I FI NALS R1

Azusa Pacific UNIVERSIT Y 80 SOUTHERN POLY STATE 68 With his injury-depleted squad feeling the effects of a rigorous tournament, Azusa Pacific University Head Coach Justin Leslie called upon his teammates from 1998 and 1999 and the players he coached as an assistant in 2002 and 2005 to speak to this year’s Cougars through texts, e-mails and voicemails. He called upon them to help push this team one step closer to that elusive national championship. So several hours before the Cougars took the court for their NAIA Men’s Basketball Division I Tournament semifinal matchup against Southern Polytechnic State University, Leslie gathered his team and distributed two pages of selected messages from the more than 150 communications he had received in the previous 36 hours from Cougar alumni with stories of past NAIA Tournaments and words of encouragement. Their point got across. In an impressive performance of heady basketball, Azusa Pacific discarded tournament Cinderella Southern Poly State, 80-68, putting the Cougars back into the NAIA championship game for only the second time in the program’s 45-year history, joining the 2005 team that finished as the national runner-up. Azusa Pacific got its spot in the title game by closing with a 14-2 run over the final three minutes of play. Southern Poly rallied from 14 down in the second half to tie the game at 66, capping a five-minute, 22-8 blitz in which the Hornets replicated a similar formula they employed to upset top-seeded Mountain State University on Friday and then to beat John Brown University in Saturday’s quarterfinals.

24 2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

“I told our team during a time-out, ‘Great, they’ve got us right where they want us, up 14,’” said Leslie with a smile during the postgame press conference. “I think the difference was that the shots that they made to battle back in those games didn’t fall tonight. They were the shots we wanted them to take, but this time they were longer, contested shots, very low percentage shots.” Hornet guards Xavier Dawson and Jas Rogers came in averaging a combined 45 points per game in NAIA Tournament action, and registered 38 against the Cougars, including a game-high 24 for Dawson. However, the duo needed 34 shots to get those 38 points. For the fourth consecutive game, a different Cougar led the team from the gate. Junior Caleb Burgess, the Cougars’ top three-point shooter who had yet to drain a trey in the tournament, knocked down a couple bombs in the first half and then two more in the second half on his way to a team-high 18 points. Though Azusa Pacific didn’t shoot well (37 percent) in the first half, the Cougars continually attacked the basket, picking up seven points at the free throw line, and then kept Southern Poly off the glass, leading to a 34-31 halftime advantage. The two teams traded baskets in the opening minutes of the second half, but a 13-2 run capped by Burgess’ fourth trey of the night pushed Azusa Pacific’s lead to 58-44 with 8:41 left in the game. “I drove to a 24-Hour Fitness Center Saturday night after our game just to get some extra shooting,” said Burgess. “My shot just wasn’t cutting it lately, and I knew we needed more offensive production.” But Southern Poly wasn’t done yet. Dawson scored seven points in 70 seconds, and Rogers hit a threepointer to get the Hornets within four with five minutes left. Later, Dawson converted a three-point play to knot the game at 66. With the outcome now hanging in the balance, Azusa Pacific turned to All-American Dominique Johnson. “They started hitting shots, and I told Dominique it was time for him to step up,” said Leslie. “I told him to be the best player on the floor. And he was. When we needed something, Dominique was the one who delivered.” Johnson followed Dawson’s three-point play with a pull-up jumper at the left elbow to give Azusa Pacific the lead for good at 68-66. David Stafford later knocked down a three-pointer to put the Cougars up 73-68 with 1:45 to play. In all, Azusa Pacific scored the game’s final 10 points.

“I was glad that Dominique kicked that ball out to me,” said Stafford. “I see myself more as a defensive player this year, but I’ve been a shooter all my life and I still feel like I can knock down big shots at the end of games. When it left my hand it felt great. I knew it was going in.” Azusa Pacific, which has made more free throws in this tournament (78) than its opponents have attempted (73), again took advantage of the charity stripe, going 22-for-30 at the line while Southern Poly was just 9-for-11. “We threw the ball to Reggie (Owens) early and often to get them in as much foul trouble as we could and it took about 12 minutes,” said Leslie. “In the second half I kept yelling, ‘There he is, get it to him.’” Southern Poly State, which was making its first NAIA Fab Four appearance, finished its season 29-6 . Revised edition of a story by Gary Pine of the APU Athletics Department, published March 22, 2010

Southern Polytechnic

Azusa Pacific

NO PLAYER P

FGA

FTA OFF DEF TOT PF TP A TO BK S

32 Burgess, Caleb F 7 11 4 6 0 0 01 Owens, Reggie C 4 9 0 1 8 11 21 Johnson, Marshall G 3 7 1 3 2 4 23 Johnson, Dominique G 5 7 1 2 3 4 24 Stafford, David * 2 4 1 3 3 4 04 Katuala, Christian 1 3 0 0 2 2 05 Roberts, Ashton 1 5 1 2 4 4 10 Danielian, Mike 1 4 0 2 0 0 20 Meehl, Zane 1 3 0 1 0 1 Team Rebounds Team Totals 25 53 8 20 22 30

NO PLAYER P

FGA

33 Jennings, Brent F 2 10 0 1 0 40 Koloko, Steeve F 2 4 0 0 0 1 Rogers, Jas G 5 14 4 8 0 3 Dawson, Xavier G 8 20 3 10 5 32 Lemons, Jordan G 2 6 1 4 0 12 Hall, Quincy 0 2 0 1 0 34 Beacham, Darrien 6 8 1 3 2 50 Abbot, Mike 0 2 0 0 2 Team Rebounds Team Totals 25 66 9 27 9

1 0 1 2 1 0 0 1 0

31 28 28 29 24 17 18 18 6

199

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MIN

4 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 12

0 14 5 4 2 1 1 3 0 0 30

1 2 18 0 16 2 16 1 6 2 9 3 5 2 14 4 4 3 8 1 2 1 4 0 1 1 7 3 3 0 2 1 2 0 2 1 4 44 13 80 14

3 7 5 4 3 4 3 4 2 3 4 14 3 4 3 24 4 5 2 5 0 1 0 0 1 2 1 15 0 2 4 2 1 17 29 22 68

2 0 5 2 0 0 1 0 0 10

2 4 1 3 2 1 2 1 0 1 17

MIN

0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 5 2 0 2 2 0 11

1 2 1 1 2 1 0 0 2 4 14

4 0 3 4 0 0 2 0

1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 1 2 4 0 0 1 0

21 23 39 36 37 6 26 11

199

2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 25

champions of character

MORE THAN A

respect responsibility TH

11 32-3 integrity ND 2sportsmanship 13-3

servant leadership

GAME While the on-court action in Kansas City had all the ingredients for a great tourney, including come-from-behind wins, last-second game winning shots, and monumental upsets, players’ off-court actions were just as impressive—if not more so. The character of its athletes is a source of pride for the NAIA, and it’s easy to see why. “Our mission is to change the culture of sports, which sounds somewhat lofty, but is a real challenge,” said John McCarthy, NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament Director. “We have 291 member schools, and if each school really grabs hold of our mission, we can affect 291 campuses and communities in a positive way. Over the 10 years we’ve had the NAIA Champions of Character program, there have been countless examples of awesome character.” For example, take the Evangel University team, which befriended a 10 year-old fan named Christopher Banks. Banks, who was homeschooled this year because of a brain tumor that was causing seizures on an almost weekly basis, started going to the Evangel campus for a physical education class. It was there he met the players, which led to him becoming an honorary member of the team.

Our mission is to change the culture of sports, which sounds somewhat lofty,

but is a re a l challenge.”

The Evangel team held a Coaches vs. Cancer fundraiser during the regular season, raising money for Banks’s ongoing medical treatments. But even better than the fundraiser was the way the student-athletes embraced Banks. He led cheers in their huddles,

26 2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

spoke in the locker room before games and at practices, wore a game jersey, and was an integral member of the team. Banks’s diagnosis was not a bright one, as two teams of doctors considered the tumor inoperable. But early this year, Banks and his family received good news: surgeons in Memphis were ready to remove the tumor. In February, Banks underwent a successful surgery, and the tumor is now gone. He hasn’t had a seizure in weeks and is expected to make a full recovery. The Union University team had a similar experience when it adopted Nicholas Carter, a young boy who has been battling a brain tumor since 2000. Carter was welcomed to the Union team through the Friends of Jaclyn, which helps children with brain tumors start relationships with high school and college athletic teams.

sidebar

Head Coach David Niven contacted Friends of Jaclyn, and after a few months, he learned the team could adopt Carter. After meeting the players before the homecoming game, Carter was presented with a jersey and personalized locker. He became a regular fixture at Union’s home games, taking part in team circle and prayer sessions for the rest of the season, and attended the team banquet at season’s end. “An important thing to remember with all of this is that although community service is an important part of the character puzzle, it’s not the only piece,” McCarthy said. “Going to visit the sick in a hospital or a nursing home is a wonderful thing, but it doesn’t necessarily translate to good character on the court. Our teams take their community service experiences a step further and they really get something important out of it. That’s what sets them apart.” The awesome displays of character didn’t stop once the tournament started. Through the NAIA Champions of Character program, each of the 32 teams visited Kansas City-area YMCAs or hosted local elementary school students at the convention center for athleteled presentations on the importance of good character. Players talked about the five core values of the Champions of Character program— integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership—answered questions from the students, signed autographs, and posed for photographs. Extra fundraising also allowed students to attend tournament games.

One of the highlights of the tournament for McCarthy came on Sunday, when the four teams competing for the national title put on a basketball clinic for special needs children. Special Olympians, members of the YMCA’s Challenge program, and other special needs participants came to the venue for some one-of-a-kind coaching by players from Oklahoma Baptist University, Azusa Pacific University, Robert Morris College, and Southern Polytechnic State University.

Our student-athletes walked out of there with a whole different perspective on life than when they walked in. They realized there are many more important

things in their lives than the game they play.”

“That was one of the most awesome days in the whole tournament,” McCarthy said. “The players ran them through shooting drills, we put on a ball handling clinic, and everyone ate pizza together. There were a lot of high-fives and hugs, and it was really a highlight of the tournament. Our student-athletes walked out of there with a whole different perspective on life than when they walked in. They realized there are many more important things in their lives than the game they play.”

2010 2010 NAIA NAIA DI DI MEN’S MEN’S BASKETBALL BASKETBALL NATIONAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP CHAMPIONSHIP 27 27

R1 R2 QF

BISON HILL’S

crown jewel

National champions. For the first time in 44 years, Oklahoma Baptist University is the crown jewel of the NAIA as winners of the national men’s basketball championship, 84-83, over Azusa Pacific Tuesday night in Municipal Auditorium.

Head Coach Doug Tolin and his team held the big red banner at midcourt in a scene that OBU hadn’t celebrated since Al Tucker and coach Bob Bass defeated Georgia Southern in 1966.

After falling behind for the fourth time in as many games, OBU got the big basket, a big defensive stop and a celebration they won’t forget. OBU trailed by five with 90 seconds left in the game, but tournament MVP Nate Brumfield scored in the paint to make it 83-80 with 1:22 to go. Azusa Pacific missed the front end of a one-and-one and Brumfield got the rebound and Kevin Swinton was fouled with 42 seconds to play. Swinton, who was in pain throughout the game after an injury, was unable to go the free throw line and APU selected Hawkins to take the free throws. Hawkins made the first free throw and missed the second, but the rebound went off the hand of an APU player and Brumfield chased it down in the corner, flung it out to Hawkins, who smoothly dropped in a threepoint shot for an 84-83 lead with 40 seconds on the clock. 28 2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

“I think Nate came from the other side of the lane to get that rebound,” Tolin said. “Last night he made the gamewinning shot and tonight he goes and gets the rebound and makes the pass to A.J. to win it. Last night, A.J. got the ball to him for the game-winner and tonight it was the other way around. That’s what good teams do.” A pass out of bounds gave the ball back to OBU, but the Bison would miss two free throws to give APU one more chance. Dominique Johnson missed near the free throw line and Marshall Johnson got the offensive rebound but the game clock ticked down to zero with the ball still in his hands. His late shot went through the net and forced a quick look at the replay that delayed the celebration for just a few anxious seconds. “It was a great basketball game,” said APU coach Justin Leslie. “We gave it all we had and one play down the stretch was the difference. A threepoint lead with 30 seconds left and they come up with a four-point with a rebound of a missed free throw and that was the difference. When you play a great team like Oklahoma Baptist, it takes only one play. After the official waved off the shot a second time, the Bison celebrated their first national men’s basketball championship since 1966. “I saw the replay as clear as everyone else did, the ball was in Marshall’s hands,” Leslie said. “I’m glad the officials took their time and gave it an honest look. It wasn’t a good basket.” Azusa shot 54 percent from the field in the first half and hit five of nine threepointers to get out to a 47-40 lead after the Cougars had led by as many as eight in the half. The Bison scored the first nine points of the second half as Garrett Steinmetz drained a three-pointer, Brumfield scored down low, Hawkins scored and Steinmetz got a steal and two free throws for a 49-47 OBU lead. There were nine lead changes from there. OBU didn’t slow down the

2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 29

R1 R2 QF

F shooting percentage of APU, which shot 56 percent in the second half, but the Bison forced seven second-half turnovers and shot 63 percent from the field in the second stanza. “We told them at the locker room, that ‘Hey, this isn’t as bad as it has been and we haven’t even played well,” Tolin said. “We got fired up and got out to a quick start in the second half and it was back and forth after that.” Hawkins led the Bison with 21 points, including a seven-of-seven performance from the field in the second half. Kevin Swinton added 19, Brumfield had 15, Steinmetz 14 and Tim Bowman 10. Swinton and Hawkins joined Brumfield on the all-tournament Team. The game was the last for seniors Brumfield, Hawkins, Steinmetz, Tyler Parker and Mirko Vojinovic and a new standard for Kevin Swinton, Jerrod Tillmmon, Emmanuel Wilson, Tim Bowman, Heath McKay, Hayden Blessing, Jake Duvall and Danny Derry as well as coaches Kyle Tolin and Justin Williams. The win gives OBU its second NAIA national championship in men’s basketball and the first since Al Tucker led the Bison to the 1966 crown in the middle of a three-year run of championship game appearances. John Parrish was courtside for both of those titles, this time as voice of the Bison radio/internet broadcasts. “To be fair, when I was fortunate enough to get this job, I felt like I owed it to the program, to Bob Hoffman and all the players and coaches that were there before me, to try to win a national championship and not just be a good program,” Tolin said. “I think Bob would have won four or five by now. We’ve had some very good teams through the years that just didn’t get the breaks here.” The celebration included photos, hugs and a raucous round of the OBU cheer ‘Ka-Rip’ by the more than 250 students and staff from OBU who made the trip. It also included a call to Tolin from Gov. Brad Henry. The win also comes at a time, for the Tolin family, when something glorious was muchneeded. Doug’s daughter, Christie, lost a son just days before he was to be born between the conference and national tournaments. The tragedy isn’t offset by the championship, Coach Tolin said.

