Game 12: Newman (3-8, 0-6 MIAA) @ Central Oklahoma (9-2, 5-1 MIAA)
Monday, January 3, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. | Edmond, Okla. (Hamilton Field House)
Audio:  Newman Jets Audio Network | Video:  MIAA Network
 
BACK AT IT
Newman men's basketball returns to action with a road trip to Edmond to start 2022.
 
LAST TIME OUT
NU started fast but allowed a 13-3 run late in the first half and #23 Fort Hays State capitalized on the way to an 82-57 victory over the Jets in NU's last game of 2021.  The Jets were unable to mount a comeback in the second half thanks to the tenacious Tiger defense holding NU to 28.6% shooting in the period.  Stevie Strong paced the Navy & Red with 21 points.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
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
Central Oklahoma starts the second semester in second place in the MIAA standings and sporting the conference's second-best winning streak at five in a row.  The Bronchos finished 13-11 in 2020-21 with a 12-10 MIAA record, ending a three-year streak under .500, the first for UCO since three nine-win      seasons in a row from 1986-89.  The Bronchos are looking to log consecutive winning seasons for the first time since notching 14 in a row from 2004-18.  UCO is on pace for its first 20-win season since going 20-10 under Tom Hankins in 2017-18.  The program enjoyed its longest period of sustained success under the direction of Terry Evans who led the Bronchos to a 263-124 record in his 13-year tenure from 2002-15.  The Bronchos are seeking their 18^th appearance in a national postseason tournament in 2022.  The Bronze & Blue's last berth in the Big Dance came when they hosted the 2011 South Central Regional and fell in the Sweet 16 to Midwestern State.
 
Central Oklahoma was set to host Southwestern Christian as a tune-up on Thursday, December 30 ahead of their return to MIAA play against NU.
 
THE SERIES
The Bronchos lead the series 5-2 with a 3-1 edge in both NU's NCAA Division II era and in MIAA competition.  UCO is 2-0 in Edmond against the Jets in the MIAA era of the series.  The teams traded blowout victories to split last year's series.
 
PREVIOUS MATCHUP
After jumping out to a 12-5 lead early, the Bronchos outscored Newman 35-11 over the final 15 minutes of the first half en route to a 94-61 victory February 13, 2021 in Edmond.  The Bronchos led 47-16 at the half and were never threatened in the second by the Jets as five Bronchos scored in double figures.  Branden Bunn led the Jets with 18 points on 4 of 8 shooting from the outside.
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.
 
BUCKING WITH THE BRONCHOS
Bob Hoffman is in his third year leading the Bronze & Blue and entered the season with a 24-28 record while tallying a 20-21 mark against 'The Association'.  In his 28^th year of coaching, Hoffman began the year with a 631-364 record.  Hoffman previously coached at NCAA Division I member Mercer of the Southern Conference from 2008-19 and led the Bears to a 208-165 record, two Atlantic Sun Conference championships, the 2014 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament title and a victory over No. 3 seed Duke in the 2014 NCAA Tournament.  During his time in Macon, Ga., Hoffman also led the Bears to one National Invitation Tournament berth (2013), two College Basketball Invitational appearances, and two trips to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, including the 2012 CIT title.  Hoffman previously spent five seasons at Texas-Pan American where he led the Broncs to a 68-77 record. 
 
Hoffman is no stranger to the Sooner State after spending nine seasons at Oklahoma Baptist where he led the Bison to a sparkling 243-78 record from 1990-99 with six NAIA Tournament appearances, seven 20-win seasons and four 30-win seasons.  Hoffman started as a collegiate head coach by going 88-16 in three seasons leading the Crimson Storm women's basketball program at Southern Nazarene from 1987-90.  He began his coaching career as a high school coach at Piedmont High School from 1981-85.  Hoffman has also spent time as a head coach in the American Basketball Association, the NBA Development League, and as an assistant for two seasons at Oklahoma.
 
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 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. 
 
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
The Jets have shown massive improvement this season in their ball security.  After finishing last the MIAA last year with 15.9 giveaways per game, NU is currently committing just 12.2 turnovers per game and is sixth in the league in turnover margin.  The Jets have turned the ball over 11 times or less in five of their last six games.  The lone exception was a 72-61 defeat to Washburn as the Jets turned it over a season-high 19 times against the Ichabods.
 
