EMPORIA STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL SET TO BATTLE MISSOURI WESTERN ON SUNDAY

Men's Basketball | 1/11/2019 10:33:00 AM

Game #14
Emporia State Hornets (6-7, 1-3 MIAA)
at Missouri Western Griffons (8-8, 2-3 MIAA)
Sunday Jan. 13 • 4:00 p.m. • St. Joseph, Mo. • MWSU Fieldhouse (3,270)
Series Record: MWSU leads 44-31 Last Meeting: MWSU 65, at ESU 61 (02/10/2018)
Radio: KFFX 104.9FM  Internet Audio: kvoe.com
Television: None Internet Video: themiaanetwork.com/esuhornets
Live Stats • Ticket Info • Complete Notes in pdf
Up Next: Ft. Hays State • Wed. Jan. 16 • 7:30 p.m. • Emporia, Kan. • White Auditorium (5,000)

SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY
Due to Mo. Western concerns about the weather on Saturday, Emporia State travels to St. Joseph, Mo. on Sunday to take on the Griffons.

LAST TIME OUT
Emporia State used a 13-3 run in the second half to pull within six points before #2 Northwest Missouri pulled away to a 79-59 win in Maryville, Mo. Kooper Glick hit two free throws with 1.1 seconds left to send the teams to the locker rooms with Northwest leading 37-23.  The Hornets used an 8-0 run and cut the lead below double digits at 45-37 with 13:01 left. Kooper Glick hit a three to bring the Hornets within six at 53-47 with 9:35 remaining.  The Bearcats then went on an 8-2 run to push their lead back to double digits.   The Bearcats used a 12-1 run to take their biggest lead of the night at 79-53 with 1:36 left.  Emporia State scored the final six points to make the final scored 79-59. Kooper Glick led Emporia State with 22 points, five rebounds and two blocks while Malik Hluchoweckyj contributed 14 points.

THE COACHES
Craig Doty is 6-7 in his first season at Emporia State. In his seventh season as a head coach at the D2, NAIA, and NJCAA level he is 168-57 with three national championships. In two seasons at Graceland, Doty went 49-22 and won the 2018 NAIA Division I National Championship. Prior to Graceland, Doty spent four years as the head coach at Rock Valley College. His Golden Eagles won two national championships and appeared in three straight NJCAA Division III title games to finish with a 113-28 record. This will be his first meeting with Missouri Western.
Sundance Wicks is 8-8 in his first year at Missouri Western. This is his first meeting with Emporia State.

ABOUT THE HORNETS
Emporia State is 6-7 on the season, 1-3 in the MIAA. Five Hornets are averaging double figures led by Kooper Glick at 14.5 points per game. Justin Washington is the leading rebounder at 5.9 boards while adding 10.1 points per game.
 
ABOUT THE GRIFFONS
Missouri Western is 8-8 on the year, 2-3 in the MIAA. They are last in the MIAA in field goal percentage, turnover margin, assists, assist to turnover margin, and steals. Lavon Hightower is seventh in the MIAA in scoring at 18.9 points per game.

SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 76th meeting between the two teams with Missouri Western holding a 44-31 overall advantage. The Hornets have won seven of the last 11 meetings.

LAST TIME VS MISSOURI WESTERN
Emporia State outscored Missouri Western by ten in the second half but it was not enough to overcome an 18 point deficit in a 65-61 loss. The Griffons went up 33-15 with 2:43 remaining in the first half. Missouri Western had a 51-34 lead with 13:44 left. The Hornets got back to back three-pointers along with an old fashioned three-point play to cut the lead to 51-45 with 10:09 remaining. Emporia State was within 61-58 with 16.4 seconds left but the Griffons connected on four of four free throws in the final 15.1 seconds to ice the win. Brandon Hall had a game high 22 points and Limuel added 19 points with eight rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Hornets return to White Auditorium to take on Ft. Hays State on Wednesday, January 16. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

EMPORIA STATE IN ST. JOSEPH
• Emporia State won the 1978 NAIA Baseball National Championship in St. Joseph's Phil Welch Stadium.
• Emporia State's first NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament game was a 54-51 victory over Central Missouri on March 6, 1997 in the MWSU Fieldhouse.
• The Lady Hornets won their first NCAA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship in the St. Joseph Civic Arena on March 25, 2010.

