Games 10 & 11: Newman (3-6, 0-4 MIAA) @ Nebraska-Kearney (3-5, 0-3 MIAA)
Friday, December 17, 2021 | 5:30 p.m. | Kearney, Neb. (Health & Sports Center)
Audio:  The River 93.1/106.9 KRVN FM (Play-by-Play:  Jayson Jorgensen) | Video:  MIAA Network
 
@ Fort Hays State (8-0, 3-0 MIAA)
Sunday, December 19, 2021| 4:00 p.m. | Hays, Kan. (Gross Memorial Coliseum)
Audio:  Newman Jets Audio Network | Video:  MIAA Network
 
GO WEST YOUNG MEN
Newman makes an MIAA trip to Nebraska and western Kansas to wrap up play in 2021 this weekend.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Up by just one in the second half, Washburn hit the Jets with a 10-0 run on the way to a 72-61 victory at Fugate Gymnasium December 11.  The game was a defensive battle at halftime with the Ichabods on top 25-22 as NU hit just 22% of its shots in the frame, but the 'Bods couldn't take advantage thanks to 1 of 11 shooting from outside the arc.  The Jet defense could only hold for so long and Washburn broke through to shoot 56% in the second frame.  Stevie Strong scored 21 points to lead the Jets.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
The Jets fell to Emporia State 75-62 earlier in the week.
 
SCOUTING THE SQUADRON
Newman ended last year's pandemic-abbreviated season 4-18 while playing all 22 games within the MIAA.  The Jets return 10 players from a year ago, including two of their top three scorers from that team.  The Jets will suit up four players classified as juniors this season who played at that classification a year ago, but plan to utilize the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA in response to the Coronavirus Pandemic.  The Jets welcome five new freshmen to the program and they are joined by three sophomores and three other juniors.  Transferring into the Jets program are Clay Center High School product Anthony Atkinson (Barton County), former Wichita Southeast High School star Israel Barnes (Texas-Permian Basin, Weber St.), A. J. Morris (Alcorn St.), and Damani Thomas (Niagara).
 
TOP RETURNERS
Junior guard Branden Bunn is the Jets' leading returning scorer after scoring 11.8 ppg a year ago.  Bunn also led the Jets in 3-pointers connecting on 42.5% of his attempts.  Bunn also proved a valuable addition to the Jets defense by leading the Navy & Red with 24 steals last season.  Redshirt junior forward Deandre Johnson is NU's leading returning rebounder after snatching 4.3 rpg for the Jets last year.  Sophomore guard Ian Lee returns to pilot the Jets offense after tallying the second-most assists for NU a year ago with 46 dimes against just 40 turnovers.  Lee is also the best returning free throw shooter from last year's team after connecting on over 86% of his tries from the line.
 
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Nebraska-Kearney didn't start or end the 2020-21 season well and wrapped up the year 8-14 with all 22 games coming in MIAA play.  UNK started the season 1-5 before winning three of their next four.  The Lopers dropped three straight heading into February before winning three of four again, but they couldn't sustain that momentum and lost their last three to end the season outside the MIAA Tournament picture.  The eight wins was Nebraska-Kearney's lowest win total since a 7-19 campaign that saw the Lopers go 4-14 in the MIAA in 2012-13.  The Lopers are seeking their 13^th NCAA Tournament appearance in 2022 and their first since 2016.  UNK is also looking to avoid consecutive losing seasons since suffering three straight from 2008-11.
 
Fort Hays State moved things in the right direction last year after finishing 11-11 with all 22 games being contested inside the MIAA.  While it was the second straight .500 season for the Tigers, Fort Hays State did register a four-game improvement in their MIAA win total after finishing 7-12 in the league in 2019-20.  On an 8-0 heater to begin the season, the Tigers are taking aim at their first winning season since finishing 18-11 in 2018-19 when they finished fourth in 'The Association' with a 12-7 record.  The Tigers haven't suffered a losing season since 2006-07 when the Tigers limped to a 13-15 record while finishing 6-12 in conference action.  The Tigers seek their 14^th NCAA Tournament appearance in 2022 and their first postseason berth of any kind since 2019.  FHSU hasn't been dancing at March Madness since 2016.
 