30 2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

It’s been very deep valleys

and very high peaks,”

“It’s been a hard week or two. It was good that Christie got to be here and (her husband) Gavin was able to make it.”

OBU’s for at least another season. The red banner heading back to Shawnee joins another 2010 NAIA championship banner bound for the Noble Complex. The Lady Bison track team won the national indoor championship earlier this month .

The Bison leave Kansas City with the banner and the record for national tournament victories in tow, now at 54. Having entered the tournament tied with first-round casualty Georgetown, that record will be

Oklahoma Baptist

Azusa Pacific

NO PLAYER P

FGA

By Fred Fehr of the Shawnee News-Star, published March 24, 2010 FTA OFF DEF TOT PF TP A TO BK S

32 Burgess, Caleb F 1 6 1 4 2 2 01 Owens, Reggie C 8 10 0 0 1 2 21 Johnson, Marshall G 5 7 2 3 0 0 23 Johnson, Dominique G 7 13 2 3 8 9 24 Stafford, David 1 5 0 2 2 2 04 Katuala, Christian 3 4 0 0 1 2 05 Roberts, Ashton 1 1 1 1 2 2 10 Danielian, Mike 2 5 1 2 4 4 15 Staniland, James 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 Meehl, Zane 0 0 0 0 0 0 34 Maynard, Mason 0 0 0 0 0 0 Team Rebounds Team Totals 28 51 7 15 20 23

NO PLAYER P

FGA

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 1 4 0 1 0 1 0 0 0

33 23 23 37 27 16 11 17 3 6 3

200

FTA OFF DEF TOT PF TP A TO BK S

MIN

0 4 3 1 2 1 0 1 1 13

0 3 4 3 6 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 21 3 3 5 1 2 0 0 1 2 17

0 2 5 2 4 4 17 0 5 2 12 1 3 1 24 3 6 4 4 3 6 3 7 0 1 2 5 1 2 3 9 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 0 1 29 23 83 15

MIN

1 2 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

10 Bowman, Tim 3 11 2 8 2 2 21 Brumfield, Nate 6 9 0 0 3 6 23 Swinton, Kevin 8 11 0 0 3 5 24 Steinmetz, Garrett 4 10 2 8 4 5 25 Hawkins, Aj 8 12 1 4 4 8 4 Wilson, Emmanuel 2 3 1 2 0 2 11 Mckay, Heath 0 1 0 1 0 0 30 Parker, Tyler 0 0 0 0 0 0 Team Rebounds Team Totals 31 57 6 23 16 28

0 1 1 0 0 3 1 1 0 0 0 1 8

3 1 10 5 7 3 15 1 8 2 19 0 2 4 14 4 4 3 21 3 1 3 5 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 30 16 84 14

1 2 3 0 1 0 0 1

0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0

1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1

39 29 34 35 36 9 1 16

200

2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 31

THE champions

TheIR T I M E F

inally, it’s Oklahoma Baptist University’s turn to bask in the glory of an NAIA Division I national championship. The Bison had been knocking on the door for the past decade: eight tournament appearances in the previous eight years, including a runner-up finish in 2002 and a semifinal game appearance in 2006. After waiting its turn in line, patience paid off in a big way for OBU.

We played a lot of close games...

everything went our way for a change,” said D o u g To l i n .

After a back-and-forth contest that featured nine lead changes and saw Azusa Pacific University lead by as many as eight points, finally tasting the sweetness of the ultimate win was almost too much for Head Coach Doug Tolin. “I’m still not sure exactly how to describe the feeling,” said Tolin, who was also named NAIA Coach of the Year. “We’ve been on the other side before, so I knew how it felt to lose that game, but didn’t have any idea how neat it would be to win it. This is what we’ve been working so hard for.”

The way the championship game ended somehow seemed fitting. After waiting for over 40 years, what was another few minutes? Tolin, who has been at the helm at OBU since 2000, had watched the game clock tick down to zero before he started celebrating, but the Bison cheers were cut short mere seconds later. At debate was whether the clock actually read 00:00 when an Azusa Pacific University player made a final shot to win the contest. “After the officials told me they were going to review it, I thought, ‘Oh man, did I quit watching too early?’” Tolin said. “They showed it on the big screen in the arena while the officials were looking at the monitor and I really couldn’t tell looking at it if the shot was in time or not. Of course, the longer it took them to review it, the more concerned I became.” But the Bison and their fans were afforded a second (and much longer) celebration minutes later when the officials declared the shot no good. “Those guys got it right,” he said. “They did what they were supposed to do by checking the monitor and being very careful to make sure they got it right.” A lot seemed to go right at the right times for OBU this year, Tolin remarked after the season. “We played a lot of close games down the stretch and it seemed like everything went our way for a change,” he said. “In the past, the bounce of the ball or a call or a big shot that looked like it shouldn’t have gone in never seemed to go our way, but this year that bounce or call or shot did go our way.” In three of the team’s final four tournament games, the Bison battled back from double-digit deficits. Two of those wins came in overtime, including a nerve-racking contest against Robert Morris College in the semifinals.

32 2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

After battling back from 13 points down, NAIA Division I Player of the Year Nate Brumfield converted two free throws for the Bison to tie the game with 14 seconds left in regulation. Midway through overtime, OBU had jumped ahead by five points, but three unanswered baskets by Robert Morris tied the game with 34 seconds on the clock. Tolin called a timeout to allow his players to regroup, and Brumfield’s ability to perform under pressure was then put to the test. After running some time off the clock, Brumfield received the ball at half-court. With three seconds left, he hit a 10-foot jumper. Robert Morris missed a half-court three-pointer and OBU was in the final. For OBU, it’s been a whirlwind ever since the championship. “It’s been beyond busy—in a good way,” Tolin said. “I’ve been getting phone calls, e-mails, text messages, just on and on and on. There are a lot of years no one says a word to you after the season is over, so we’re enjoying every last minute of this.”

It’s been beyond busy – in a good way. I’ve been getting phone calls, e-mails, text messages, just on and on and on.”

2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 33

THE champions By Carla Hinton, The Oklahoman. (Note: This is a condensed version of an article that appeared in the The Oklahoman on April 3, 2010)

LESSONS These days, the young man said he has a feeling that his f a t h e r w o u l d b e

p ro u d o f h i m .

“I just felt like with my father passing away, my faith in God prevailed and helped me to get to where I am today,” he said. Hawkins, 24, has been playing basketball for so long that he can’t really remember the first time he held a ball in his hands and took his first shot. He said he only remembers that he wanted to play basketball like his big brother Adam Hawkins and his dad, who had played ball at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond and East Central State University in Ada.

klahoma Baptist University’s A.J. Hawkins caught a quick pass from his teammate and set up for a 3-pointer.

The ball swirled out of the senior’s hands and swished through the net as the game-winning shot that earned the NAIA championship for the OBU Bison men’s basketball team March 23. As the Bison’s celebration began, Hawkins could imagine his father cheering louder than anyone. But his dad and namesake wasn’t among the jubilant family members at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. Hawkins’ father, the Rev. Ananias Hawkins Jr., died of a heart attack the day after Thanksgiving 2002. A.J. Hawkins said all of the lessons he gleaned from his dad — on and off the court — seemed to come to fruition in the final moments of that championship game. And Hawkins said he again saw the worlds of basketball and faith collide.

34 2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 34 2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Hawkins said he played for Millwood High School’s legendary coach Varryl Franklin, and his dad would sit courtside and watch the team’s practices. He said he would invariably find after practice that his father had more skill work for him to do. “He would monitor my practice and tell me what I needed to work on. He came in there with a pen and a pad, a yellow notepad.” Hawkins said his dad knew that continuing to work on his skills, even after a tiring practice, would pay off, particularly in knock-down, drag-out games with fierce opponents. Hawkins said those basketball lessons came to the forefront after his dad’s death. “It gave me the mind-set that I could keep working even after he passed away.” Hawkins said his father also shared lessons of life and faith. He said he learned much from watching his father serve as a longtime assistant pastor at Jesus Church Ministries in Oklahoma City and then establish a church, Unity Christian Center, and serve as its senior

on and off the court pastor. He said they prayed together each night and regularly talked about what the son had learned through his personal Bible study time. Hawkins said he was devastated after his father’s death, though hisTH mother and pastor, the Rev. Susan Hawkins, and his siblings sought comfort together.

11 32-3sometimes I felt alone,” he said. “Definitely, He said he for the comfort of his faith — and 2NDreached the familiarity of his hoops dreams. “I felt like when I played basketball, it made me feel 13-3 closer to my dad. It was what he was known for.”

Hawkins said he went to St. Bonaventure University in St. Bonaventure, N.Y., and made sure he got the number 25 because that was his dad’s jersey number. He said his collegiate career hit some rough patches, but he persevered. Hawkins said he was in a quandary when his coach at St. Bonaventure got fired. He transferred to Wichita State University in Wichita, Kan., and sat out one year as required by NCAA rules, before playing his junior year for the Shockers. Last year, knowing that his brother and OBU graduate Adam had played basketball for the OBU Bison, he considered transferring to the Shawnee university. By this time, he was married to the former Kristen Ponder-Moore. (They wed in 2008 and have a 6-month-old son). Hawkins said he and OBU Coach Doug Tolin met and saw eye to eye, and a good basketball match was made. Hawkins will be leaving OBU in May with an NAIA championship ring and a bachelor’s degree in business administration. These days, the young man said he has a feeling that his father would be proud of him, on and off the court. “Being on that court and knowing that he’s looking over me ...,” he said, his voice trailing off. “I can definitely see him smiling at me, and he would say, ‘All that hard work I made you do paid off, and now you can’t be mad at me.’ Having faith in God will get you through anything.”

2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 35 2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 35

THE champions

TRUE TEAM EFFORT S

enior forward Nate Brumfield became a very familiar name to NAIA basketball followers by the end of the tournament. After making the TH last-second game-winning shot in OBU’s semifinal win 11 over Robert Morris College and assisting on the threeshot that gave OBU the one-point win over 32-3 point Azusa Pacific University and the national title, he took the tournament MVP award and was named 2ND home NAIA Division I Player of the Year.

13-3 But Brumfield wasn’t OBU’s only superstar this season. Fellow starters A.J. Hawkins, Kevin Swinton, Garrett Steinmetz, and Tim Bowman put on shows of their own this season. Hawkins and Brumfield proved to be a dynamic duo as the tournament wore on. Hawkins made OBU’s last shot of the season on the assist from Brumfield, and fed Brumfield for the game-winner in the Bison’s semifinal win. Steinmetz and Bowman also tallied 14 and 10 points in the championship game, respectively. Hawkins and Swinton were named to the alltournament team along with Brumfield. Four of the five starters logged over 1,000 minutes on the floor during the season, helping OBU to outscore its opponents by an average margin of almost 19 points. “This year was really unique in that all five of these guys are really good players,” Tolin said. “The day Garrett Steinman signed with us, an NCAA Division I program was coming in to try and talk him out of it. Tim Bowman’s cousin is Allen Iverson. A.J. Hawkins comes in here working hard every single day. Each of them are special in their own way. “All of these guys probably sacrificed a little bit of what they could have done on their own to be true team players,” he continued. “I couldn’t have asked for a better group of kids who were all willing to work together for a national championship.”

36 2010 NAIA NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 36 2010 DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 36 2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

All of these guys probably sacrificed a little bit of what they could have done on their own

to be true team players.”

THE champions

A FAMILY AFFAIR Having a family bond among coaches and players no 11THdoubt helped the Bison 32-3to their n a t i o n a l

championship in 2NDM a rc h . ” 13-3

aybe there’s something in the water in Shawnee, Oklahoma. It couldn’t be the average low of 26 degrees Shawnee residents see in January, could it? Whatever the case, Oklahoma Baptist University basketball blood runs thick among the Tolins—starting with the coaching staff. Head Coach Doug Tolin’s son Kyle is his right-hand man as the team’s assistant coach. And actually, the older Tolin can’t remember much of his coaching career that didn’t include Kyle in some way. “I coached him in high school, then I coached him for four years at OBU, and now he’s been on my staff for six years,” he said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve gone to the gym and Kyle hasn’t been there.” Though he’ll admit it’s nice to be able to spend a lot of time with his son, Tolin says one of the best parts about having Kyle on staff is what a good job he does. “He recruited all these guys that played for us this year,” he said. “He’s their first contact point as the assistant coach, and he’s obviously done a great job with that, which makes our relationship even better.” Tolin’s daughter Christy also played basketball for the Lady Bison before graduating two years ago. She played in the NAIA women’s tournament all four years she was on the team and was an academic All-American. “Christy had a great experience at OBU,” Tolin said. “She was a good enough player that she generated some interest from other teams coming out of high school, but she had been to a lot of OBU men’s and women’s games and thought it would be neat to go to school here. The best part for me is that I got to see her play in college. I wouldn’t have been able to see her play many games if she went elsewhere.”