WINTER WEATHER
This is the first time in over a decade that Emporia State has been involved in a conference game being rescheduled due to weather.  The last time it happened  was during the 2006-07 season when a double header between Emporia State and Central Missouri featuring three top 25 teams was moved from January 13, 2007 to February 19, 2007. The Hornet men were 14-0 at the time and ranked #8 in the nation, the Lady Hornets were 11-3 and ranked #8 in the nation, and the Mules were 14-0 and ranked #3 in the nation at the time of the postponement.  The then #19 Hornets won the rescheduled game 78-71 over the then #8 Mules while the #9 Lady Hornets defeated the Jennies 106-62.

DOTY MAGIC
On Friday, April 27, 2018, three-time National Champion head coach Craig Doty was introduced as the new head men's basketball coach at Emporia State University by athletic director Kent Weiser. Doty holds a 6-7 record since taking over for the Hornets and is 55-29 as a head coach at four year schools.  He is 168-57 in his seventh year at the NCAA D2, NAIA and NJCAA levels, including a 73-34 mark in conference play and an unprecedented 28-4 record in the post-season.
Prior to his arrival in Emporia, Doty lead Rock Valley College and Graceland University to national prominence. In just two seasons at Graceland, Doty's program had a 49-22 record and won the 2018 NAIA Division I National Championship in the school's first trip to the national tournament at Kansas City's historic Municipal Auditorium. Along the way Doty earned NAIA National Coach of the Year, HoopDirt.com NAIA National Coach of the Year, and the 2018 Don Meyer Award.
Doty's programs at Rock Valley College won NJCAA Division III National titles in 2014 and 2016 while his 2015 squad came up just short finishing National Runner-up.

TOUGH ENOUGH
According to the latest NCAA stats Emporia State has played the seventh toughest schedule in the nation to date and when combining their previous and future opponents will face the ninth toughest schedule in the country. As a league the MIAA has the best non-conference record in the country with a 95-39 (.709) record against all opponents and a 61-37 (.622) record against Division II foes.  The NSIC is 69-35 (.663) overall and 33-30 (.524) against D2 schools while the GAC is 43-36 (.544) overall with a 26-29 (.473) record against Division II competition.

FRIENDLY CONFINES
The Hornets are 385-175 (.688) since 1979 in White Auditorium. Emporia State has won 169 of their last 239 games (.707) in White Auditorium dating back to the 2002-03 season. In the last 35 years, they have twice had home court winning streaks of 23 games, the first was from 1985-87 with the most recent one coming from February 12, 2003-December 18, 2004.

HORNETS RANK IN NATION IN ATTENDANCE
The Emporia State men's basketball team continued a string of 17 straight years ranking in the top 25 in attendance among the over 300 NCAA Division II basketball playing schools. The Hornets drew an average of 1,281 fans to their 17 home games at Slaymaker Court in White Auditorium during the 2017-18 season to rank 25th nationally.
Emporia State outdrew 77 NCAA Division I schools during the 2017-18 school year, including UMBC - the first #16 seed to upset a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Hornets were among six MIAA teams in the top 25 nationally. As a conference the MIAA drew 254,807 fans to 207 games to lead all Division II conference in average attendance at 1,231 fans per game. It is the tenth straight year the MIAA has led the nation in average attendance. The MIAA's total attendance was better than eight NCAA Division I conferences. All three of the conferences in the NCAA Central Region ranked in the top seven of the Division II conferences in average attendance with nine regional teams ranked in the top 25.

ON THE COURT
The court at William L. White Auditorium was formally named Ron Slaymaker Court at half-time of the Hornets win over Washburn on Feb. 28, 2014 after the City of Emporia approved a proclamation at their Feb. 20, 2014  city commission meeting.