The Tigers host NU's travel partner Central Oklahoma on Friday, December 17.
 
THE SERIES
Nebraska-Kearney leads 3-1 with all four games coming as MIAA foes the last two seasons.  NU picked up their first win over the Lopers last season in Wichita December 10, 2020.  NU is 0-2 against the Lopers in Kearney.
 
Fort Hays State leads 41-10 with the Tigers taking the last four in a row and 9 of 10 from the Jets.  The Tigers lead 14-2 in NU's NCAA DII era.  Just because the series has been lopsided does not mean it has been easy; 10 of the last 12 games in the series have been decided by 10 points or less.  In both games last year, the teams were separated by six points or fewer with the Tigers winning the first match up in Wichita in overtime.  FHSU leads 4-0 in games counting in the MIAA standings after sweeping the Jets a season ago.
 
PREVIOUS MATCHUP
Nebraska-Kearney walled up on a Jet layup attempt that would have tied the game and hit free throws down the stretch to hold off the Navy & Red 70-65 February 6, 2021 in Kearney.  UNK led for 35 minutes in the game and built the lead to 14 in the second half, but NU roared back with six 3-pointers in the second half.  NU trailed 35-28 at the break and the deficit proved too much to overcome for the Jets.  Branden Bunn dropped 20 points to lead Newman.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
Fort Hays State came out on the right side of highly competitive 69-64 contest against the Jets in Hays February 4, 2021.  Neither team enjoyed more than a six-point lead during the 40-minute battle.  The teams tied and traded the lead 11 times in the game.  Ian Lee led the Jets in defeat with 18 points, 16 of which came in the first half.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
CAPTAIN OF THE FLEET
R. J. Allen begins his fifth season as the head coach of the Jets in 2021.  It will be his 11th season with the program.  Allen has compiled a record of 47-60 over his first 4 years in Wichita with a 7-34 record in MIAA play.  Allen has coached a player to the All-MIAA team each of his first two years in the league.  Joel Boyce was named All-MIAA Honorable Mention in 2021 while Marshawn Blackmon earned Third Team recognition in 2020.  During the Jets' last year in the Heartland Conference, Allen led NU to a 20-9 overall record while finishing third in the Heartland Conference at 11-5.  The 20 wins tied the NU record for victories in their NCAA Division II era.  NU also finished the season in the Top 10 of the South Central Regional Rankings.  Allen was named the 2018 Heartland Conference Coach of the Year in his first season at the helm at Newman after guiding the Jets on a dramatic turnaround in the second half of the season that saw NU finish 14-14 overall and third in the conference with a 10-6 record.
 
Allen arrived in Wichita in 2011 and spent six seasons as an assistant and eventually associate head coach under Mark Potter, NU's all-time winningest coach.  The Jets won 88 games over those 6 years and made four trips to the Heartland Conference Tournament and the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance after going 20-8 in 2012-13.  He was also on the bench when the Jets knocked off No. 2 seed Lubbock Christian in the first round of the 2016 Heartland Conference Tournament to earn its first ever postseason victory as an NCAA program.
 
Allen is no stranger to the Air Capital after growing up in Wichita and playing his prep years for his dad, Ron, at Wichita East High School.  Allen was a two time All-City and All-State selection and helped lead the Blue Aces to the 2002 6A state championship.  Following high school, Allen stayed local playing two years at Hutchinson Community College.  The Blue Dragons dominated during Allen's career going 57-9 over the two-year span with a 41-1 record in Jayhawk Conference play and winning the conference title in 2004.
 