Having a family bond among coaches and players no doubt helped the Bison to their national championship in March. “As they say, blood is thicker than water,” Tolin said. “Family has made this experience that much more special.”

2010 2010 NAIA NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 37 37 DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 37

cougars

AZUSA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY Azusa, California Golden State Athletic Conf. Head Coach: Justin Leslie Assistant Coaches: Jeff Rutter, Peter Bond, Ryan Smith

NO. PLAYER

quick f acts

18th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

28-10

OVERALL RECORD

CONFERENCE FINISH

1 4 5 10 15 20 21 23 24 25 32 34 35

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN/ PREVIOUS SCHOOL

Reggie Owens F Christian Katuala F Ashton Roberts G Mike Danielian G James Staniland F/G Zane Meehl G Marshall Johnson G Dominique Johnson G David Stafford G Mike Caffese G Caleb Burgess F Mason Maynard C David Gantt F

6-5 6-4 5-9 6-2 6-6 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-3 5-10 6-5 6-8 6-7

270 205 185 190 200 170 190 185 210 180 210 220 185

Jr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Fr. Sr. So. Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr.

Memphis, Tenn./Southwest Tennessee CC Fontana, Calif./Etiwanda HS Pacific Palisades, Calif./Palisades Charter HS Van Nuys, Calif./CS Fullerton Ventura, Calif./Ventura HS Maroochydore, Australia/Mid-Continent Riverside, Calif./Palisades Charter HS Detroit, Mich./Southwest Tennessee CC Walnut Creek, Calif./Las Lomas HS Lodi, Calif./Tokay HS Santa Ana, Calif./Calvary Chapel HS Glendale, Ariz./Loyola Marymount Corona, Calif./Santiago HS

Coach Leslie Reflects top on-the-court highlight: Getting the opportunity to play in the Fab Four and National Championship game.

team’s favorite part of the tournament: Making it to the national

championship game. We also really enjoyed the day at the YMCA, and the Special Olympics the day before the Fab Four.

top highlight prior to tournament: Making a late season run to win

14-6

CONFERENCE RECORD

We’ve been tested and been in those situations many times where you either come together or pull apar t. These guys continue to come together at the right time.”

Head Coach Justin Leslie, from the Azusa Pacific Clause

the GSAC tournament.

team’s season mvp: Dominique Johnson exemplifies champions of character: Ashton Roberts because of his “team first” mentality, and the respect his teammates have for him.

summing up success: We battled through

injuries most of the year, but that gave other players the chance to gain valuable experience that proved invaluable during the tournament. Our late-season and conference tournament successes carried us into the National Tournament, where we were able to play our best basketball of the season.

warriors

BACONE COLLEGE MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA RED RIVER ATHLETIC CONF. Head Coach: Alan Foster Assistant Coaches: Juan Davis & Solomon Horsechief

NO. PLAYER

10 11 12 15 20 21 22 24 30 31 32 34 41 44

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN

Gerry Allen Stephen Richardson Nick Kannady Chad Tyler Dallas Juniel Josh Elix Kevin Stallings Jonathan Weekes Milen Brown Pacer Eubanks Ronnie Battle Derek Walker La’Charleston Tumblin Terrance Roby

G G F G G G G F G G F G F F

5-9 5-9 6-3 5-11 6-4 6-3 6-2 6-7 6-2 6-3 6-4 6-2 6-6 6-8

150 175 173 155 173 178 170 190 215 180 225 210 165 280

Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. So. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. So. Fr. Jr.

Little Rock, AR Montclair, CA Macomb, OK Houston, TX Little Rock, AR Duncan, OK Lawton, OK Cruepe, Trinidad Springfield, MO Stilwell, OK Elgin, OK Midwest City, OK Queen City, TX Crowder, OK

quick f acts

1st

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

19-13

OVERALL RECORD

Coach FOSTER Reflects top on-the-court highlight: Walking onto the floor with the other 31 teams that qualified.

highlight prior to the tournament: Coming from behind,

down eight with 1:51 to go, and winning the conference tournament.

best off-the-court moment during season: Seeing the sights of

4th

CONFERENCE FINISH

14-6 CONFERENCE RECORD

Branson, Mo., as a team.

tournament clutch performers: Ronnie Battle and Chad Tyler. exemplifies champions of character: Chad Tyler always exhibits

the character traits of integrity, responsibility, and servant leadership.

summing up success: After starting our conference schedule 0-5, we won 12 games in a row, starting in February and going all the way through our first national tournament berth.

The most talented team we’ve had at Bacone. I don’t know if I thought we would win 12 in a row, but ... I felt this team had the ability.” Head Coach Alan Foster, from the Muskogee Phoenix

blazers

BELHAVEN UNIVERSITY Jackson, Mississippi Gulf Coast Athletic Conf. Head Coach: Tom Kelsey Assistant Coach: John Aiken

quick f acts

2nd

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

24-10

OVERALL RECORD

3rd

CONFERENCE FINISH

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN

0 1 2 3 12 21 22 23 24 30 34 35 42 45

G F G G F F F F G F F C G C

Bobby Grier Woodie Howard Rob Wallace Krayleon Winston AJ Taylor Tensley Cowan Michael Rivers Josh Luckett Larell Bailey Isaiah Rice Nathaniel Roch’e Terence Stringfellow Detrick Johnson John Jibol

6-0 6-2 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-4 6-6 6-5 6-2 6-7 6-8 6-8 6-2 6-7

180 185 155 180 190 215 190 195 190 175 235 220 160 215

Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Sr.

Atlanta, GA Starkville, MS New Orleans, LA Jackson, MS Cahokia, IL Jackson, MS Tuscaloosa, AL Carthage, MS North Little Rock, AR Jackson, MS New Orleans, LA Memphis, TN Clinton, MS Southern Sudan

Coach Kelsey Reflects top on-the-court highlight: Walking in the Parade of Champions and seeing all the other championship teams.

highlight prior to the tournament: Setting the school record

for wins in a season.

12-6 CONFERENCE RECORD

Our philosophy is that we come at you in waves ... We play a lot of people and we’re going to keep coming at you.” Head Coach Tom Kelsey, from the Jackson,MS

Clarion-Ledger

best off-the-court moment: Watching bids on the telecast and

doing our Champions of Character service project in Kansas City.

overall mvp during the season: Nate Roche. exemplifies champions of character: John Jibol was the ultimate

team player and role model on our team. He sacrificed himself for the good of the team as a great practice player and motivator each day.

summing up success: First

appearance in the National Tournament in 38 years.

eagles

BIOL A UNIVERSITY La Mirada, California Golden State Athletic Conf. Head Coach: Dr. Dave Holmquist Assistant Coaches: BJ Foster, Jim Larson, Don Johnson

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL

2 3 11 15 24 25 32 33 34 41 44 50 52

G G F G G G F G F F F F C

Tim Island Marlon King David Cline Clay Martin Nate Rakestraw Elliot Tan Josh Miller Danny Campbell David Cone Terron Sutton Andrew Schroeder Josh Pixler Rocky Hampton

6-5 5-9 6-7 6-1 6-4 5-10 6-7 6-4 6-9 6-9 6-9 6-6 6-9

220 180 225 185 215 175 240 200 225 240 230 205 240

Sr. Sr. So. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Fr. So. Jr. So. Sr.

San Diego, Calif./San Diego State Univ. San Diego, Calif./Eastlake HS Rogers, Ark./University of Ark. - Ft. Smith Beaverton, Ore./Corban College Siloam Springs, Ark./University of Ark. Taichung, Taiwan/Morrison Christian Acad. Chino Hills, Calif./University of San Diego Orange, Calif./Mater Dei HS Paso Robles, Calif./Paso Robles HS Torrance, Calif./Loyola Marymount Univ. Palm Desert, Calif./Palm Desert HS La Mirada, Calif./Troy HS Lake Arrowhead, Calif./Temescal Canyon HS

quick f acts

17th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

29-6

OVERALL RECORD

Coach Holmquist Reflects top on-the-court highlight: Playing well and winning our second round game in the tournament.

2nd

CONFERENCE FINISH

top highlight prior to tournament:

The success of the entire season was very rewarding for all of our coaches and players.

tournament clutch performer: Rocky Hampton and Marlon King.

exemplifies champions of character: Elliot Tan was one of our

recipients of the Character Scholarship provided by the Pattison family. He is an excellent student and has been heavily involved in Christian service both on our campus and internationally.

summing up success: We finished with a 29-6 record and were 16-4 in the GSAC (second place). We advanced to the third round of the NAIA National Tournament where we lost to Oklahoma Baptist, the eventual champion.

16-4 CONFERENCE RECORD It’s been a pleasure watching those young men grow. They’re all high-character guys who have given much to this program.” Head Coach Dave Holmquist, from the Pasadena Star-News

tigers

CAMPBELLSVILLE UNIVERSITY Campbellsville, kentucky Mid-South Conference Head Coach: Keith Adkins Assistant Coaches: Bryan Milburn, Jeremy Monceaux, Justin Watson

quick f acts

8th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN/ PREVIOUS SCHOOL

1 2 3 4 15 21 23 30 32 40 44

G G G G F F F F F C C

T.J. Bishop Caleb Harris Shawn Savage Adrian Whelan Jordan Benock Justin Vitatoe Leon Hart Brett Crittenden Ja Vaughn Espritt Jonas Bohm Nestor Colmenares

5-10 5-11 5-10 5-10 6-2 6-4 6-5 6-4 6-6 6-9 6-8

175 175 170 170 185 190 215 190 210 235 235

Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. So. Jr. Jr. Jr. So. Sr.

Boynton Beach, Fla. / Missouri Western Chicago, Ill. / Kennedy-King College Bowling Green, Ky. / Bowling Green High Brandenburg, Ky. / Meade County High Battletown, Ky. / Taylor University Albany, Ky. / Clinton County High School Hayward, Calif. / Ohlone College Tribune, Kan. / Pratt Community College Lancaster, Calif. / Antelope Valley College Berlin, Germany Caracas, Venezuela / Indian Hills College

26-8

OVERALL RECORD

CONFERENCE FINISH

12-6 CONFERENCE RECORD It’s hear t, soul, guts, determination – all those words you can use to describe a good win or a great performance, and throw them out there about this basketball team.” Head Coach Keith Adkins 42

Coach Adkins Reflects top highlight prior to tournament: Winning the regular season

Mid-South Conference championship.

best off-the-court moment: The post-season Mid-South Conference banquet. Nestor Colmenares was named Mid-South Conference Player of the Year. Nestor and T.J. Bishop were awarded first team all-conference. Jordan Benock and Brett Crittenden were named academic all-conference. And, of course, we received our regular season championship trophy. team’s season mvp: Nestor Colmenares. He did so much for us. exemplifies champions of character: Jordan Benock understands

the importance of education, as well as the five core values of being a Champion of Character. He has always been able to juggle the demands of being a student, an athlete, and a role model.

runnin ’ eagles

CENTRAL METHODIST UNIVERSITY FAYETTE, MISSOURI Heart of America athletic Conf. Head Coach: Jeff Sherman Assistant Coaches: Charlie Wilson, Sam McMahon, Mark Mueller, Ryan Peterson

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN/ PREVIOUS SCHOOL

1 2 3 4 5 10 11 15 20 23 24 31 32 33 34

G/F G G G G G F G G F G F F F F

Mike Regan Matt Sherman Curtis Smith Eric Franklin Tyler Bredehoeft Alvin Brass Daniel Pierre Nic Dykman Jake Prosser Lucas Dahl Joe Howell Nick Stellwagen Brock Edris Derek Kitch Jake Clark

6-5 6-0 5-8 5-8 6-0 5-11 6-4 6-2 6-0 6-6 6-0 6-3 6-4 6-5 6-4

200 215 150 165 180 185 200 180 185 215 185 195 205 200 230

So. Sr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Fr. Jr.