TAKING THEIR FREEBIES
NU is in the top five of the MIAA in free throw percentage hitting 75.6% from the line, good for 49^th in the country.  Going into the break, the Jets had hit over 75% of their charity shots in three of their last four contests and over 70% from the line in eight of their last nine.
 
SOMEBODY USE SPELL CHECK
Despite the preference of modern American English for 'bronco,' Central Oklahoma uses the antiquated spelling of 'broncho' for its athletic teams.  According to school tradition, UCO's head coach in 1922 had created a Letterman's Club which the school still uses as its Athletics Hall of Fame and needed a new mascot for Central's teams.  The wife of the new coach chose 'Broncho' as that was the common spelling of the word at the time.  Mrs. Wantland was offered honorary membership into the club and the rest, as they say, is history.  Despite the 'h' the pronunciation of the words is identical.
 
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. 
 
THIS GYM IS GROSS
Fort Hays State has an astounding 24-2 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 22-2 against the Jets at their 'new' home and have won 15 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.
 
LEADING 'THE ASSOCIATION'

• At the start of the second semester, freshman Stevie Strong is in the upper echelon of MIAA shooters in several categories.  Strong is seventh in the league in 3-pointers per game and is eighth in 3-point percentage.  Strong has made the third-most threes in the league and has attempted the fifth most.  In addition, Strong's 93% clip from the foul stripe is good for second in 'The Association' and 11^th in the country.
• Strong's 12 3-pointers attempted at Nebraska-Kearney is tied for the ninth most in the conference this season.
• Deandre Johnson's career-high four blocks at UNK are tied for second most in the MIAA behind only Christian Bundy's five against the Jets for Missouri Southern.
• Emporia State's Tray Buchanan committed nine turnovers against the Jets, the most by an MIAA player in a game this season.
• Newman's 22 free throws against Sterling are tied for eighth most in the MIAA this season.
• The Jets' 92% clip at the line against Emporia State is tied for the sixth-best performance by an MIAA squad.
• NU's 19 turnovers against Washburn are tied for the 10^th most in 'The Association'.

 
NU STATS 'N STREAKS

• At the start of the second semester, the Jets were 13^th in the MIAA in scoring at 66 ppg and were tied for 10^th in defense allowing 72 ppg.
• The Jets can end a six-game losing streak by beating the Bronchos.  All six losses have come in conference play.
• Freshman guard Stevie Strong has scored at least 10 points in five-straight games and has topped 20 points in the last three games and four of the Jets' last five.  In NU's loss at Nebraska-Kearney, Strong set a new career high with 24 points.
• Sophomore guard Ian Lee has tallied double-figure scoring in three-straight games.
• Strong's perfect career ended at UNK when he missed his fifth try at the foul strip against the Lopers, ending a streak of 29-straight free throws.
• Graduate transfer guard A. J. Morris snared a career-high five rebounds in NU's loss at Nebraska-Kearney.  Morris has also matched his career-best of two steals for a ninth time this season.
• Redshirt junior forward Deandre Johnson swatted four shots to set a new career best for blocks in the Jets' loss to the Lopers.
• 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.
• Former Haysville (Kan.) Campus High School Colt Stevie Strong set new career highs with four rebounds, four assists, and three steals against Washburn.
• Freshman guard Aleksa Jovanovic grabbed a career-high three rebounds and recorded his first career block in the Navy & Red's loss to Washburn.
• 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.
• 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.
• Despite partially tearing ligaments in his ankle, junior guard David Javorsky hauled in a career-high nine rebounds at Pittsburg State.  Earlier this year, Javorsky matched his career best of three steals against Manhattan Christian College.
• Second-year freshman forward Jorge Oliva set a new career best with five boards in NU's loss at Pittsburg State.
• Sophomore Damani Thomas collected a career-high 11 points in Newman's 59-53 win over Tabor on November 18, 2021.  He also set career bests with one 3-pointer and two assists in the same game.  Thomas matched his career high of two steals in NU's very next game against Sterling.
• 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?
NU returns home later next week to host Rogers State and Northeastern State from Oklahoma on Thursday and Saturday.
 
MIAA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Week 1:  Tray Buchanan – Emporia State
Week 2:  Trevor Hudgins – Northwest Missouri
Week 3:  Tray Buchanan (2) – Emporia State (2)
Week 4:  Travor Hudgins (2) – Northwest Missouri (2)
Week 5:  Camryn Givens – Central Oklahoma
Week 6:  Isaiah Wade – Central Oklahoma (2)