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 103 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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