Knob Noster, Mo./Knob Noster HS Fayette, Mo./Fayette HS LaBelle, Mo./Highland HS Columbia, Mo./Hickman HS Alma, Mo./Concordia University (Neb.) Lake Charles, La./So. University at Shreveport Orlando, Fla./Otero Junior College Springfield, Mo./Springfield Catholic HS St. Charles, Mo./St. Louis CC-Meramec Jefferson City, Mo./William Woods University Parma, Mo./New Madrid County HS Verona, Mo./Verona HS Carthage, Ill./John Wood CC Hallsville, Mo./Hallsville HS St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell HS

Coach Sherman Reflects tournament highlights: The college basketball experience, power and light district, community service project, Municipal Auditorium, along with the NAIA atmosphere!

best off-the-court moments: Going to

Colorado over Thanksgiving break. Watching the ESPN ticker following our 80-74 victory over NCAA Division I University of Central Arkansas.

overall mvp during the season: Matt

Sherman.

team slogan: Player Harder–Player Smarter–Player Together–Play to Win!!!

summing up success: Heart of America Conference Champions. NAIA Nationally ranked No. 13 in the final poll. Back-to-back appearance in the NAIA National Tournament. 17-3 conference record and 24-9 overall. Matt Sherman, First team HAAC and HM All-American back-to-back years, led NAIA in threepoint percentage and most made. Lucas Dahl, Second Team HAAC. Team No. 1 in NAIA for three-point shooting percentage, Top 5 in field goal percentage and free throw percentage, and No. 2 defensive team in the NAIA!

quick f acts

6th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

24-9

OVERALL RECORD

1st

CONFERENCE FINISH

17-3 CONFERENCE RECORD Because I coach great kids, it feels as though I haven’t worked a day in my life. The guys on my team make my job so easy.” Head Coach Jeff Sherman, from The Daily Sentinel 43

eagles

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY IRVINE, CALIFORNIA Golden StATE ATHLETIC ConF. Head Coach: Ken Ammann Assistant Coaches: Chris Victor, Don Frank, Phil Frieson

NO. PLAYER

quick f acts

8th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

31-4

00 3 10 12 14 20 22 23 24 32 33 34 40

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN/ PREVIOUS SCHOOL

Andre Murillo C Cameron Gliddon F Michael Johnson G Karlos Grier G Austin Simon G A.J. Gasporra G Justin Johnson G Aaron Deister G Terrence Worthy G Brandon Hucks F Dominic Cruz-Duncan F Ben Smith C Kaptan Kaster G/F

6-7 6-5 6-1 5-9 6-2 6-2 6-2 6-0 5-9 6-4 6-5 6-8 6-2

240 190 175 170 170 185 170 170 175 220 210 230 180

So. So. Sr. So. So. Jr. Jr. Fr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Fr.

Lake Forest, CA/El Toro HS Bunbury, Australia/Bunbury Senior HS Spokane, WA/Gonzaga Prep Fresno, CA/Central HS San Jose, CA/Valley Christian HS Cerritos, CA/Texas-San Antonio Tustin, CA/Citrus CC Dayton, OH/Dayton Christian HS San Jose, CA/Valley Christian HS Long Beach, CA/Irvine Valley HS San Francisco, CA/West Valley CC Perth, Australia/Warnbro HS Alpine, CA/Steele Canyon HS

OVERALL RECORD

1st

CONFERENCE FINISH

Coach Ammann Reflects top on-the-court highlight: Seeing the bench produce in the loss to Robert Morris.

team’s favorite part of the tournament: good William Jewell team, which was a tough draw.

top highlight prior to tournament:

18-2

CONFERENCE RECORD That was the best regular season that we’ve ever had ... We had great, unselfish seniors. It was the most enjoyable season I’ve ever had coaching.” Head Coach Ken Ammann

game-winning half-court buzzer beater at Cal Baptist.

best off-the-court moment: game-winner.

Beating a

Justin Johnson’s

Celebration after Johnson’s

tournament clutch performer: A.J. Gasporra team’s season mvp: Justin Johnson exemplifies champions of character: Terrence Worthy – On- and off-court leader.

summing up success: It was the

best regular-season in school history and our third GSAC Championship in the past four years.

patriots

UNIVERSITY OF THE CUMBERL ANDS WILLIAMSBURG, KENTUCKY MID-SOUTH Conf. Head Coach: Don Butcher Assistant Coaches: Mark Vernon, Daniel Russ

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN

00 1 3 5 10 13 14 20 21 22 23 32

G G G F G F G F F G F G

Adrian Graves Travis Harvey Chad Byron Rodney Jones Clark Stepp Tanner Jacobs Nathaniel Mitchell Benard Cherry Andrew Prestley Dustin Fothergill Brandon Russ Anthony Snell

6-4 6-3 6-2 6-7 6-3 6-7 5-9 6-6 6-5 6-2 6-8 6-1

205 195 200 185 185 230 185 225 195 190 245 180

Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr.

Cincinnati, OH Decatur, GA Louisville, KY Port Deposit, MD Pippa Passes, KY Louisville, KY Toronto, Canada Bronx, NY East Hodge, LA Somerset, KY Cincinnati, OH Jonesboro, GA

quick f acts

20th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

21-11

OVERALL RECORD

Coach Butcher Reflects top on-the-court highlight: Rebounding a missed shot with the score tied and eight seconds remaining.

best off-the-court moment:

1st

CONFERENCE FINISH

Having our players volunteer at the local middle school to help reading awareness.

tournament clutch performers: Dustin Fothergill and Brandon Russ.

overall mvp during the season: Chad Byron. team slogan: TNT, which stands for “Today Not Tomorrow.” summing up success: Our team had a very good season and

accomplished some good things because of hard work and unselfishness.

9-5

CONFERENCE RECORD We had another successful season. ... The players displayed a lot of hard work, discipline, and dedication. I am especially proud of our seniors and their ability to be leaders on and off the court.” Head Coach Don Butcher, via Cumberlands Athletics

crusaders

EVANGEL UNIVERSITY SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI HEART OF AMERICA ATHLETIC ConF. Head Coach: Steve Jenkins Assistant Coaches: Steve Guase, Preston Ingram, Steve Yang

NO. PLAYER

quick f acts

1st

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

20-13

OVERALL RECORD

2nd

CONFERENCE FINISH

14-5

CONFERENCE RECORD Our kids have improved. We’ve come a long way from where we were when we star ted the season. These guys have worked hard, gotten better, and they believe in each other.” 46

Head Coach Steve Jenkins

1 3 4 10 11 12 14 15 20 21 24 32 33 34 42

POS. HT.

Jordan Fielding G Victor Agbasi G Josh Veurink C Cale Ramsey G Jayme Donnelly G Mitch McHenry G Spud Harbour G Allen Van Gundy G Johnathan Huskisson F Cameron Allison F Chad Gillaspy F Mike Storey C Taylor Sirois F Josh Kleine C Scottie Blakeslee F

6-1 6-2 6-8 5-10 6-3 5-10 5-11 6-2 6-5 6-6 6-6 6-8 6-5 6-7 6-7

WT. CL. HOMETOWN 180 190 220 160 170 175 175 175 205 205 215 230 210 235 220

Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Fr. So. Jr. So. Jr. Fr. Jr. Jr. So. Jr. Fr.

Springfield, Missouri Tulsa, Oklahoma Wyoming, Michigan Republic, Missouri Linn, Missouri Republic, Missouri Springfield, Missouri Des Moines, Iowa Willard, Missouri Beaverton, Oregon Miller, Missouri Florence, Kentucky Salem, Missouri Mt. Vernon, Missouri Springfield, Missouri

Coach Jenkins Reflects top highlight prior to tournament: The 83-80 win over William

Jewell in front of a capacity crowd that clinched a berth to the national tournament.

team’s season mvp: Spud Harbour. exemplifies champions of character: Mitch McHenry with his effort, attitude and performance on and off the court.

phrase that fueled your team’s success: 1, 2, 3, Coach is the Best—Our players often broke a huddle with that phrase as a tribute to coach Jenkins for all he does for his players and what he has accomplished as a head coach at Evangel.

summing up success: Evangel’s 20

wins marked a record fifth straight year the program has won 20 or more games. This was Evangel’s first trip to the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City as a NAIA Division I member.

sunbirds

FRESNO PACIFIC UNIVERSITY FRESNO, CALIFORNIA GOLDEN STate ATHLETIC Conf. Head Coach: Jim Saia Assistant Coaches: Chris Wright, Will Hooker, Aaron Henderson

NO. PLAYER

3 4 11 15 20 22 32 33 34 42

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN/ PREVIOUS SCHOOL

Adrian Hernandez PG Jesse Childs PG Adrian Hurtado PG James Lewis Jr. G Jordan Wild F Alex Davenport G Joey Parker G Todd Brown F Craig Ash F/C RouSean Cromwell C

6-3 6-3 6-1 6-3 6-8 6-5 5-9 6-6 6-7 6-10

190 195 225 190 215 190 175 200 210 235

Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr.

Quebradillas PR / University of Tulsa Phoenix AZ / University of Wisconsin Green Bay Planada CA / Clovis East High School Los Angeles CA / LA Trade Tech Junior College Kingsburg CA / Hallmark High School Detroit MI / Fort Hays State University Fresno CA / Vanguard University Modesto CA / Modesto Christian High School Pontiac MI / Northwood University Memphis TN / University of Southern California

quick f acts

3rd

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

25-9

OVERALL RECORD

Coach Saia Reflects top highlight prior to tournament: Beating the No. 1 and No. 9 teams in Las Vegas earlier in the season.

4th

CONFERENCE FINISH

best off-the-court moment: Our team

retreat to Pismo, Calif., in preseason, where many of our players accepted Christ and were baptized in the ocean.

team’s season mvp: Todd Brown was the hardest worker and most consistent all season.

exemplifies champions of character: Todd Brown—His life on and off the court exemplifies what the NAIA is all about. He is also a great leader by setting example for his teammates. summing up success: We were privileged enough to be invited to the national tournament for only the third time in school history. We finished the season with the second most wins in school history (25).

13-7

CONFERENCE RECORD We had a great year. Unfor tunately we just fell a little bit shor t in the Second Round. I’m extremely proud of the adversity our guys were able to overcome throughout the season.” Head Coach Jim Saia

tigers

GEORGETOWN COLLEGE GEORGETOWN, KENTUCKY MID-South ConF. Head Coach: Happy Osborne Assistant Coaches: KC Goodin, Chris Briggs

quick f acts

29th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

26-7

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT.

WT. CL. HOMETOWN

01 02 03 04 11 12 15 20 22 25 34 35

PG G G PG G F G G G/F G/F F F

150 205 210 185 185 255 210 190 190 215 231 215

Eddie Gray Hollis Giles Matt Walls Johonne Hamilton Dillon Boggs Vic Moses Kyle Saxton Nick Smith Teshawn Byron Jamel Ferguson Vincent Crutcher Shawn Outen

5-7 6-3 6-3 6-1 6-0 6-6 6-4 6-3 6-5 6-4 6-4 6-7

Jr. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. So. Sr. So. So. Sr. Jr. Jr.

Cincinnati, Ohio Houston, Tx Georgetown, Ky Louisville, Ky Marietta, Ga. Lexington, Ky. Louisville, Ky Middlesboro, Ky. Staten Island, N.Y. Queens, N.Y. Louisville, Ky Richmond, Va.

OVERALL RECORD

2nd

CONFERENCE FINISH

11-3

CONFERENCE RECORD At Georgetown it’s about our players ... I’ve never taken a charge. I’ve never dived on the floor. I’ve never scored. My players have done that. ” Head Coach Happy Osborne, f ro m t h e Le x i n g t o n H e r a l d - Le a d e r 48

Coach Osborne Reflects top on-the-court highlight: We are proud of the fact that we’ve been to Kansas City 19 consecutive years, and it is the toughest tournament to win.

team’s favorite part of tournament: Our honorary coach, Jim

Kissick, is fantastic and when he shares his successes in life, it is a highlight for all of us.

best off-the-court moments: Our trips to Mississippi State, Florida State, and the University of Louisville, where we were competitive with those teams.

exemplifies champions of character: Kyle Saxton has maintained a team-first attitude over the past five years. He is a hard worker, not just on the court, but in the classroom as well.

summing up success: In the past 25

years, we have had 24 seasons with 25 or more wins. We kept our NAIA National Tournament streak alive at 19 straight trips. We won our seventh Mid-South Conference tournament title and played in our 13th tournament final in 14 years.

golden eagles

JOHN BROWN UNIVERSITY SILOAM SPRINGS, ARKANSAS SOONER ATHLETIC Conf. Head Coach: Clark Sheehy Assistant Coach: Aaron Niven

NO. PLAYER 11 12 15 20 21 22 23 24 25 30 32 33 34 35

POS. HT.. CL. HOMETOWN

EJ McWoods G Jonathan Sparks G Adrian Miller F Ryland Allen G Coleson Rakestraw G Thomas Galliguez G Andrius Mikutis G Abel Galliguez G Zachary Hersha C Davaughn Jackson F Ian Alexander F Francisco Rodriguez C Ryan Thomas G Sam Bartlett F/C

6-0 6-0 6-4 6-0 6-3 5-8 6-4 5-8 6-10 6-5 6-6 6-11 6-3 6-6

Fr. Jr. So. Jr. Fr. So. Jr. So. Fr. Sr. So. So. So. Jr.

DeSoto, Texas Ft. Worth, Texas Hernando, Miss. Everman, Texas Siloam Springs, Ark. Sugarland, Texas Silale, Lithuania Sugarland, Texas Concord, Mich. Nassau, Bahamas St. James, Barbados Saltillo, Mexico Tulsa, Okla. Mannford, Okla.

quick f acts

5th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

26-10

OVERALL RECORD

Coach Sheehy Reflects top on-the-court highlight: Abel

Galliguez hitting a three-pointer with under 10 seconds vs. McKendree to send the game into overtime.

5th

CONFERENCE FINISH

best off-the-court moments:

Spending time together at a Thanksgiving tournament in San Francisco and having our team GPA over 3.0 in the fall.

tournament clutch performer: Abel

13-9

CONFERENCE RECORD

Galliguez.

exemplifies champions of character: Davaughn Jackson displayed

respect and servant leadership all season long!

summing up success: Posting 26 victories, winning the Conference Tournament, and advancing to the Quarterfinals in the National Tournament. The team’s character allowed for its success this year. The ability to respond to disappointment was critical to the improvement we showed throughout the year.

I told the guys before the [Fresno Pacific game] that if we wanted to have a chance to win we needed contribution from everyone. That’s what got us here: playing great team basketball.” Head Coach Clark Sheehy

flames

LEE UNIVERSITY CLEVELAND, TENNESSEE SOUTHERN STATES ATHLETIC CONF. Head Coach: Tommy Brown Assistant Coaches: Josh Templeton, Matt Sanders, Josh Jones

NO. PLAYER

quick f acts

7th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

28-8

OVERALL RECORD

1st

CONFERENCE FINISH

3 4 5 11 13 15 20 21 23 25 30 33 45 50 55

POS. HT.