LEADING THE LOPERS & TRAINING THE TIGERS
Kevin Lofton is in his 27^th year as a member of the UNK coaching staff and has been head coach since 2005.  Lofton started with Nebraska-Kearney as a graduate assistant from 1995-97.  He joined the staff full time after that and was made associate head coach in 2001.  In 2005, he became co-head coach with Tom Kropp and was retained in the head role following Kropp's retirement at the end of the 2014-15 season.  It is Lofton's 17^th year as head coach and entering the season he has amassed a record of 247-196 with a 170-145 mark against the MIAA.  In six years as a solo coach, Lofton is 91-81 with a 60-60 tally against 'The Association'.  Lofton started his playing career in his home state of Arizona at Yavapai Community College before finishing his education at Regis in the RMAC.  As head coach or co-head coach, Lofton has led the Lopers to three NCAA Tournament appearances and 11 postseason appearances overall, four 20-win seasons and was on the bench for UNK's 2006 RMAC Tournament title.  He led the Lopers to their best-ever MIAA Tournament finish in his first year solo on the bench when UNK finished 21-12, 14-8 in the league, runner-up in the MIAA Tournament and reached the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
 
Mark Johnson is in his 22^nd year as the head coach of Fort Hays State and he is the winningest coach in program history.  Johnson entered the year 391-197 with a 241-150 mark in conference games and a 173-123 record in the MIAA.  Johnson previously served as an assistant coach for the Tigers from 1996-2001 on the staff of Gary Garner.  Before he arrived at Hays, Johnson was an assistant at Phillips University in Oklahoma and Labette Community College.  His career started as a graduate assistant at Pittsburg State, his alma mater.  As a Gorilla, Johnson was twice honored as an All-MIAA player and was All-South Region as a senior.  He transferred to Pittsburg after two seasons at Kilgore Junior College.  As a senior at Millard South High School in Omaha, Neb., Johnson was named All-America, All-State, All-Metro, and All-Conference.  Johnson has led the Tigers to seven NCAA Tournaments and nine 20-win seasons.  He has suffered just one losing season as the Tigers head coach.  Johnson led the Tigers to a Rocking Mountain Athletic Conference-East Division crown in 2006 with an 18-1 RMAC record and a first-place tie in the MIAA in 2013.
 
NEW MANAGEMENT
Kyle McLeroy begins his first year as assistant coach at Newman after spending the previous two years as a graduate assistant at Dallas Baptist University, a former Heartland Conference rival of the Jets.  Serving under long-time head coach Dr. Blake Flickner, McLeroy helped lead the Patriots to a 38-14 record over his two seasons.  DBU also earned a berth into two NCAA Tournaments with McLeroy on the bench.
 
McLeroy prepped at Cypress Ranch High School in Cypress, Texas before beginning his collegiate career at the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor.  As a freshman, he helped the Crusaders to a 25-3 record and a No. 5 ranking in the NCAA Division III Top 25.  He redshirted the next season and then transferred to NCAA Division I Sam Houston State.  There he led the Bearkats to a combined 50-20 record over his two seasons and helped set a new NCAA DI-era program record with 26 wins in the 2014-15 season.  Sam Houston State played twice in the Southland Conference Tournament championship game and made two appearances in the College Insider Tournament.
 
CLOSE CALLS
The Navy & Red have played in five games where the margin was less than 10 points at some point in the final minute of play, going 1-4 in those games.  Down-to-the-wire basketball is nothing new for the Jets as Newman played in 11 games last year in which the score of the game was within six points at some point in the final minute of regulation.  The Jets finished 3-8 in games last year where the final score was decided by a margin of 10 points or less.
 
THIS GYM IS GROSS
Fort Hays State has an astounding 23-2 record against the Jets in games played in Hays.  The Jets and Tigers locked up twice at Sheridan Coliseum prior to the opening of Gross Memorial Coliseum in 1973 with FHSU taking both games.  The Tigers are 21-2 against the Jets at their 'new' home and have won 14 in a row over the Jets there.  NU's last win at Gross came in a 75-69 triumph December 7, 1981.  NU's only other Gross win was a two-point margin on January 14, 1978.
 
MARGINS OF VICTORY
Until Washburn, the Jets had won the turnover battle in five-straight games starting with their victory over Sterling and ending with their loss to Emporia State.  NU was +27 in turnover margin over the span and averaged just 9.8 turnovers per game in that stretch.  The Ichabods were able to force NU into a season-high 19 turnovers last time out.
 
