The Thunder men's basketball team would have their second back-to-back of the season this week with games on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday, the Thunder would travel to Kansas City, Missouri to take on the Avila University Eagles. The Thunder would lead most of the first half before a late run by the Eagles who would take a 39-32 lead into the half. That Eagle lead would bolster to 11 early in the second half and they would hold a 10-point lead with just over two minutes to play. The Thunder would cut the lead down to two with 13 seconds left with the ball. An offensive rebound and a foul would put the Thunder at the line with a chance to tie the game with three seconds left. Both free throws would be missed and the Eagles would seal the victory with free throws of their own to win the game 68-64.

The Thunder would shoot 39.3% from the field, 44.0% from the three-point line, and 41.7% from the free throw line. The Thunder would also out rebound the Eagles by seven on the night. Juniors, Jaxon Hurla and Landon Gray would pace the Thunder with four made threes each, with Gray connecting on all four of his attempts. Hurla would also have six assists on the night. Junior, Xavier Lucas would chip in with 10 points, while freshman, Tatum Pierce would have nine points, four rebounds, and three steals.

On Wednesday evening, the Thunder would travel to McPherson, Kansas for the third time this season to play the McPherson College Bulldogs. Both teams came out on fire shooting the ball from deep. A close battle to start, but two separate runs would find the Thunder down 59-49 at the half. The Thunder would cut the lead down to six to open the half, but another Bulldog run would balloon the lead to as much as 25 with just over nine minutes left. The Thunder would battle back to cut the lead down to 12 with two minutes left, but would ultimately fall 101-85.

The Thunder would shoot 46.2% from the field, 40.0% from the three-point line, and a much improved, 78.6% from the free throw line. The Thunder would connect on a season-high 14 threes. The Thunder were led by sophomore, Davis Rokey who had 19 points on 7-9 shooting from the field and 5-6 from the free throw line, to go along with five rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Senior, Micah Lovett would connect on four threes to finish with 18 points, while Jaxon Hurla and Landon Gray would hit seven combined shot from behind the arch. With the two defeats, the Thunder move to 1-6 on the season.

The Thunder will be back in action at home on Tuesday, November 19th at 6:00 PM when they face the Doane University Tigers for the second time this season.

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The Thunder men's basketball team played their first back-to-back of the season as they headed to McPherson, Kansas to take on the Central Christian College Tigers. The Thunder would find themselves in a back and forth battle early to be down 40-33 at halftime despite 15 first half turnovers. Ultimately, the Thunder would fall to the Tigers by a final score of 86-63. The Thunder would shot 39.7% from the field, 25.0% from the three-point line, and 61.1% from the free throw line.

The Thunder were lead offensively by senior, Cody Mericle who scored 10 points on 5-7 shooting and junior Landon Gray who hit three three-pointers to total 11 points. Junior, Xavier Lucas would do his part on the glass grabbing 10 rebound on the night to go along with six points. With the loss, the Thunder fall to 1-4 on the season.

The Thunder will be on the road for back-to-back games next week when they travel to Kansas City, Missouri to take on the Avila University Eagles on Tuesday, November 12th at 6:00 PM. Then on Wednesday, November 13th, the Thunder will travel back to McPherson to play the McPherson College Bulldogs at 7:30 PM.

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The Thunder women's basketball team had their home opener on Friday morning when they welcomed the Southwestern Adventist University Knights to Manhattan. The Thunder would lead the whole game until the Knights would hit a three to tie the game at 52 to force overtime. The Knight would hit two threes to start the extra period and outscore the Thunder 13-5 to pull away in overtime and the Thunder would fall in a thriller, 65-57. The Thunder would shoot 42.6% from the field, 35.3% from the three-point line, and 50.0% from the free throw line. The Thunder were led by junior, Nekayla Williams who had a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds on 9-20 shooting from the field. Redshirt freshman, Madison Ellis would hit five threes to tally 15 points. Freshman, Macayla Hines would stuff the stat sheet with a near triple-double of nine points, eight rebounds, and nine assists to go along with four steals.

The Thunder will be on the road for their next game to play the Union Adventist University Warriors on Thursday, November 14th at 6:00 PM in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The Thunder men's basketball team had the afternoon game of the double header with just as much excitement as the women's game. The Thunder would jump out to a 6-0 lead to start the game and would be up by nine with 6:48 left in the first half. The Knights would battle back and it would be a 44-41 game at the half. A back and forth affair in the second half would ensue, but the Thunder would find themselves up six with 1:53 remaining in the second half. A missed front end of an one and one would give the Knights the ball down two with a chance to take the lead. The Knights would tie the game at 89 with nine seconds left where the Thunder a two shots to win, but could not convert. The Thunder would score a layup with two seconds left to secure their first win of the season. The Thunder would shoot 47.1% from the field, 24.1% from the three-point line, and 46.2% from the free throw line. The Thunder would out rebound the Knights by 20 and have 24 assists as a team. Sophomore, Davis Rokey would record another double-double with 32 points and 17 rebounds on 13-21 shooting from the field and also have five assists. Along with Rokey, four other Thunder players would score in double figures. Senior, Micah Lovett would have 19 points and five assists, while junior Xavier Lucas would have his first double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Cody Mericle and Jaxon Hurla would both chip in with 11 points apiece. With the win, the Thunder move to 1-3 on the young season.