Chad James F Stephen McClellan G Tyler Cutter G Caleb Skogen G Jordan McElheney G Josh Nofflet F Matt Stilwell G Rodney Spruill F Larriques Cunningham F Jerel Blocker G Murray Jenkins G Brice Sharp G Desmond Blue C Teddrick Hardy F Chris Wilson C

6-5 6-1 5-11 6-1 5-10 6-4 6-3 6-5 6-5 6-4 5-11 6-3 6-11 6-6 6-5

WT. CL. HOMETOWN/ PREVIOUS SCHOOL 180 175 170 165 155 170 175 210 165 180 190 185 240 195 250

Sr. Jr. So. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Fr. Sr. Jr. Jr.

Springboro, Ohio/Miami (Ohio) Dalton, Ga./UT-Chattanooga Murfreesboro, Tenn./Indiana State Lookout Mountain, Ga./Covenant College Athens, Ga./Tennessee Temple Greensboro, N.C./Hiwassee J.C. Oviedo, Fla./Seminole C.C. (Fla.) Baltimore, Md./Towson State Franklin, Ga./Roane State C.C. Lake Wales, Fla./Seminole C.C. (Fla.) Roswell, Ga./Lassiter H.S. Walker/Valley H.S. Cheyenne, Wyo./Cheyenne H.S. Indianapolis, Ind./Danville H.S. Calhoun, Ga./Calhoun H.S.

Coach Brown Reflects team’s favorite part of the tournament: Being at the banquet, and

knowing that you are one of the top 32 teams in the NAIA.

top highlight prior to tournament: The last-second shot by Stephen

McCullen to beat undefeated Mountain State in front of a sold out Walker Arena.

12-2

CONFERENCE RECORD I was pleased with the way our players came out and played on the big stage. We were not scared and appeared to be very comfor table out here.” Head Coach Tommy Brown 50

best off-the-court moment: Doing team community service at the SSAC

Tournament.

tournament clutch performer: Josh Nofflet. team’s season mvp: Jerel Blocker. exemplifies champions of character: Chad James, because he does so much for the community off the court, and is respected by all the students at Lee University.

summing up success: After starting the season 4-4, we showed tremendous resilience by going on to win the remainder of our home schedule. We beat Southern Poly by 40+ points, and we also beat other top-ranked teams. We made it to the Quarterfinals, and finished in the top 15 in the country.

running eagles

LIFE UNIVERSITY MariettA, GEORGIA ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT INSTITUTIONS Head Coach: John Barrett Assistant Coaches: Bill Firnbach, Chris Markie, Jeremy Craig

NO. PLAYER 0 1 3 10 11 14 15 20 21 22 24 25 32 33

POS. HT.. CL. HOMETOWN

MJ Wyatt G Tay Barber G Mario Bennett G James Hooper G Domnique Rouse F Barrington Ferguson F Greg Brown F Ramon Walker F Darius Bates F Ken Moore F Ryan Daugherty G JaQuan Bray G Stavantae Rucker G Bryan Dunn F

6-2 6-1 6-3 6-0 6-8 6-4 6-3 6-6 6-7 6-7 6-5 6-4 6-4 6-7

Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Sr. Fr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. So. Sr.

Madison, GA Decatur, GA Jesup, GA Memphis, TN Nashville, TN Marietta, GA Battle Creek, MI Savannah, GA Decatur, GA Tallahassee, FL Marietta, GA Smyrna, GA Hartwell, GA Marietta, GA

11th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

21-12

OVERALL RECORD

Coach Barrett Reflects top on-the-court highlight: Making the

National Tournament for the second year in a row, in the team’s second year back in the NAIA.

highlight prior to the tournament:

Sweeping the Jim Reid Classic Tournament at Georgetown College on December 5. This is the first time the team has won the tournament in its 14-year history.

best off-the-court moment: While on

a trip to play Concordia College, the team spent time in Selma, Ala., exploring the historic sites connected with the Selma-to-Montgomery marches for voting rights. Life University’s student-athletes researched the historical figures from the event and presented their information on the tour.

overall mvp during the season: Tay Barber. exemplifies champions of character: Greg Brown is an outstanding

player who demonstrates exceptional leadership on the court and in the classroom. He received the Champions of Character award at the National Tournament for the second year in a row.

summing up success: Beat four top-10 teams, including the No. 1 ranked team. Led the nation in total steals.

quick f acts

2nd

CONFERENCE FINISH

1-1

CONFERENCE RECORD We made a lot of progress in our second year back in the NAIA. We had our second 20-plus win season and made a second straight trip to the National Tournament, while playing one of the nation’s toughest schedules.” Head Coach John Barrett 51

pilots

LSU-SHREVEPORT UNIVERSITY shreveport, louisiana Gulf Coast Athletic CONF. Head Coach: Chad McDowell Assistant Coaches: Ryan Edwards, Derrick Green

quick f acts

6th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

27-6

OVERALL RECORD

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT.

WT. CL. HOMETOWN

0 1 4 5 10 12 13 20 22 23 30 31 32 33 42 44

G G F F G G F G G G F F F F F F

150 185 230 195 185 175 245 190 200 180 205 230 205 200 225 230

Jake Greene John Anthony Anglin Brandon Mims Taylor Garrett Greg Shyne Jared Stevenson Jayce Barnum Ernie Pickens Isiah Bazile Brance Davenport Mark Jackson Quinton Washington David Jackson Derrick Parker Jay Lincoln Caleb Washington

5-11 6-0 6-9 6-3 6-0 6-0 6-7 6-3 6-4 6-2 6-4 6-7 6-8 6-6 6-5 6-6

Fr. Sr. Jr. Sr. So. Sr. Fr. Sr. So. Jr. Jr. Jr. Fr. So. Sr. Jr.

Coach McDowell Reflects

CONFERENCE FINISH

14-4

CONFERENCE RECORD Winning the regular season title was one of the goals we had marked, so it feels great to accomplish it ... and we’re excited about going to Kansas City again.” 52

Senior John Anthony Anglin, from the Shreveport Times

Dry Creek, La. Shreveport, La. Shreveport, La. Benton, La. Minden, La. Quitman, La. Mesquite, Nv. Lafayette, La. Houston, Tx. Abbeville, La. Shreveport, La. Shreveport, La. Minden, La. Minden, La. Haynesville, La. Franklin, La.

top on-the-court highlight: Senior John Anthony Anglin making five three-point shots during pivotal moments to keep us in the game. best off-the-court moment: Playing basketball and dodgeball with the children at Regency Place Elementary School in Olathe, Kansas. highlight prior to the tournament: Winning the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular season and Tournament Championships on our home floor and cutting down the nets. overall mvp during the season: Derrick Parker. exemplifies champions of character: Jared Stevenson epitomizes the characteristics of the Champions of Character program, balancing family, job, school, and basketball. team slogan: Together. Players and coaches emphasized playing as one unit with no regard to who received individual accolades. We did everything as a family. summing up success: Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Regular Season Champion. Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Champion for the fifth consecutive season. National Tournament Qualifier for the sixth consecutive season.

bearcats

McKENDREE UNIVERSITY LEBANON, ILLINOIS AMERICAN MIDWEST CONFERENCE Head Coach: Harry Statham Assistant Coach: Eric Echelbarger Student Asst. Coaches: Craig Cassidy, Eric Palm

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL

10 12 14 20 22 24 30 34 40 44 52

G G G G G F F F F F F

John Steppe RaShad May Kyle Heckert Karrington Pettiford Andy Wolff Eric Hobbie Brad Copelin Ian Ridge Brandon Dilday Sean Rakers Kenny Detmer

6-4 6-2 6-3 6-0 6-1 6-6 6-7 6-5 6-5 6-7 6-7

180 175 180 180 180 205 205 180 210 230 225

Fr. Jr. So. So. Jr. Jr. Jr. So. So. So. Sr.

Effingham, Ill./St. Anthony HS Florissant, Mo./STLCC at Forest Park Venedy, Ill./Okawville HS Florissant, Mo./Christian Brothers HS Centralia, Ill./Metro-East Lutheran HS Vandalia, Ill./Vandalia HS O’Fallon, Ill./O’Fallon HS Flora, Ill./Flora HS Rockwood, Ill./Trico HS New Baden, Ill./Wesclin HS Aviston, Ill./Breese Central HS

quick f acts

14th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

27-7

OVERALL RECORD

Coach Statham Reflects best off-the-court moments: The Tip-Off Dinner and the Parade of Champions.

team highlight prior to the tournament: Winning the AMC Conference

and AMC Conference Tournament.

overall mvp during the season: Eric Hobbie.

exemplifies champions of character: Kenny Detmer is our co-captain and team leader. He’s a good communicator and an unselfish player who makes his teammates better. summing up success: Regular season AMC Conference champions. Won

the post-season AMC Conference tournament. Eight players named to the AMC Academic All-Conference team. Two players named NAIA Scholar-Athletes. Three players on the AMC All-Conference team. AMC Player of the Year.

1st

CONFERENCE FINISH

13-1

CONFERENCE RECORD It just took us a while to get going. Once we got back from the (semester) break, things star ted coming together. It seems when we got back, we were a totally different ball club.” Junior Andy Wolff, from the St. Louis Globe-Democrat

bulldogs

UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA WESTERN Dillon, MontANA Frontier Conference Head Coach: Steve Keller Assistant Coaches: Kellen Palmer, Travis Williams

quick f acts

8th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL

10 12 20 22 24 30 32 40 42 52

G G F G F G F P P F

Brandon Brown Layne Glaus Brandon Lawson Terry Hauser Tyler Hurley Cody Thueringer Garrett Fink JaRon Brown Jeff Edwards Grank Fink

5-10 6-0 6-2 6-2 6-5 6-3 6-5 6-6 6-10 6-8

170 165 175 200 220 205 215 260 260 215

So. Sr. Sr. Sr. So. Jr. Sr. Sr. Fr. Fr.

Tacoma, Wash./Highline College Whitehall, Mont./Whitehall HS Chicago, Ill./Northwest College Three Forks, Mont./Three Forks HS Anaconda, Mont./University of Montana Kent, Wash./Highline College Helena, Mont./Rocky Mountain College Federal Way, Wash./Shoreline CC Butte, Mont./Montana State University Helena, Mont./Helena HS.

25-10

OVERALL RECORD

2nd

CONFERENCE FINISH

Coach Keller Reflects top on-the-court highlights: Our first-round win — it’s been 21 years since our last appearance. Playing games, even though they started at 11:00 p.m.

best off-the-court moments: Long bus trips in our 15-passenger bus.

10-4

CONFERENCE RECORD I’m proud of the guys. We competed, and we had kind of a tough deal with games at almost 11 p.m. both nights. It was a great effor t for the guys to set a school record.”

Head Coach Steve Keller, from the Great Falls Tribune 54

tournament clutch performer: Brandon Brown. overall mvp during the season: JaRon Brown. exemplifies champions of character: Brandon Brown is a coachable, hard-working leader.

special moment that fueled success: We lost our assistant Craig Finberg last year to cancer. We played for him.

cougars

MOUNTAIN STATE UNIVERSITY BECKLEY, W. Virginia Association of Independent Institutions Head Coach: Bob Bolen Assistant Coaches: David Barksdale, Artis Maddox, Adrian Jackson

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT.. CL. HOMETOWN

0 1 2 4 5 11 13 14 21 22 24 31 32 34 50

F F G G G G G F F G F F G C F

Adinson Mosquera Mundrell Young Rashad Nesbitt Deandre Duncan Barry Wellington Vedran Zivic Marcus Hunter Andrew Lee Brian Ormon Dwayne Alston Nick Aldridge Josh Wamsley Winston Robinson Paul Sturgess Dino Muslic

6-8 6-6 5-8 6-3 6-0 6-5 6-0 6-5 6-7 6-0 6-7 6-10 6-3 7-8 6-9

SR SO SR JR SR JR SR SR SR JR SR SO JR JR FR

Medellin Colombia Denver CO Freeport Bahamas Baton Rouge LA Memphis TN Sarajevo Bosnia Memphis TN Laplata MD New York NY Durham NC South Webster OH Tygarts Valley WV Philadelphia PA Loughborough England Sarajevo Bosnia

quick f acts

12th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

27-3

OVERALL RECORD

Coach Bolen Reflects top on-the-court highlight: Our firstround victory over Bacone.

top highlight prior to tournament: Winning the Association of

Independent Institutions championship 105-84, over Life University.

team’s season mvp: Nick Aldridge exemplifies champions of character: Rashad Nesbitt, for his

community service and tremendous team attitude.

summing up success: Ranked No. 1 in the country for nine consecutive weeks during the season; No. 1 seed in the NAIA National Tournament; No. 1 scoring team in U.S., averaging 97 points per game.

1st

CONFERENCE FINISH

1-0

CONFERENCE RECORD We went through a long stretch this season when we were really playing well. This was the four th time we’ve been the top seed, and it’s a testament to our great regular season”. Head Coach Bob Bolen

bison

OKL AHOMA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY

Shawnee, OKLAHOMA Sooner Athletic Conference Head Coach: Doug Tolin Assistant Coaches: Kyle Tolin, Justin Williams

quick f acts

23rd

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

33-3

OVERALL RECORD

1st

CONFERENCE FINISH

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL

3 4 10 11 15 20 21 22 23 24 25 30 45

G G G G G F F F F G G F C

Jerrod Tillmon Emmanuel Wilson Tim Bowman Heath McKay Hayden Blessing Jake Duvall Nate Brumfield Danny Derry Kevin Swinton Garrett Steinmetz A.J. Hawkins Tyler Parker Mirko Vojinovic

6-3 6-3 5-11 5-11 6-3 6-7 6-5 6-6 6-8 6-6 6-5 6-5 7-0

192 195 190 185 205 225 260 200 240 200 205 205 238

Jr. So. Jr. So. So. Fr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr.

