Games 15:
vs. #2/#2 Northwest Missouri (15-1, 8-0)
Saturday, January 22, 2022 | 3:30 p.m. | Wichita, Kan. (Fugate Gymnasium)
Audio:  Newman Jets Audio Network | Video:  MIAA Network | Live Stats:  NU Athletics
 
NO REST FOR THE WEARY
Newman returns home to Fugate Gymnasium after a week and a half off in the schedule.
 
LAST TIME OUT
NU answered every Northeastern State run with a charge of their own to hold off the RiverHawks and claim their first MIAA win of the year in a 75-66 triumph on Saturday, January 8.  NSU got out to an early lead with a 9-0 run to take a 20-12 advantage in the first half, but the Jets responded by holding the 'Hawks to just nine points after the 10-minute media timeout.  Freshman Stevie Strong poured in 22 points in the second half for the Jets including 13 in a row at one point.  Strong set a new career high with 29 points.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
Newman's games last week at Lincoln and Central Missouri were postponed due to Coronavirus protocols inside the Jet program.  Newman's game Thursday against Missouri Western was postponed due to Coronavirus protocols inside the Griffon program. 
 
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
Northwest Missouri looks to continue their dominance of the MIAA in 2022 and accordingly starts the week atop the MIAA standings.  The Bearcats have won or shared a staggering eight MIAA titles in a row and nine of the league's last 10.  Northwest has now tallied 10-straight winning seasons and all of them have included at least 21 wins.  A half-court shot by Washburn at the buzzer of the 2021 MIAA Tournament ended the Bearcats' run of five consecutive conference tournament crowns but did not deter another deep run in March.  Northwest has appeared in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last eight seasons and nine of the last ten and has captured three of the last five NCAA Division II National Championships including the 2021 title.  Northwest hasn't missed the postseason since three consecutive losing seasons from 2008-2011 in the last year of the Steve Tappmeyer era and the first two seasons of Ben McCollum's tenure in Maryville.  The Bearcats are seeking their 22^nd NCAA Tournament appearance in 2022 and their 11^th consecutive postseason appearance overall.
 
Northwest was set to meet Central Oklahoma in a battle to decide first place in the MIAA Standings on Thursday.
 
THE SERIES
Northwest Missouri leads the series 2-1.  The teams played one game in 1985 that was won by the #2 Jets.  The series did not resume until the programs were conference members inside the MIAA at the start of the 2019-20 season.  Northwest leads 2-0 in MIAA games and is 1-1 in Maryville.  NU has never played an unranked Bearcat team in MIAA play.
 
PREVIOUS MATCHUP
After being overwhelmed early, the Jets found their footing and pushed the Bearcats for 40 minutes in an 81-70 defeat at #3 Northwest Missouri January 21, 2021.  After a nearly 30-point defeat to Northwest the year before in Wichita, NU was bracing for the worst after the Bearcats started the game on a 10-1 tear.  NU found their footing, but the Bearcats were able to push the lead to 28-14 with 9:30 to play in the first.  From that point the Navy & Red outscored the #3 team in the country 19-7 to end the half to trail by just two at the break.  The Jets started smelling upset when early buckets gave the Jets a lead just moments into the second.  NU built the lead as big as five three times in the second half, but the Bearcats answered every NU run with a basket to keep the Jets close.  After surrendering the lead, a Deandre Johnson dunk tied the game at 59 with just over six minutes to go, but Northwest put together a decisive 12-3 run to put the 'Cats on top 71-62 with just over three minutes to play.  The Navy & Red wouldn't get closer than seven the rest of the way.  Joel Boyce led five Jets in double figures with 16 points.
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.
 
GRINDING WITH THE GRIFFONS AND BRINGING UP THE BEARCATS
Ben McCollum is in his 13^th year as the head coach at Northwest Missouri and has transformed Bearcat basketball into the preeminent national power of the sport in NCAA Division II.  Following two losing seasons to start his tenure that saw the Bearcats go just 22-31 with a 15-27 record in MIAA play, he has led Northwest to 10 straight seasons with at least 21 wins, nine MIAA titles including the last eight in a row, five MIAA Tournament crowns and three NCAA Division II National Championships in 2017, 2019, and 2021.  McCollum is a four-time NABC Coach of the Year and a seven-time MIAA Coach of the Year and has won the conference's last three honors.  McCollum started his playing career at North Iowa Area Community College before transferring to Northwest Missouri State to play for his mentor and the man he eventually replaced Steve Tappmeyer.  As a player he helped lead the program to its first-ever Elite Eight appearance.  After spending four years as an assistant at Emporia State University between 2004 and 2008, he was given the reins to the program in 2009.  McCollum has twice won the Clarence "Big House" Gaines Award presented annually since 2011 to the nation's most outstanding men's basketball coach in NCAA Division II.  The entirety of McCollum's head coaching career has been spent leading the Bearcats and he is 2-0 in his career against the Jets.
 
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.
 