The Thunder will be on the road tomorrow to play the Central Christian College Tigers at 6:00 PM in McPherson, Kansas.

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The Thunder men's basketball team had their home opener on Tuesday night when they welcomed the #24 ranked team in the NAIA, the Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes, to Manhattan. The Thunder would fall behind early, but would battle back to be up 30-29 at the half. A back and forth affair would ensue in the second half, but the Thunder would find themselves up seven with 10:02 remaining. Second chance opportunities and late free throws would push the Coyotes ahead and the Thunder would come up short in the end falling 70-62. The Thunder would hold the Coyotes to 31.3% shooting from the field and 19.0% from the three-point line, where the Coyotes were shooting 45.8% from three through their first two games.

Individually the Thunder were led by junior, Jaxon Hurla who had 20 points and five rebounds. Sophomore, Davis Rokey had 14 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks, while senior, Micah Lovett had 12 points, three rebounds, five assists, and two steals to fill the stat sheet. Junior, Xavier Lucas had a near double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder. The shooting splits for the Thunder would be 33.3% from the field, 26.9% from the three, and 50.0% from the free throw line.

The Thunder will host their first NCCAA opponent, the Southwestern Adventist University Knights, on Friday, November 8th at 12:00 PM at Howie's Activity Center.

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The Thunder men's basketball team traveled to McPherson, Kansas to participate in the Central Christian College Classic for Christ on Saturday afternoon to battle the Sterling College Warriors. The Thunder would find themselves behind 43-25 with 12 turnovers at the half. The Knights would capitalize on those turnovers as they scored 14 points off of those, while the Thunder scored zero points off turnovers. The Thunder would respond with a better second half, but fall to the Knights by a score of 72-58.

The Thunder would shoot 39.6% from the field, 29.4% from the 3-point line, and 52.4% from the free throw line. The Thunder would also out-rebound the Knights by eight on the afternoon. Individually, the Thunder were led by sophomore, Davis Rokey, who recorded his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 15 rebounds. Junior, transfer Xavier Lucas would chip in with 10 points and five rebounds in 24 minutes. Juniors, Landon Gray and Fred Criqui would combine for 12 points on a perfect 5-5 from the field for the Thunder.

The Thunder will host the NAIA preseason #24 ranked Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes for their home opener on Tuesday, November 5th at 6:00 PM at Howie's Activity Center.

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The Thunder men's basketball team opened their season with a Halloween night road match up with the Doane University Tigers. The Thunder could not overcome second half turnovers and would drop their season opener to the Tigers, 83-56. At the half, the Thunder would be down 41-31 and they would pull it within seven early in the second half, but the Tigers who catch fire and capitalize on turnovers and push the lead to as large as 29 before the score went final.

The Thunder would shoot 38.2% from the field, 29.2% from the 3-point line, and 53.8% from the free throw line. Individually, the Thunder were led by sophomore, forward Davis Rokey who scored 20 points on 7-9 shooting from the field, to go along with six rebounds in 28 minutes. Doane transfer, Fred Criqui was also efficient from the field in his return to Crete with eight points on 4-6 shooting and five rebounds. Juniors, Landon Gray and Jaxon Hurla would be the next top scorers with eight and seven, respectively.

The Thunder will have a quick turnaround as they head to the Central Christian College Classic for Christ on Saturday, November 2nd where they will play the Sterling College Knights at 3:00 PM at Jerry Alexander Arena.

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The Thunder men's basketball team will tip-off their season on Halloween night against the Doane University Tigers in Crete, Nebraska at 6:00 PM. The Thunder are eager for the opportunity to compete after coming off their fifth consecutive Midwest Christian College Conference Regular Season Title. The Thunder are ready for another title push this season. The Thunder finished the 2023-24 season with a 17-13 record and a perfect 12-0 MCCC mark, while having a 6-4 record against NCCAA Central Region opponents.