Houston, Texas/San Jacinton Norman, Okla./Norman North HS Philadelphia, PA/Ohlone Kingfisher, Okla/Kingfisher HS Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro HS Tahlequah, Okla/Keys HS Rochester, N.Y./Hutchinson Oakland, Ore./Chemeketa Greensboro, N.C./Wake Forest Fort Cobb, Okla./Seminole State Oklahoma City, Okla./Wichita State Fort Gibson, Okla./Fort Gibson HS Niksic, Montenegro/Kilgore

Coach Tolin Reflects top on-the-court highlight: When the referee signaled Azusa Pacific’s

last shot came after the buzzer and we realized we’d won the national championship.

best off-the-court moments: Our Champions of Character activity in Kansas City and the Fab Four Special Olympics clinic.

tournament clutch performer: Several guys were clutch, but A.J.

20-2

CONFERENCE RECORD

Hawkins’s three-pointer with 30 seconds to go may be the biggest shot in school history.

exemplifies champions of character: Tyler Parker, who played very

little for three years. This year he worked very hard and became part of the regular rotation.

We’ve been in this game before and hadn’t won it. This is an unbelievable feeling. You don’t realize until your guys do it how unbelievable it all seems.” 56

H e a d C o a c h D o u g To l i n , f ro m t h e A s s o c i a t e d P re s s

team slogan: Finalist. Last year, we lost

in the second round, so we were determined to finish better this year.

summing up success: Sooner Athletic

Conference Champions. Best regular season in school history (33-3). NAIA National Champions.

eagles

OKL AHOMA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Sooner Athletic Conference Head Coach: Dan Hays Assistant Coaches: Coaches: Terril Hankens, Caleb Panter

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT.. CL. HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL

1 2 3 4 10 11 14 15 22 23 25 30 32 50

G F G G G G F F F G G F C F

Jeff Crocker Michael Hill Zack Anderson David Jackson Wil Scofield Brandon Troutman Andre Vaughn Chad Endres Sam Stephens Devan White Christopher Manuel Izea Lovejoy Jason Taylor Jon Jonsson

5-11 Jr. 6-4 Sr. 5-11 Sr. 6-1 Sr. 5-10 So. 6-1 Fr. 6-5 Jr. 6-6 Jr. 6-5 Jr. 6-3 Fr. 6-3 Fr. 6-2 Jr. 6-8 Sr. 6-7 Sr.

Sugar Land, TX/Elkins HS Oklahoma City, OK/Casady HS/Southwestern Christian Oklahoma City, OK/Community Christian HS quick Tulsa, OK/Jenks HS Denton, TX/ Flower Mound, TX/Flower Mound HS Albuquerque, NM/Northern Okla.-Enid Modesto, CA/Modesto Christian HS Red Rock, OK/Frontier HS TOURNAMENT Missouri City, TX/Ft. Bend Elkins HS Sugar Land, TX/Ft. Bend Austin HS Mt. Dora, FL/Mt. Dora HS Edmond, OK/North HS Akersberga, Sweden/Seminole State

f acts

10th

APPEARANCE

23-10

OVERALL RECORD

Coach HAYS Reflects highlight prior to the tournament: Beating Oklahoma Baptist

University, which was ranked No. 2 at the time, on our home court.

4th

CONFERENCE FINISH

best off-the-court moment:

Participating in a community service project, where we helped restore and repair some rugby fields for the Edmond Rugby Club in Edmond, Okla.

14-9

CONFERENCE RECORD

overall mvp during the season:

Jason Taylor, who averaged 18.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. He also earned first-team All-America honors.

exemplifies champions of character: Jason Taylor, who received

the Pattison Champions of Character Award. Taylor is a regular volunteer at local elementary schools and most recently spent time reading with students at Chisholm Elementary School. He earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors and Academic All-Conference awards, and closed his career with 2,051 points to rank third in all-time scoring for the Eagles.

team slogan: One Page. We needed to stick together to be successful

throughout the season.

I’m very lucky to be able to coach this caliber of young men. It was a great year.” Head Coach Dan Hays, from the Edmond Sun 57

stars

OKL AHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Sooner Athletic Conference Head Coach: Kevin Morrissey Assistant Coaches: Quinn Woolridge, Roman Owen, Austin Lochmann, Roger Smith

quick f acts

19th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

17-10

OVERALL RECORD

CONFERENCE FINISH

15-7

CONFERENCE RECORD We played in a tough league and we beat some real good teams. We were predicted to finish sixth before the season and we came out third. People have doubted us all year.” 58

Center Bryant Williams, from The Oklahoman

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL

00 1 3 4 5 10 12 20 23 31 32 55

F G G G G G G F C F F F

Kavon Lytch Cesar Cuevas Chris Brown Austin Ennis Al Graham Doug McKnight Corey Bingham Jerome Phillips Bryant Williams Cory Nicholson Alonzo James Jeremy McCarty

6-7 5-7 6-0 5-10 6-3 6-0 6-3 6-5 6-9 6-7 6-6 6-7

240 160 190 160 225 195 195 200 235 220 195 225

Jr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Jr. So. So. Jr.

Brooklyn, N.Y./Midland (N.Y.) Albuquerque, N.M./Univ. of the Southwest (N.M.) Oklahoma City/Arkansas State Durant, Okla./Durant HS Jackson, Miss./Holmes (Miss.) Jenks, Okla./Jenks HS Lynn, Mass./Barton County (Kan.) Chickasha, Okla./Seminole State (Okla.) Austin, Texas/Kankakee (Ill.) Harrah, Okla./East Central (Okla.) Oklahoma City/Northeast Academy Houston/Redlands (Okla.)

Coach Morrissey Reflects top on-the-court highlight: Playing the 9:00 a.m. Wednesday game

against Southern Polytechnic State.

top highlight prior to tournament: Winning 12 of our last 15

games in the regular season.

best off-the-court moment: Visiting the Boys and Girls Club. team’s season mvp: Chris Brown. exemplifies champions of character: Cesar Cuevas because he truly embodies the motto with his everyday approach toward life.

summing up success: This was a

rebuilding year for OCU, and this team helped the process toward regaining national prominence by obtaining a top-20 national ranking.

tigers

OLIVET NAZARENE UNIVERSITY Bourbonnais, ILLINOIS Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Head Coach: Ralph Hodge Assistant Coaches: Nick Birkey, JD Deloney, Rich Vana, Paul Bayer

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL

05 10 12 13 14 22 23 24 25 30 32 42 45 52 54

G F G G G/F G F G G F/C F/C G F C C

Matt Mitchell Jordan Harks Josh Bronke Dustin Rennewanz Kris Irish Antonio Marshall Brandon Streets Rashad Mitchell Ben Worner Tyler Wallenfang Nick Klomstad Cory Hainlen Jake Hasselbring Chuck Rideout Tyler Baldwin

6-3 6-7 6-0 5-11 6-6 5-9 6-7 6-2 6-3 6-7 6-8 6-6 6-4 6-9 6-8

210 200 170 154 197 165 203 200 168 220 217 185 197 209 270

Jr. Fr. Sr. Sr. Sr. So. So. Sr. Fr. Sr. Jr. Jr. So. Jr. Sr.

Fort Wayne, Ind./Blackhawk Christian HS Lombard, Ill./Glenbard South HS Normal, Ill./Normal Community HS quick Kankakee, Ill./Herscher HS Washington, Ill./Washington HS Bowling Green, Ind./Owen Valley HS Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East HS Batavia, Ill./Batavia HS Washington, Ill./Washington HS TOURNAMENT Washington, Ill./Washington HS Waukesha, Wis./Pewaukee HS Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington HS Watseka, Ill./Watseka Community HS Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern HS Manteno, Ill./Manteno HS

Coach Hodge Reflects top highlight prior to tournament: Beating our first NCAA Division I

opponent, Chicago State University (Ill.).

f acts

15th

APPEARANCE

19-11

OVERALL RECORD

2nd

CONFERENCE FINISH

best off-the-court moment:

Participating in the kid’s clinic during the NAIA Tournament. Our guys had a great time and it will be a moment to remember.

team’s season mvp: Tyler Wallenfang. exemplifies champions of character: Tyler Wallenfang lives it, both on the floor and off. slogan that fueled your team’s success: Make it happen! summing up success: Some very good wins against one of the toughest

schedules in the NAIA and some tough losses. It was a good and successful year but not the championship season we were hoping for.

8-2

CONFERENCE RECORD This was a team that competed at a very high level against one of the toughest schedules in NAIA basketball. It was a season of some great wins and tough losses.” Head Coach Ralph Hodge

pirates

PARK UNIVERSITY

Parkville, missouri American Midwest Conference Head Coach: Jason Kline Assistant Coach: Gordon Stubblefield

quick f acts

4th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

23-10

OVERALL RECORD

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL

3 4 5 10 11 12 13 20 22 23 30 32 33 35 45

F G G G G G G G G/F F G/F F F F F

Rudy Harper Mark Halsell Goldeng Deng Derrick Howard Philip Garnett Terrell Dyer Tyler Price Reco Anderson Jeremy Voorhees Juston Hairston Herschel Rodgers Jordan White Travis Fairley Eduardo Quintero Kyle Rausch

6-3 6-0 6-2 6-1 6-1 6-1 6-0 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-1 6-5 6-5 6-5 6-10

184 185 175 175 175 192 170 205 200 210 185 210 190 205 218

Jr. So. Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. So. So. Sr. So. Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr.

St. Charles, Mo./Mount Marty St. Charles, Mo./Kentucky Stone Mountain, Ga./Southeast CC Alexandria, La./Kansas City Kansas CC Peru, Ind./Ball State Overland Park, Kan./Fort Scott CC Crawfordsville, Ind/Southmont HS Sumter, S.C./MCI Prep Grandville, Mich./Cornerstone Fort Wayne, Ind./Western Michigan Lansing, Mich./Lansing CC Denver, Colo./Otero CC Alexandria, La./Kansas City Kansas CC Monterey, Mexico/Frank Phillips Blue Springs, Mo./Missouri State.

Coach Kline Reflects

2nd

CONFERENCE FINISH

top on-the-court highlight: Beating one of the premier programs in the country, Georgetown College, and advancing to the Second Round. best off-the-court moment: Spending time at Prairie Point Elementary and working with the kids in their classes.

12-2

CONFERENCE RECORD

It took some time for them to figure each other out and for the new guys to figure out me. Then, all of a sudden, they really bought into the defense, and it gave us a chance to win games.” Head Coach Jason Kline, from The Kansas City Star 60

overall mvp during the season: Herschel Rodgers was selected First

Team All-Conference and Third Team All-American. He is a competitor!

exemplifies champions of character: Phil Garnett is a great asset to

our program, university, and community. He represents everything he is associated with in the most professional manner, drawing people in with his personality and leadership abilities.

summing up success: I am so proud of this year’s team. We started the year with 10 new players and two returners who played minutes last year. Their hard work and dedication showed after starting 0-4 and finishing 23-10. Not only did they compete on the floor, they competed in the classroom, earning seven academic allconference awards. Qualifying for the National Tournament is something they will never forget!

eagles

ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITY Chicago, Illinois Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Head Coach: Al Breuhl associate head Coach: Aubrey Volious Assistant CoacheS: Reggie Murray, Michael Griffith

NO. PLAYER 3 10 12 14 20 22 24 31 33 34 40 44 55

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL

Ian Riley G Ricardo Laing G Daniel Mendoza G Charles Haracz G Lusé Mundadi G Yamani Ball G Billy Rush G Robert Jones G Lester Ferguson F Jacolby Hardiman G Evin McCrimon F Roy Beard C Remigijus Untulis C

6-0 5-10 6-2 5-10 6-3 6-2 6-7 6-5 6-10 6-5 6-6 6-8 6-10

150 160 170 150 170 185 175 200 230 210 220 240 255

FR JR FR FR JR SR SR SR JR SR SR JR SO

Dolton, IL/Thornwood High School Philadelphia, PA/Martin Luther King High School Chicago, IL/Mather High School Park Ridge, IL/Maine South High School Highland Park, IL/Highland Park High School Aurora, IL/Aurora East High School Dolton, IL/Thornridge High School Fort Pierce, FL/Fort Pierce Westwood High School Baton Rouge, LA/Gables Academy High School Milwaukee, WI/Bradley Tech High School Chicago, IL/Hales Francisan High School Chicago, IL/Rich Central High School Plunge, Lithuania/Central Park Christian High School

quick f acts

7th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

22-11

OVERALL RECORD

Coach Bruehl Reflects top on-the-court highlight: Making it

1st

to the Fab Four.

team’s favorite part of the tournament: Working with the Special

CONFERENCE FINISH

Olympics.

top highlight prior to tournament:

9-1

Winning the conference Championship.

best off-the-court moment: Plane ride

CONFERENCE RECORD

to Las Vegas.

tournament clutch performer: Robert Jones. team’s season mvp: Billy Rush. exemplifies champions of character: Billy Rush has a positive

attitude and is unselfish.

phrase that fueled your team’s success: Stay focused – Stay the course.

summing up success: Season started too slow to finish with a flurry.