AND IN THE RAFTERS
On February 22, 2014 All-American Dale Cushinberry (1966-69) joined the five Hornets who have had their jersey's retired to the wall of White Auditorium. He was an All-American for Emporia State and became the first Hornet with 1,000 points and 700 rebounds.
•Wilbur Reeser (1944-48) - Reeser was named an NAIB All-American and was the Hornets leading scorer as the won a conference championship in 1948.
•Ron Slaymaker (Player 1954-60, Coach 1970-98) - As a player Slaymaker was named All-Conference and All-American during the 1957-58 season. As a coach he won an ESU leading 464 games from 1970-98.
•Jim Fraley (1956-60) - Fraley was the school's all-time leading scorer (1,509) until Brian Robinson broke his record in 1985. He was named Second-team NAIA All-American.
•Doug Glaysher (1960-64) - Glaysher was named an All-American after leading the Hornets to the NAIA National Semi-finals in 1964. He graduated as the second leading scorer in ESU history.
•Brian Robinson (1984-86) - Robinson was named a first team All-American in both his junior and senior season. He is the ESU all-time leading scorer with 2,533 career points.

LISTEN & WATCH LIVE
Video webcasts for all of Emporia State's regular season games are available on a pay per view basis from the MIAA Digital Network. Content is available live and is immediately archived for on-demand viewing after each event at www.themiaanetwork.com and on The MIAA Network apps for Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, and Roku. Audio of all Emporia State games are available on KFFX 104.9FM and at www.kvoe.com with Greg Rahe on the call. KFFX is in their 31st straight year as the radio home of Hornet Athletics, the longest active streak between a commercial station and an MIAA school. All games will also be available on the internet at www.kvoe.com.

#2 MALIK HLUCHOWECKYJ
6-1 • 175 • Senior • Guard
Omaha, Neb. • Bellevue West HS/Bowling Green State
As A Senior in 2018-19
He is eighth in the MIAA in assists. He had 14 points at Northwest Missouri. He scored 18 points on six of nine shooting from the field and added seven rebounds and six assists at Northwestern Oklahoma. He had 15 points and a career high 11 assists against McPherson. He scored 16 points at Rockhurst. He had 20 points and a career high seven rebounds at Ft. Hays State. He led all scorers with 20 points against Rogers State. He recorded 14 points, six rebounds and eight assists against Bethel. He scored 15 points against Sioux Falls. He led the Hornets with a career high 22 points and added five rebounds and four assists against Southwest Minnesota State.
As A Junior in 2017-18
He averaged 5.4 points for the Hornets last year. He had a career high 15 points at Washburn. He dished a career high five assists at Lindenwood. He scored 14 points with six rebounds against Northwestern Oklahoma. He scored 11 points on five of nine shooting with four rebounds against Drury. He scored eight points at Iowa State.
Previously
He played in 21 games over two years at Bowling Green State before transferring to ESU.
He was a two time First-Team Nebraska Super-State selection for Bellevue West HS.

#3 HASSAN THOMAS
6-8 • 215 • Senior • Forward
Dallas, Texas • Woodrow Wilson HS/Ill.-Chicago
As a Senior in 2018-19
He pulled five rebounds at Northwest Missouri. He had 15 points and nine rebounds against Rogers State. He scored a career high 30 points in 22 minutes against Bethel. He had 19 points and five boards against Saint Mary. He recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds against #20 Southwest Minnesota State.
As a Junior in 2017-18
He averaged 8.0 points and 4.8 rebounds last season. He scored 12 points and had five rebounds against Washburn. He scored 15 points at Neb.-Kearney. He had 12 points and nine boards at Ft. Hays State. He scored 16 points and pulled seven rebounds against Southwest Baptist. He had 13 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots against Rockhurst. He pulled down a career high 12 rebounds against Drury. He scored ten points, all in the second half, at Iowa State.
Previously
He played in 28 games over two years at Illinois-Chicago.
He was a first-team Class 5A All-State selection in Texas for Woodrow Wilson HS in Dallas. He averaged 13 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks per game as a senior.