The Thunder return eight players from last season's roster, where four of those eight started in at least three games. Led by seniors, Micah Lovett and Cody Mericle, the Thunder will look to their experience to help bolster the win total from 2023-24. Lovett, a 6'0 guard from Tulsa, Oklahoma, averaged 11.1 points on 42.3% shooting from the field, 29.4% from the 3-point line, and 78.6% from the free throw line, to go along with 5.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 steals to earn First Team All-MCCC and NCCAA Central Region Second Team All-Region honors. Mericle, a 6'6 forward from Manhattan, Kansas, averaged 6.7 points on 54.2% shooting from the field and 74.1% from the free throw line, to go along with 5.5 rebounds. Junior, Jaxon Hurla was one of five players from last season to play in all 30 games and would start in 15 of those. Hurla averaged 7.6 points on 34.1% shooting from the field and 32.7% from the 3-point line, to go along with 2.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. Sophomore, Davis Rokey, an All-MCCC Honorable Mention selection as a freshman, averaged 8.5 points on 56.8% shooting from the field, 33.3% from the 3-point line, and 64.7% from the free throw line, to go along with a team leading 5.9 rebounds in only 15.5 minutes per game.

The seven remaining players for the Thunder are either transfers or true freshman. The three transfers are Southwestern (KS) transfer, Jordan Carter, Eastern Oklahoma State transfer, Xavier Lucas, and Doane transfer, Fred Criqui. The four true freshman to round off the newcomers are Tatum Pierce, Dylan Gansel, Marcus Bauman, and Jonathan Beukelman.

Head coach Jordan Strom, who enters his sixth season at the helm, is ready for another basketball season, "I’m so excited for this group to play basketball. They’ve worked hard this preseason and have bought into the program, the vision, and one another. Now, it’s time to see the work on the floor and we couldn’t be more thrilled for the opportunity to compete!” Strom has won 129 games as the head coach of the Thunder and boasts a 51-3 MCCC record over five seasons.

The Thunder will play two games before their home opener on Tuesday, November 5th against the NAIA preseason ranked #24 Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes. The MCCC opener will be at home against the Emmaus Bible College Eagles on December 6th. Some non-conference and non-region NCCAA highlighted games are at home versus Southwestern Adventist University and Welch College, along with a neutral site trip to the Faith Classic in Ankeny, Iowa to take on Trinity Bible College and Kuyper College, and lastly, a late January roadtrip to play Boyce College and a return game at Welch. The Thunder will play six NAIA teams this season with three road exhibitions against NCAA Division II opponents.

The MCCC Men's Tournament will be hosted by Manhattan Christian College in Manhattan, Kansas from February 20th-22nd. The NCCAA Central Region Men's Tournament will be held at Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly, Missouri for the quarterfinal and semifinal and then the highest remaining seed will host the final. The NCCAA National Tournament will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota from March 13th-15th where Crown College will be the men's site.

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Manhattan Christian College Athletics and Thunder Men's and Women's Basketball are excited to release their respective 2024-25 Basketball Schedule. Coming off their fifth consecutive Midwest Christian College Conference Regular Season Title, the Thunder Men's Basketball team is ready for another title push. The Thunder finished the 2023-24 season with a 17-13 record and a perfect 12-0 MCCC mark, while having a 6-4 record against NCCAA Central Region opponents.

The 2024-25 season kicks off with a Halloween night match-up on the road against the Doane University Tigers. Their home opener will be on Tuesday, November 5th against the Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes. The MCCC opener will be at home against the Emmaus Bible College Eagles on December 6th. Some non-conference and non-region NCCAA highlighted games are at home versus Southwestern Adventist University and Welch College, along with a neutral site trip to the Faith Classic in Ankeny, Iowa to take on Trinity Bible College and Kuyper College, and lastly, a late January roadtrip to play Boyce College and a return game at Welch. The Thunder will play six NAIA teams this season with three road exhibitions against NCAA Division II opponents.

The Thunder Women's Basketball team is coming off of a shortened season where they only played 12 games, with five of them being exhibitions. With a 25-game, all NCCAA opponent schedule, the Thunder are ready for a much improved 2024-25 season.

Their season starts with a neutral site match-up against the Free Lutheran Bible College Conquerors on Friday, November 1st in Moberly, Missouri. A week later, the Thunder will have their home opener against the Southwestern Adventist University Knights. Like the men, the women's MCCC opener will be at home against the Emmaus Bible College Eagles on December 6th. The Thunder have three non-conference and non-region home-and-home games set with Union Adventist, Randall, and Ecclesia to boost their schedule.

The MCCC Men's and Women's Tournament will be hosted by Manhattan Christian College in Manhattan, Kansas from February 20th-22nd. The NCCAA Central Region Men's Tournament will be held at Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly, Missouri for the quarterfinal and semifinal and then the highest remaining seed will host the final. The NCCAA Central Region Women's Tournament will be hosted by the highest seed in each individual game. These games will be held during the week of February 24th-March 1st. The NCCAA National Tournament will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota from March 13th-15th where Crown College will be the men's site and North Central University will be the women's site.

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