We had a tough star t to the season and ended on a strong note. We joked about calling ourselves ‘Lazarus.’ Getting to the tournament and ending strong is all we can ask for. It was a truly great season.” Head Coach Al Bruehl

crimson storm

SOUTHERN NAZARENE UNIVERSITY Bethany, Oklahoma Sooner Athletic Conference Head Coach: Adam Bohac Assistant Coaches: Artavius Bogan, Jeff Caha

quick f acts

11th

TOURNEY APPEARANCE

27-8

OVERALL RECORD

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN

3 5 10 13 15 21 23 25 30 32 33 34 42 43 50

G G G G G G G G G F F F P P P

Daniel White A.J. Thomas Adrian Hunter Clement N’Gom Xavier Alexander Kyle Boen Robert Brewer Shawn Seymour Bradley Toone Vladimir Bulut Jon West Brett Frantz Deonta Black Jeremy Lightfoot Shane Callaghan

6-3 6-0 5-11 6-4 6-6 6-2 6-0 6-1 6-4 6-7 6-6 6-4 6-8 6-9 6-8

180 160 180 200 220 180 180 165 175 220 215 200 190 255 240

SO. JR. SO. JR. JR. JR. FR. FR. FR. SR. SO. FR. SR. SR. SO.

Edmond, OK Memphis, TN Flint, MI Gue de Longrol, France Forest Park, OK Fort Worth, TX Fort Worth, TX Moore, OK Duncan, OK Novi Sad, Serbia Fort Worth, TX Balko, OK Perris, CA Decatur, GA Dublin, Ireland

Coach Bohac Reflects

CONFERENCE FINISH

19-3

CONFERENCE RECORD

We enjoyed a terrific season and are excited about the direction our program is headed.” Head Coach Adam Bohac

highlight prior to the tournament: We enjoyed a very successful

conference season, including winning 19 conference games, the most in school history.

overall mvp during the season: Xavier Alexander. exemplifies champions of character: Kyle Boen is a tremendous

student who works extremely hard in whatever task he is charged with completing. He is a person of high character and has a servant’s heart. Boen is an outstanding representative of his family and Southern Nazarene University.

summing up success: Posting a 27-8 record, ending the regular season as conference runners-up, and making a Quarterfinals appearance.

hornets

SOUTHERN POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY

Marietta, GEORGIA Southern States Athletic Conference Head Coach: Jeff Jones Assistant Coaches: Tommy Dillon, Rich McCray, Steve Murray, Ricky Pitts

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN

1 3 12 14 30 32 33 34 40 50

G G G G G G F G F F

Jasmine Rogers Xavier Dawson Quincy Hall Corey McKinney John Alexander Jordan Lemons Brent Jennings Darrien Beacham Steeve Koloko Mike Abbott

6-2 5-11 6-4 6-4 6-3 6-3 6-5 6-4 6-5 6-8

185 180 190 180 180 185 205 190 225 235

Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. So. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr.

Newark, NJ Miami, FL Bay St. Louis, MS Greenville, NC Augusta, GA Atlanta, GA Atlanta, GA Orlando, FL Atlanta, GA Dothan, AL

quick f acts

13th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

29-6

OVERALL RECORD

Coach Jones Reflects top on-the-court highlight: Beating

Oklahoma City University and following it up with a win over No. 1 in the nation Mountain State to advance to the Quarterfinals, which was unprecedented at Southern Polytechnic State University.

team’s favorite part of the tournament: The Special Olympics.

Seeing the smiles and camaraderie of the young adults and children with special needs, as well as our young men giving back for the gifts God has given them.

team’s season mvp: Jasmine Rogers, SSAC Player of the Year. summing up success: Advanced to national semifinals. Ranked 8th in

the NAIA national polls. SSAC conference tournament champions. SSAC AllTournament team members Jasmine Rogers, Jordan Lemons, Brent Jennings. SSAC All-Conference team Jasmine Reguera, Brent Jennings, Xavier Dawson. 5th in nation steals per game (1.2).

2nd

CONFERENCE FINISH

12-2

CONFERENCE RECORD We just have a bunch of guys that have played hard ... We’ve played each possession like it was our last. It’s been an incredible, incredible run.” Head Coach Jeff Jones, from the Marietta Daily Journal

cougars

SAINT X AVIER UNIVERSITY Chicago, Illinois Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Head Coach: Tom O’Malley Assistant Coaches: Ed McQuillan, Dan Piet, Tony Bates, Rick Romeli

NO. PLAYER

quick f acts

10th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

23-10

OVERALL RECORD

3 4 5 13 20 25 31 33 34 41 42 43 44 50 54

POS. HT. CL. HOMETOWN

Nick Hastings F Jamel Morton PG Larry Pikes G Roosevelt Green PG Marco Samimy G Dominique Harvey F DeVon Chandler PG Stan Mayfield G Scott Taloff F Zach Opheim F Phil Riggs F Julian Scott PG Marcus Jackson G Jake Ustebarger F Matt Kiley F

6-0 6-2 6-1 5-9 6-4 6-5 6-2 6-0 6-7 6-5 6-7 6-3 6-2 6-7 6-9

So Sr Sr Fr Jr So Jr Jr Fr So So Sr Sr Jr Fr

Joliet,IL Maywood, lL Richton Park, IL Markham, IL Chicago, lL Hazel Crest, IL Collinsville, IL Grayson, Ga Bedford Park, IL Rockford, IL Rockford, IL Country Club Hills, IL Hammond, La Harvard, IL Corunna, MI.

Coach O’Malley Reflects

3rd

CONFERENCE FINISH

7-3

CONFERENCE RECORD This year’s team star ted out doing very well before we lost players to injuries ... But we came together and gave a great team effor t down the stretch and won the conference championship.” 64

Head Coach Tom O’Malley

top on-the-court highlight: Playing even in the 2nd half with the eventual NAIA champion.

top highlight prior to tournament: Beating No. 14 Robert Morris for the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. tournament clutch performer: Jake Ustebarger. team’s season mvp: Larry Pikes and Phil Riggs. moment that fueled your team’s success: The Olivet Nazarene fans

repeatedly yelled “air ball!” after a three-point miss by Roosevelt Green with five minutes left in a tight contest in the semifinals of the CCAC tournament. That fueled him to make the gamewinning three-pointer with four seconds left to advance to the finals.

summing up success: We started strong with

seven consecutive victories. Then we lost five players, creating some tough times over the next 14 games. We rallied well and finished with six victories and won the CCAC Tournament Championship.

rams

TEX AS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY Ft. Worth, Texas Red River Athletic Conference Head Coach: Terry Waldrop ASSOCIATE HEAD Coach: Brennen Shingleton Assistant Coaches: Tim Bellmon, Jimmie Williams

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL

1 2 5 10 12 21 23 31 33 35 40 42 44

F G G F G G G F F G F F F

Jeremy Mayfied Kenneth Graves Brian Wanamaker Terrell Henry Cody Waldrop Kyle McElvain Jeremy Smith Jamel White Hector Mukweyi Zach Matthews Darren Houliston Ryan Glanzer Jeremy Havard

6-10 6-1 6-2 6-5 6-1 6-2 5-11 6-4 6-7 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-8

240 180 200 205 185 175 170 195 215 185 215 190 250

Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Fr. So. So. Jr.

Irving, TX/Univ. of Alabama at Brimingham DeSoto, TX/UT-Tyler Philadelphia, PA/Lon Morris College Houston, TX/UT-Arlington West Monroe, LA/Mansfield HS Arlington, TX/Pantego Christian HS DeSoto, TX/UT-Arlington Brooklyn, NY/Oklahoma City University Mansfield, TX/McLennan CC Fort Worth, TX/Paschal HS Euless, TX/Trinidad State JC Carrollton, TX/Creekview HS Houston, TX/Houston Baptist University

quick f acts

11th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

24-10

OVERALL RECORD

Coach Waldrop Reflects top on-the-court highlight: We came

from behind and defeated HAAC champion Central Methodist in a classic first-round game. We led eventual-national champion OBU for 39 minutes and 45 seconds before losing in overtime in the Second Round.

top highlight prior to tournament:

Winning our third consecutive Red River Conference title at home in front of a packed house on the last day of the regular season in a wild game against OLLU. Jamel White hit a jumper with 7 seconds to go to give us the title.

best off-the-court moment: When assistant coach Tim Bellmon

received his long-awaited kidney transplant on February 8. It really made all our staff and players think about what was really important and the value of the relationships we all have with one another.

team’s season mvp: Jamel White.

1st

CONFERENCE FINISH

16-4

CONFERENCE RECORD We will compete at a high level in the national tournament and represent Wesleyan the way our previous teams have, with class and tremendous effor t.” Head Coach Terry Waldrop, from the Texas Wesleyan Rambler

bulldogs

TOUGALOO COLLEGE Tougaloo, mississippi Gulf Coast Athletic Conf. Head Coach: Lafayette Stribling Assistant Coach: Harvey Wardell

NO.* PLAYER

quick f acts

3rd

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

22-9

OVERALL RECORD

CONFERENCE FINISH

12-6

CONFERENCE RECORD

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL

1/20 Tommie Mabry F 5/5 Jejuan Jacks G 10/10 Je’Mario Rugley G 11/11 Keith Fisher G 12/12 Kevin Horton G 15/15 Walter Howard G 22/22 Juan Gray G 23/23 James Carter G/F 25/25 Deshun Carter G/F 32/32 Sylvester Collins C 42/42 Frederick Griffin F 45/21 Mario Luckett F * indicates light, dark jersey color

6-4 5-9 6-1 5-9 6-2 6-1 6-0 6-4 6-4 6-9 6-8 6-6

190 170 170 190 200 185 175 185 195 195 250 190

Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Fr. So. Fr. So. So. Jr.

Jackson, MS/Lawson State Comm. College Memphis, TN/Coahoma Comm. College San Francisco, CA/Skyline College New Orleans, LA/Bevill State CC Terry, MS/Univ. of Texas-Tyler Greenville, MS/MS Delta Comm. College Fayette, MS/Natchez Cathedral HS Greenville, MS/Greenville Weston HS Meridian, MS/Meridian High School Madison, MS/Madison Central High School Aberdeen, MS/Aberdeen High School Vicksburg, MS/Meridian Comm. College

Coach Stribling Reflects top on-the-court highlight: Having an early 10-point lead during our game against Southern Nazarene University.

team’s favorite part of the tournament: Having team dinner with our honorary coaches and participating in the Parade of Champions.

best off-the-court moment: Going to Sunday church services as a team. team’s season mvp: Mario Luckett. exemplifies champions of character: James Carter—He is an outstanding athlete on the court and an outstanding student off the court.

summing up success: Undefeated home After every practice and before every game, our team would end the huddle with a simple word: ‘Championship.’” H e a d C o a c h La f a y e t t e S t r i b l i n g

season; Mario Luckett named GCAC Player of the Week twice; Mario Luckett and Sylvester Collins named to All-Conference team; Collins named NAIA Division 1 All-American honorable mention; started and finished the season in the NAIA Men’s Top 25 Poll.

bulldogs

UNION UNIVERSITY Jackson, TENNESSEE TranSouth Athletic Conference Head Coach: David Niven Assistant Coach: Eric Volbert

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL

3 5 13 15 20 21 22 23 32 33 35 45

G G G G G G G F F G F C

Tacuma Alexander Alan North Martez Hawkins Brady Sheppard Stan McNeil Daniel Kelley Antione Joseph Greg Truvillion Veljko Petrovic Samuel Danache Keith Tolliver Roland Banhoro

6-3 6-2 5-10 6-1 6-1 6-3 6-8 6-8 6-7 6-4 6-6 6-7

170 180 175 160 160 190 205 210 220 195 190 245

Sr. Sr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr.

Memphis, Tenn./Harding Academy Jackson, Tenn./Jackson Christian School Rockford, Ill./Marshalltown CC Milan, Tenn./Milan HS Memphis, Tenn./Jackson State CC Nashville, Tenn./Nashville Central Christian Petionville, Haiti/Pere Foisset HS Lansing, Mich./Copiah-Lincoln CC Nis, Serbia/February Technical HS Port-Au-Prince, Haiti/New American HS Memphis, Tenn./Univ. of Memphis Pauga, Burkina Faso/Lycee Technique

quick f acts

13th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

26-8 Coach Niven Reflects top on-the-court highlight: Although

it was a difficult loss to a very good MontanaWestern team, all five of our seniors contributed in their final game together.

highlight prior to the tournament: Winning the regular season conference championship and following with a conference tournament championship on our home court.

best off-the-court moment: We adopted

an 11 year-old boy with a brain tumor as part of our team. He didn’t miss a home game all year.

overall mvp during the season: Greg Truvillion. team slogan: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in

humility, consider others better than yourself. Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others.” Phillipians 2:3-4.

summing up success: We finished the season at 26-8 overall and 17-2

in the TranSouth Conference. We won the regular season championship by two games and won the conference tournament. We also finished the season at No. 10 in the final poll.

OVERALL RECORD

1st

CONFERENCE FINISH

14-2

CONFERENCE RECORD Our guys’ belief in one another has grown since the beginning of the season. When they make a pass to you, you know they believe you can make a play.” Head Coach David Niven, from the Jackson Sun 67

griffins

WESTMINSTER COLLEGE Salt Lake City, Utah Frontier Conference Head Coach: Tommy Connor Assistant Coach : Adam Hiaft

quick f acts

11th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

27-6

OVERALL RECORD

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN

3 5 10 11 13 15 20 21 22 23 32 33 34 42 44

F F G G G G G F G F F F F F C

Blair Prowse Weston Anderson Chris Cassity Jeramie Hopson Jake Harley Nick Hovda Michael Stockton Ben Walker Brandon Buford Stefan Reiter Conner Nielsen Jordan Bjornberg Nick Davis Tanner Gregory Jeff Christensen

6-4 6-4 6-1 6-3 6-4 6-3 6-0 6-7 6-4 6-4 6-6 6-5 6-5 6-6 6-7

200 195 175 180 175 200 175 200 190 195 215 210 200 205 220

Sr. Sr. So. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Fr. So So. Fr.