#4 KAM ROWAN
6-0 • 185 • Senior • Guard
Champaign, Ill. • Central HS/Des Moines Area CC/Upper Iowa
As a Senior in 2018-19
He had six points against Washburn. He had four points and three assists against McPherson. He scored five points against Rogers State. He had eight points and seven assists off the bench against Saint Mary. He scored seven points at Kansas.
Previously
Played in all 33 games off the bench as a junior at Upper Iowa. He averaged 20.2 minutes per contest and 7.1 points per game. He shot 43.5% from the field and connected on 10 triples. He averaged 2.7 rebounds per game, and shot 77.8% from the foul line. He totaled 61 assists, good for third on the team. He scored a career high 15 points against Augustana and reached double figures 11 times. He tallied a career best nine rebounds at Augustana. He dished out a career high seven assists at Concordia-St. Paul.
He was at Des Moines Area Community College from 2014-16.

#11 GRANT SHELL
6-3 • 180 • Junior • Guard
Burlington, Kan. • Burlington HS/Fresno State
As a Senior in 2018-19
He scored ten points against McPherson, going three of four from behind the three-point line. He scored five points with three rebounds against Neb.-Kearney. He had nine points and went two of three from three-point range against Rogers State. Shell scored 14 points on three of four shooting from three point range in a win over Bethel. He scored 11 points against Sioux Falls.
As a Junior in 2018-19
He scored a team high 16 points with four steals against Washburn last season. He had 15 points and six rebounds against Central Missouri. He was four of five from the field for 14 points against Northeastern State. He had 13 points with three treys against Central Oklahoma. He scored a career high 18 points at Lindenwood with four made three-pointers. He scored 11 points and hit three three-pointers against Rockhurst. He had 12 points against Newman. He had 13 points with three three-pointers against Sioux Falls. He scored a team high 11 points at Iowa State.   
Previously
He played in six games as a freshman at Fresno State in 2015-16 before redshirting in 2016-17.
He was a two-time all-state selection for Burlington HS, earning Class 4A honors as a junior and Class 3A honors his senior season. He was a three-time all-league honoree for the Wildcats. He averaged 17 points per game as a senior.

#12 JULIUS JACKSON
6-1 • 171 • Senior • Guard
Arlington, Texas • Lamar HS/Weatherford/Trinity Valley CC/Presentation
As A Senior in 2018-19
He has reached double figures in six of his nine games this season. He was held scoreless at Northwest Missouri. He scored 21 points against Washburn and is averaging 15.7 points per game in MIAA action. He was ten of 14 from the free throw line for 15 points in 17 minutes at Northwestern Oklahoma. He scored 16 points in 16 minutes at Rockhurst. He had 21 points and made nine of 11 from the free throw line at Ft. Hays State. He scored 21 points on 8-11 shooting against Bethel after his debut performance of 13 points and four rebounds against Saint Mary. Jackson sat out the first three games of the season planning to redshirt.  
Previously
He averaged 23.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and was fifth in NAIA Division II in points per game. He had a season high 41 points on 17 of 25 shooting against Dickinson State in a stretch where he scored at least 30 points in four straight games.
Prior to Presentation he played at Weatherford College and Trinity Valley College in Texas.
He was an All-District performer for Arlington Lamar HS where he averaged 20.6 points, five rebounds and five assists per game as a senior.

