EDMOND —
The Oklahoma Christian University men have endured a roller coaster ride this season, but head coach Dan Hays believes his Eagles aren’t ready to call it quits. The OC men will get one more shot today when they tip off with No. 8-ranked Louisiana State University-Shreveport (27-5) at 10:45 a.m. in the first round of the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City, Mo.
“The guys have recommitted themselves and bought into the changes we put in place and I’m just looking forward to the chance to play better,” Hays said. “We’ve had a week of practice and it’s been excellent. I’m hoping that translates into us playing best in awhile.”
The Eagles (22-9) are coming off two of their worst outings of the season. They closed out the regular season with a 28-point loss at Rogers State and were eliminated in the first round of the Sooner Athletic Tournament with a 67-24 setback to John Brown on March 4. While the losses sting, Hays said his team has made the most of their time off.
“After the SAC Tournament I gave them five days off and then we came back and have had terrific practices,” Hays said. “It came at a perfect time for us.”
Much of that time was spent trying to gameplan for the potent LSU-Shreveport offense that averages 84.93 points per game. The Pilots, who advanced to the tournament by winning the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament, have a strong presence inside but are also able to knock down the outside shots.
“They shoot well from 3-point range, they score 84 points per game and they get a lot of offensive rebounds and those three things really jump out at me,” said Hays whose club holds opponents to 67.36 points per game.
The biggest obstacle standing in the Eagles way will be GAC Player of the Year, Derrick Parker. The 6-foot-6 sophomore is a dominating presence in the paint, averaging 19.39 points, 11.81 rebounds and 2.23 blocks per game.
But the Pilots don’t shift the entire scoring load onto Parker’s shoulders. Brance Davenport and Greg Shyne are also averaging double figures this season. Davenport posts 13.28 points and 4.88 rebounds per game, while Shyne scores 10 points a night.
Offensively, the Eagles will need to shoot the ball better than they have the past couple of games, which they hit a combined 33 percent from the floor, and get the ball to Jason Taylor inside.
“We’re going to have to get Jason the ball in good position and attack inside with him,” Hays said. “It’s important for us to get good production out of Jason. He’s been a bit inconsistent at times this year and he needs to be at his best on Thursday, no doubt about it.”
Oklahoma Christian will also need help from Devan White, Izea Lovejoy and Brandon Troutman, who will see more minutes with the season-ending injury to David Jackson.
The Eagles made it back to the NAIA Tournament last year but lost Concordia (Calif.) in the first round.
The winner of today’s first-round game at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City will advance to the Sweet 16 against Olivet Nazarene (19-10) or Lee (26-7) at 12:30 p.m., Friday.
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JEFF HARRISON | THE EDMOND SUN Oklahoma Christian University's Izea Lovejoy drives the lane during the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament earlier this month at the Sawyer Center in Bethany.
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Oklahoma Christian men look to make a splash at NAIA Tournament
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