COMING IN OUT OF THE COLD
The Jets' 3-point shooting has started to warm up.  After shooting 26% from the arc in four-straight games, Newman is starting to creep in the right direction after last week's effort.  The Jets shot 29% from bonus distance against Emporia State and 33% on their threes against Washburn, the Navy & Red's best 3-point rate since hitting 47% from outside against Tabor in NU's third game of the year.
 
SCHEDULE UPDATE
Newman's postponed game against Cameron has been rescheduled to Tuesday, February 8, 2022 at 6:00 p.m.  The Navy & Red were originally scheduled to travel to Lawton, Okla., to play the Aggies on Saturday, November 20.  The game was postponed due to Coronavirus protocols inside the Aggies program.  It will be the third game in five days for the Jets but follows two home games the previous week.  In addition, the Jets do not have a midweek game scheduled for that week as they will be hosting travel partner Central Oklahoma on Saturday. 
 
LEADING 'THE ASSOCIATION'

• Through the end of non-conference play, Ian Lee was tied for fifth in the MIAA in free throw percentage (.875).
• A. J. Morris was tied for seventh in the MIAA in steals per game (2.0) ahead of non-conference play.
• Newman's 47% shooting from bonus distance against Tabor ranked ninth among MIAA members ahead of conference play.
• The Jets' 10 steals against Southwest Minnesota State tied for ninth most in the league this year ahead of MIAA action.  The Jets also recorded 10 thefts in a win over Sterling College.
• The Jets' 22 free throws against Sterling were tied for fifth most in the league this year through the non-conference schedule.
• In the same game against the Warriors, the Jets attempted 27 free throws, good for seventh most in the league through the non-con.
• The Navy & Red committed the second-most fouls in any game featuring an MIAA member ahead of the conference slate when they hacked 27 times in a season-opening loss at Concordia-St. Paul.

 
NU STATS 'N STREAKS

• At the conclusion of non-conference play, the Jets were 11^th in the MIAA in scoring averaging 70 ppg.  The Jets were eighth in defense surrendering 66.8 ppg.
• The Jets can end a four-game losing streak with a win on Friday.
• Freshman guard Stevie Strong has scored in at least 10 points in three-straight games and six of the last seven and has topped 20 points in two of the last three.  In the loss to Washburn, Strong also matched his career-high of four 3-pointers.
• With a seven-for-seven performance against the Ichabods, Strong continued his perfect career at the free throw line and has now hit 25 in a row to start his Jet career.  The seven charity shots matched his career high set against Sterling earlier this year.
• With six assists against the Ichabods, sophomore guard Ian Lee set a new NU-career high that fell just one shy of his overall collegiate high mark set as a freshman at Howard University.
• Junior transfer guard Israel Barnes has scored in double figures in all four games he has played in after missing the start of the year with turf toe.  Barnes notched another career high with 23 points in the Jets defeat to Emporia State.
• Freshman guard Stevie Strong scored a career-high 22 points in NU's loss at Missouri Southern.  In the game he also connected for a career-high four 3-pointers.  It was Strong's second 20-point performance of the year.
• Junior forward Deandre Johnson was a perfect 5 of 5 from the field scoring a season-high 11 points in NU's loss at Missouri Southern.  It is the only time in Johnson's career he has shot 100% from the field while taking at least five shots.
• Second-year freshman forward Angelo Santiago grabbed a career-high nine rebounds in NU's loss to MSSU.
• Sophomore Damani Thomas collected a career-high 11 points in Newman's 59-53 win over Tabor on November 18, 2021.
• Graduate guard A. J. Morris notched an NU-career-best 11 points in the Navy & Red's season opening loss @ Concordia-St. Paul.
• The Jets are looking for their first winning season since 2018-19 when Newman finished 20-9 while tying for third in the Heartland Conference.  NU also seeks its first 10-win season since that same campaign.  2018-19 was also the last season NU participated in the postseason, losing in the first round of the final Heartland Conference Tournament to Rogers State.

 
WHAT'S NEXT?
Newman men's basketball will be off enjoying Christmas break for the rest of the year and will return to action for a road trip to Central Oklahoma to tip off 2022.