#14 DUNCAN FORT
6-6 • 230 • Sophomore • Forward
Osage City, Kan. • Osage City HS
As a Sophomore in 2018-19
He had nine points and seven rebounds at Northwestern Oklahoma. He scored a career high 13 points against McPherson. He earned his first career start at Rockhurst and finished with eight points and five rebounds. He had a team high seven rebounds in ten minutes against Saint Mary.  He had two rebounds at Kansas.
As a Freshman in 2017-18
He scored a career high 12 points, all in the second half, at Pittsburg State last season on four of six shooting from the field with three rebounds. He hit a free throw with 1.5 seconds left against Central Oklahoma. He had six points and five rebounds at Missouri. He scored five points against Kansas Wesleyan. He had an assist against Sioux Falls. He scored five points with four rebounds at Iowa State. He had seven points and two rebounds at Kansas State.  
He had a team high ten points in ten minutes at the exhibition game at Kansas in 2016-17 before redshirting the regular season.
Previously
He was a first-team All-Kansas player for Osage City HS in 2015-16. His father Dennis played at Emporia State from 1985-89.

#20 AARON MCGEE
6-5 • 186 • Junior • Forward
Bonner Springs, Kan. • Bonner Springs HS/Cowley CC
As a Junior in 2018-19
He was perfect from the field for six points against McPherson and added two steals. He had six points and four rebounds against Neb.-Kearney. He scored five points and pulled down eight rebounds against Rogers State. He pulled five rebounds and had four assists against Saint Mary. He scored eight points and had ten rebounds at Newman. He had nine points and five rebounds against #20 Southwest Minnesota State.
Previously
He spent the last two years at Cowley CC.  He started all 31 games and averaged 7.7 points with 4.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore. He had a season high 16 points on seven of nine shooting from the field at Dodge City CC. He played in all 32 games as a freshman and averaged 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
He averaged 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game with a 2.24 assist to turnover ratio as a senior for Bonner Springs HS.  He was an All-Class 5A honorable mention pick as a senior.

#21 DANNY HODGE
6-1 • 163 • Junior • Guard
Spring Hill, Kan. • Spring Hill HS
As a Junior in 2018-19
He is in his fourth season with the Hornets. He scored five points against Washburn. He pulled in two rebounds and dished out two assists against Bethel. He had two points and an assist against Saint Mary.
As a Sophomore in 2017-18
He had three rebounds at Pittsburg State last year. He had five points with four rebounds at Lindenwood. He scored five points at Missouri and hit a three pointer with 46 seconds left to pull the Hornets within two points. He tied his career high with ten points against Kansas Wesleyan and added three assists and two steals.
As a Freshman in 2016-17
He scored six points in five minutes at Washburn as a freshman in 2016-17. He had ten points against Kansas Christian in his first career start.
Previously
He red-shirted his first year at Emporia State after graduating from Spring Hill HS where he played for former Hornet Wes Book.

#22 JACK DALE
6-2 • 187 • Sophomore • Guard
Tonganoxie, Kan. • Tonganoxie HS
As A Sophomore in 2018-19
He has played in seven games this season. He was three of four from the free throw line against Bethel. He scored seven points and was perfect from the field against Saint Mary. He had a season high 11 minutes against Sioux Falls.
As A Freshman in 2017-18
He had his first career start against Southwest Baptist. He scored five points against Central Missouri. He had a career high six points at Pittsburg State. He scored three points against Central Oklahoma. He had five points and three assists with two rebounds against Kansas Wesleyan. He scored six points on three of four shooting at Iowa State. He red-shirted for Emporia State in 2016-17.
Previously
He was an honorable mention all-state performer at Basehor-Linwood HS as a senior in 2015-16.

#23 MARQUIS MCCRAY
6-4 • 185 • Junior • Forward
Wichita, Kan. • Wichita Heights HS/Dodge City CC
As A Junior in 2018-19
He has played in six games this year. He played a season high nine minutes against Bethel. He hit the only shot against Saint Mary.  
Previously
He started 13 of 31 games for the Conquistadors last year and averaged 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
He averaged 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game as a senior for Wichita Heights HS.