THE KID IS STRONG
Jet freshman guard Stevie Strong was honored as a 'Notable Performance' in last week's MIAA Player of the Week Awards.  Strong led NU by scoring 18 points in the Jets' loss to Rogers State and erupting for a career-high 29 in NU's first MIAA and NCAA Division II win of the season against Northeastern State.  Strong notched a career-best 6 rebounds against the Hillcats and set a new high mark with five 3-pointers in the Jet win over the RiverHawks.  Newcomer Tray Buchanan of Emporia State claimed the award for the third time this season to match Trevor Hudgins of Northwest Missouri for the most in the league this year to that point.
 
BACK UNDER CONTROL
Following five-straight games of double-digit turnovers, NU ratcheted their giveaways back down in their last week of action with just 14 total turnovers against Rogers State and Northeastern State.  NU dished out 12 assists and gave away just seven turnovers in each game.  NU has committed 10 turnovers or less in 4 of 5 heading into this week's action.
 
WHAT A TURNAROUND
A game after shooting their worst from 3-point range all season (3 of 18, 17% against Rogers State), NU matched a season high of 10 treys for the third time on just 23 attempts for their second-best shooting of the year (43.5%) in their victory over the RiverHawks last time out.  NU has hit 10 trifectas in two of their last three games.  In addition, NU ended a streak of allowing opponents to hit at least 30% of their 3-pointers by limiting the 'Hawks to just 4 of 14 3-balls (28.6%) in their victory last week.
 
SCHEDULE UPDATE
Newman's postponed game against Cameron has been cancelled.  It was originally rescheduled to February 8, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. in Lawton, Okla., but will no longer be played this season.  Instead, the Jets will head to Warrensburg on this date to make up their game against Central Missouri.  Tipoff for the Jets and the Mules is set for 6:00 p.m.
 
LEADING 'THE ASSOCIATION'

• Stevie Strong is currently 9^th in the league in scoring averaging 15.6 ppg entering the week.  Israel Barnes would join Strong in the league rankings but has not played enough games to qualify for MIAA statistics.
• Strong also ranks highly among conference leaders in several shooting statistics.  Strong is fifth in the league in three-pointers attempted and seventh in percentage.  His 2.5 treys per game ranks seventh in the league.
• Strong is also lighting up the scoreboard at the foul line for the Jets.  Entering the week, Strong is 12^th in the MIAA in attempts and sixth in makes.  His 92.6% clip from the foul strip is second best in the league and ranks 10^th nationally.
• Deandre Johnson's 14 career-high rebounds at Central Oklahoma are tied for ninth-most in the MIAA this year.
• 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, tied for the most by an MIAA player in a game this season.
• The Jets' 92% clip at the line against Emporia State is tied for the seventh-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

• The Jets entered the week 11^th in the conference in scoring in MIAA games at 65.9 ppg and were also 11^th in defense allowing 76.8 ppg.
• The Jets are looking for back-to-back wins this week.  They would be the first consecutive wins since the Jets won three in a row earlier this year against NAIA-level competition.  NU is looking for back-to-back conference wins for the first time since ending the regular season with victories against Rogers State and at Dallas Baptist in the Heartland Conference in 2019.  The Jets have never won back-to-back MIAA conference games as a member of the league.
• Junior guard Israel Barnes has scored in double figures in all six games of his Newman career.
• Former Haysville (Kan.) Campus High School Colt Stevie Strong has scored in double figures in the last two games and seven of the last eight overall.
• Strong poured in a career-high 29 points and five three-pointers in NU's first MIAA victory of the season against Northeastern State.
• Strong snared a career-best six rebounds in NU's loss to Rogers State.
• Sophomore guard Ian Lee matched a career high with four three-pointers at Central Oklahoma.  He previously hit four in a game against Central Missouri last season.
• Redshirt junior forward Deandre Johnson matched a career high of 14 rebounds in a loss at UCO.  Johnson also corralled 14 boards his sophomore season in a game at Arkansas-Fort Smith.  In the same game this season he also set a new career best with three assists.
• Stevie Strong set a new career high with 24 points in NU's loss at Nebraska-Kearney.  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, 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.
• Stevie Strong set new career highs with 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 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.
• Northeastern State forward Emeka Obukwelu's 20 rebounds for Northeastern State in the Jets' victory over the RiverHawks tied the most rebounds ever grabbed by a Newman opponent.  Antjuan Ball also snared 20 rebounds against the Jets in a loss at West Texas A&M December 7, 2013.
• 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 will head up the Kansas Turnpike twice next week to face Washburn and Emporia State.
 
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:  Trevor Hudgins (2) – Northwest Missouri (2)
Week 5:  Camryn Givens – Central Oklahoma
Week 6:  Isaiah Wade – Central Oklahoma (2)
Week 7:  Trevor Hudgins (3) – Northwest Missouri (3)
Week 8:  Tray Buchanan (3) – Emporia State (3)
Week 9:  Tray Buchanan (4) – Emporia State (4)