South Jordan, Utah Salt Lake City, Utah Sandy, Utah Gardena, Calif. Salt Lake City, Utah Emmett, Idaho Spokane, Wash. Lehi, Utah Park City, Utah Littleton, Colo. Salt Lake City, Utah Blackfoot, Idaho Boise, Idaho Provo, Utah Sandy, Utah

Coach Connor Reflects

CONFERENCE FINISH

highlight prior to the tournament: We won 23 out of 24 games going into the National Tournament, including a 13-1 conference record. Coming together as a team at the right time was really special. tournament clutch performer: Ben Walker, our 6-foot-7 junior. He made big plays at opportune times and was dominant in the post.

13-1

CONFERENCE RECORD

exemplifies champions of character: Having transferred to our program from an institution where he put up impressive individual numbers, Jeramie Hopson sacrificed his own stats for team accomplishments. Jeramie demonstrates integrity, is responsible, and has developed into an outstanding leader. team slogan: “Play to win and don’t be afraid

I am really happy for this group of guys. We star ted the year 3-4, then won 23 of 24, which is a great effor t by this team.” Head Coach Tommy Connor 68

to fail.” It dramatically changed our mentality on the floor, as well as our results.

summing up success: We won our seventh

conference championship in 10 years with a 13-1 record and won our second consecutive conference tournament championship. We finished the year ranked fourth nationally and advanced to the round of 16 at the National Tournament.

cardinals

WILLIAM JEWELL COLLEGE Liberty, MISSOURI Heart of AmeRica Athletic Conference Head Coach: Larry Holley Assistant Coaches: Tim Sutton, John Davenport, Andrew Dowis, Alan Peel

NO. PLAYER

POS. HT.

1 3 10 11 12 14 15 22 30 32 33 45 50 54 55

G/F F G G G G G/F F G G F F C F/C F/C

Ryan Carmichael Craig Mattson Scott Sellmeyer David Kennedy Adam Johnston Rich Morris Kyle Fisher Jonathan Benson Ben Wilson Chris Weston Alex Bernskoetter Seth Smith Mahamadou Sissoko Cooper Bayiha Nick Larson

WT. CL. HOMETOWN

6-4 190 6-6 190 5-10 160 6-0 175 5-11 185 5-10 155 6-3 190 6-5 195 6-1 175 5-10 165 6-5 210 6-4 6-8 210 6-6 240 6-6 260

Fr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Sr. Jr. Fr. So. Jr. So. So. So. So.

Aurora, Co Conception Junction, Mo Kansas City, Mo Jupiter, Florida Perth, Australia Grandview, Mo Harrisburg, Mo Kansas City, Mo Kansas City, Mo Liberty, Mo Springfield, Mo Lexington, Mo. Paris, France Douala, Cameron Liberty, Mo

quick f acts

7th

TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE

22-11

OVERALL RECORD

Coach Holley Reflects top on-the-court highlights: The

opportunity to play in historical Municipal Auditorium and represent William Jewell College and The Heart of America Athletic Conference in the National Tournament.

best off-the-court moment: All the festivities, seeing all of our players, and watching them eat the remaining desserts after the banquet! overall mvp during the season: Kyle

Fisher, our 6-foot-3 senior guard, finished his career with over 1,500 points and nearly 400 assists!

special moment: Our win at Culver Stockton. We called timeout with 1.7

seconds remaining, then ran a play with five options. Culver Stockton covered four of them, and the pass went to Jonathan Benson, who caught it, shot it, and scored for a two-point win!

summing up success: Early season home wins over NCAA II Rockhurst

and rival MidAmerica Nazarene in a nationally televised game! Winning several must-win games during the stretch. Winning the HAAC Post Season Tournament in a game in which the winner qualified for the National Tournament and the loser’s season ended!

3rd

CONFERENCE FINISH

14-6

CONFERENCE RECORD

We have nothing to hang our heads about ... This was a good experience for us ... I’ve been blessed to have quality young men and cer tainly quality assistants and cer tainly a very, very suppor tive family. ” Head Coach Larry Holley, from the Liberty Tribune 69

A W A R D S & RECOGNITIONS 2 0 0 9 - 1 0 B U F FA L O F U N D S - N A I A D I V I S I O N I M E N ’ S B A S K E T B A L L A L L -T O U R N A M E N T T E A M – M A R C H 2 3 Nick Aldridge

Mountain State University (W.Va.)

Nate Brumfield

Oklahoma Baptist University

Xavier Dawson

Southern Polytechnic State University (Ga.)

A.J. Hawkins

Oklahoma Baptist University

Robert Jones

Robert Morris University (Ill.)

Dominique Johnson

Azusa Pacific University (Calif.)

Reggie Owens

Azusa Pacific University (Calif.)

Jasmine Rogers

Southern Polytechnic State University (Ga.)

Kevin Swinton

Oklahoma Baptist University

Jamel White

Texas Wesleyan University

C H U C K TAY L O R M O S T VA L U A B L E P LAY E R :

Nate Brumfield, Oklahoma Baptist University CHARLES STEVENSON HUSTLE AWARD:

Jasmine Rogers, Southern Polytechnic State University (Ga.) DR. JAMES NAISMITH-EMIL S. LISTON SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD:

John Brown University (Ark.) CHARLES A. KRIGEL AWARD:

Clark Sheehy, Head Coach, John Brown University (Ark.) C H U C K W A L D E N M E M O R I A L T R O P H Y:

Masters Transportation FRANK CRAMER AWARD:

Artie (Zeke) Long 2009-10 NAIA DIVISION I MEN’S B A S K E T B A L L P LAY E R O F T H E Y E A R :

Nate Brumfield, Oklahoma Baptist University 2009-10 NABC-NAIA DIVISION I MEN’S B AS K E T B A L L P LAY E R O F T H E Y E A R :

Nate Brumfield, Oklahoma Baptist University 2009-10 RAWLINGS-NAIA DIVISION I MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH OF THE YEAR:

Doug Tolin, Oklahoma Baptist University

70 2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

A W A R D S & S TAT L E A D E R S INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

T O P I N D I V I D UA L P O I N T S :

B Y AV E R A G E ( M I N . 2 G A M E S )

B Y AV E R A G E ( M I N . 1 G A M E )

Points: Jamel White, Texas Wesleyan Univ. 35 Pts/G Rebounds: Brian Ormon, Mountain State Univ. 13.50 Avg/G

Nick Aldridge, Mountain State Univ. 29 Pts/G

Assist: Barry Wellington, Mountain State Univ. 6.50 Avg/G

Lucas Dahl, Central Methodist Univ. 28 Pts/G

Steals: James Lewis, Fresno Pacific Univ. 3.50 Avg/G

Greg Truvillion, Union University TN 24 Pts/G

Blocks: Rocky Hampton, Biola University, 3.33 Avg/G

Ronnie Battle, Bacone College 24 Pts/G

TOP INDIVIDUAL REBOUNDS: B Y AV E R A G E ( M I N . 1 G A M E )

Eric Hobbie, McKendree University 15Avg/G Sylvester Collins, Tougaloo College 14 Avg/G Brian Ormon, Mountain State Univ. 13.5 Avg/G Greg Truvillion, Union University TN 12 Avg/G Nathaniel Roche’, Belhaven University 11 Avg/G Kenny Detmer, McKendree University 11 Avg/G Kavon Lytch, Oklahoma City Univ. 11 Avg/G

TOP INDIVIDUAL ASSISTS: B Y AV E R A G E ( M I N . 1 G A M E )

Eddie Gray, Georgetown College 8 Avg/G Isiah Bazile, LSU-Shreveport 7 Avg/G James Hooper, Life University 7 Avg/G Jayme Donnelly, Evangel University 7 Avg/G Barry Wellington, Mountain State Univ. 6.5 Avg/G

TOP INDIVIDUAL STEALS:

TOP INDIVIDUAL BLOCKS:

B Y AV E R A G E ( M I N . 1 G A M E )

Greg Brown, Life University 6 Avg/G Jonathan Huskisson, Evangel University 4 Avg/G James Lewis, Fresno Pacific Univ. 3.5 Avg/G Xavier Dawson, Southern Polytechnic State 3.25 Avg/G

Jamel White, Texas Wesleyan Univ. 35 Pts/G

Sylvester Collins, Tougaloo College 5 Avg/G Eric Hobbie, McKendree University 4 Avg/G Rocky Hampton, Biola University 3.33 Avg/G Antoine Joseph Union University TN 3 Avg/G Nathaniel Roche’ Belhaven University 3 Avg/G JaVaughn Espritt, Campbellsville Univ. 3 Avg/G Kenny Detmer, McKendree University 3 Avg/G

2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 71

MUNICIPAL 2010 BUFFALO FUNDS-NAIA DIVISION I MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AUDITORIUM FIRST ROUND MARCH 17-18 1 Mountain State (W.Va.) (26-2) 105 Wednesday, 10:45 a.m.

SECOND ROUND

QUARTERFINALS

SEMIFINALS

CHAMPIONSHIP

MARCH 19

MARCH 20

MARCH 22

MARCH 23

Kansas City, Mo. March 17-23, 2010

1 Mountain State (W.Va.) (27-3) 90 (OT)

Bacone (Okla.) (19-13) 78 Friday, 10:45 a.m.

Southern Poly St.ate (Ga.) (26-5) 78 Wednesday, 9 a.m.

Southern Poly St.ate (Ga.) (28-5) 71

Southern Poly St.ate (Ga.) (27-5) 93

16 Oklahoma City (17-10) 70 Saturday, 1 p.m.

9 Campbellsville (Ky.) (26-8) 61 Wednesday, 12:30 p.m.

Southern Poly St.ate (Ga.) (29-6) 68

Fresno Paciﬁc (Calif.) (25-9) 82

Fresno Paciﬁc (Calif.) (24-8) 74 Friday, 9 a.m.

John Brown (Ark.) (24-9) 73 OT Wednesday, 2:15 p.m.

John Brown (Ark.) (26-10) 66

John Brown (Ark.) (25-9) 88

8 McKendree (Ill.) (27-7) 70 Monday, 6 p.m.

5 LSU-Shreveport (27-6) 70 Thursday, 10:45 a.m.

13 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) (28-10) 83

Oklahoma Christian (23-10) 52

Oklahoma Christian (22-9) 80 Friday, 12:30 p.m.

Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) (19-11) 58 Thursday, 9 a.m.

12 Lee (Tenn.) (28-8) 70

12 Lee (Tenn.) (27-7) 82

12 Lee (Tenn.) (26-7) 79 Saturday, 3 p.m.

13 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) (24-9) 72 Thursday, 12:30 p.m.

13 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) (25-9) 65

Cumberlands (Ky.) (21-11) 68 Friday, 2:15 p.m.

Evangel (Mo.) (20-13) 74 Thursday, 2:15 p.m.

13 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) (27-9) 80

13 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) (26-9) 75

4 Westminster (Utah) (27-6) 51

4 Westminster (Utah) (26-5) 80

3 Oklahoma Baptist (33-3)

3 Oklahoma Baptist (28-3) 96 Wednesday, 4:30 p.m.

NATIONAL CHAMPION

3 Oklahoma Baptist (29-3) 85

Saint Xavier (Ill.) (23-10) 72 Friday, 4:30 p.m.

Texas Wesleyan (23-9) 74 Wednesday, 8:45 p.m.

3 Oklahoma Baptist (30-3) 59

Texas Wesleyan (24-10) 75

14 Central Methodist (Mo.) (24-9) 71 Saturday, 6 p.m.

11 Georgetown (Ky.) (26-7) 75 Wednesday, 6:15 p.m.

3 Oklahoma Baptist (31-3) 81

Park (Mo.) (23-10) 64

Park (Mo.) (22-9) 83 Friday, 6:15 p.m.

Belhaven (Miss.) (24-10) 54 Wednesday, 10:30 p.m.

6 Biola (Calif.) (29-6) 54

6 Biola (Calif.) (28-5) 80

6 Biola (Calif.) (27-5) 66 7 Southern Nazarene (Okla.) (25-7) 86 7 Southern Nazarene (Okla.) (26-7) 81 Thursday, 8 p.m.

Monday, 8 p.m.

3 Oklahoma Baptist (32-3) 84

Tougaloo (Miss.) (22-9) 73 Friday, 9:45 p.m.

Montana Western (24-9) 82 Thursday, 9:45 p.m.

7 SouthernNazarene(Okla.)(27-8)101

Montana Western (25-10) 78

10 Union (Tenn.) (26-8) 79 Saturday, 8 p.m.

15 Robert Morris (Ill.) (19-10) 90 Thursday, 4:30 p.m.

15 Robert Morris (Ill.) (20-10) 67

Life (Ga.) (21-12) 72 William Jewell (Mo.) (22-11) 54 Thursday, 6:15 p.m.

15 Robert Morris (Ill.) (22-11) 79

Friday, 8 p.m.

2 Concordia (Calif.) (31-4) 64

2 Concordia (Calif.) (30-3) 71

15 Robert Morris (Ill.) (21-10) 109 ALL TIMES CENTRAL

The ﬁrst 30 games will be video-streamed by NeuLion, the parent company of JumpTV, and can be viewed at www.watchnaia.com. The Championship ﬁnal will be televised live nationally on CBS College Sports Television.

72 2010 NAIA DI MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

The NAIA â&#x20AC;&#x153;Champions of Characterâ&#x20AC;? initiative will create an environment in which every NAIA studentathlete, coach, official and spectator is committed to the true spirit of competition through:

respect responsibility

integrity

servant

leadership

sportsmanship

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