#24 JUSTIN WASHINGTON
6-6 • 225 • Sophomore • Forward
Springfield, Mo. • Crane HS/Evangel
As A Sophomore in 2018-19
He scored ten points with three treys against Washburn. He had a career high 18 points, 15 in the first half, along with nine rebounds at Rockhurst. He scored 14 points with five rebounds at Ft. Hays State. He led the Hornets with 15 points and 11 rebounds against Neb.-Kearney. He scored three points and pulled in seven rebounds in 10 minutes against Rogers State. He scored 14 points and had six rebounds with five steals against Saint Mary. He scored 16 points with seven rebounds in 19 minutes against Newman. He recorded ten points and three rebounds against #20 Southwest Minnesota State. He had a team high ten rebounds at Kansas.  
Previously
He led Evangel with 18.9 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, starting all 26 games he played in last season.
A 2014 Crane HS graduate he went to Evangel last season. He helped lead the Pirates to the 2014 District title before injuring his knee and after being out of basketball for the three years.

#30 SAWYER GLICK
6-5 • 185 • Senior • Guard
Columbus, Ind. • Columbus North HS/Spring Hill/Barry
As A Senior in 2018-19
He is eighth in the MIAA in made three-pointers per game. He had nine points and five rebounds against Washburn. He had 19 points and hit five of ten treys at Northwestern Oklahoma. He scored an ESU career high 20 points with six made treys against McPherson. Had eight points on three of seven shooting against Rogers State. He scored 15 points with five three pointers against Bethel and 16 points hitting four treys against Saint Mary. He had ten points and two rebounds against #20 Southwest Minnesota State.
Previously
He started 31 of 32 games for NCAA Divison II Elite Eight team Barry last season.  He averaged 13.8 points per game with three 30 point games in the regular season highlighted by a ten of 17 effort from behind the arc for 34 points in a win at Rollins. He ranked tenth in the nation last year with 103 made three-pointers and was third in the Sunshine State Conference with a .395 three-point percentage. He averaged 10.9 points on .421 shooting from behind the arc as a sophomore for Barry.  
He was the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year for NCAA Division II Spring Hill College in 2015-16. He averaged 15.8 points and 4.3 rebounds for the Badgers. He has made 268 three-pointers in his career to rank third among active NCAA Division II players.
He averaged 13.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game as a senior at Columbus (Ind.) North HS.

#32 KOOPER GLICK
6-4 • 201 • Senior • Forward
Columbus, Ind. • Columbus North HS/Rock Valley College/Barry
As A Senior in 2018-19
He is leading the MIAA in free throw percentage. He had and Emporia State career high 22 points at Northwest Missouri. He scored 12 points with six assists against Washburn. He had 13 points at Northwestern Oklahoma. He scored 16 points with six assists at Rockhurst. He had 13 points, six rebounds and three assists at Ft. Hays State. He had 11 points and six rebounds against Neb.-Kearney. Scored 19 points on six of 11 shooting from the field against Rogers State. He scored 18 points against Bethel and had a career high 20 points on six of eight shooting from the field against Saint Mary. He scored 17 against Newman. He recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in his first start against #20 Southwest Minnesota State.
Previously
He led Barry with a .900 free throw percentage last year and was a perfect 13 of 13 from the line in the post season.  He played in 61 games in two years with two starts, including the South Region Championship game.  
He played his freshman season for Coach Doty at Rock Valley College.  He averaged 12.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game for the Eagles as they won the NJCAA Division III National Championship.
He prepped at Columbus (Ind.) North HS and averaged 16.8 points per game as a senior.

#1 JUSTIN TUCKER
6-7 • 201 • Junior • Forward
Orlando, Fla. • Dr. Phillips HS/Wofford/Indian River State College
As a Junior in 2018-19
In his first season with the Hornets after transferring from Indian River (Fla.) State College. He injured his ankle after the Newman game and is out for the season. He had six points and four rebounds against Sioux Falls.
Previously
He was a second-team All-Southern Conference selection as a sophomore after averaging 9.4 points and 5.9 rebounds for the Pioneers. He played in 27 games for NCAA Division I Wofford as a freshman and had season highs of 12 points and five rebounds against UVa.-Wise. He averaged a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds as a senior at Dr. Phillips HS in Orlando, Fla.