The Thunder men's basketball team opened their season with two games at the Central Christian College Classic for Christ. On Friday night, the Thunder would battle with Sterling College. This was the third time in three seasons that the Thunder have played the Warriors in the Classic for Christ. In a back and forth battle throughout, the game would be tied at 68 with under 40 seconds remaining. Senior, guard, Jaxon Hurla would drill a three in the corner to break the tie and put the Thunder up 71-68 with 17 seconds remaining. Junior, guard, James Braddy would draw a foul on the rebound on the ensuing possession. He would knock in two free throws to ice the game and secure the victory for the Thunder, 73-68. Hurla would lead the Thunder in scoring with 19 points, while connecting on four three-pointers, to go along with six assists, and three steals. Six Thunder players would score more than eight points on the night. Sophomore, guard, Tatum Pierce would have 14 points and five rebounds, while senior, forward, Fred Criqui would chip in with 10 points and five rebounds. The Thunder would shoot 44.1% from the field, 31.8% from the three-point line, and 82.4% from the free throw line.

On Saturday afternoon, the Thunder would go head-to-head with Hesston College. In a game that was tied seven ties and 12 lead changes, the Thunder would find their way to close out the high scoring affair, 100-97, to get their second win of the season in as many days. Even though the Thunder would give up 20 three to the Larks, the Thunder would dominate in the paint outscoring them, 46-12. Junior, forward, Hunter Hill would record a double-double of 37 points and 11 rebounds on 13 of 17 shooting from the field and 11 of 15 shooting from the free throw line. Four other Thunder player would score in double figures, as Hurla would have 19 and four rebounds and Braddy would have 16 and four assists. Pierce would have a near double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds, while redshirt-junior, guard, Jordan Carter would chip in with 11 points, four rebounds, and four assists. The Thunder would shoot an efficient 55.9% from the field, 53.3% from the three-point line, and 70.3% from the free throw line. The Thunder start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2022-23.

The Thunder will play again on Saturday, November 8th in their home opener at 4:00PM against Missouri Valley College.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.

The Thunder men's basketball team will tip-off their 2025-26 season on Halloween night at the Central Christian College Classic for Christ against Sterling College at 6:00PM in McPherson, Kansas. The Thunder are coming off a NCCAA Division II Final Four appearance and are eager for the opportunity to compete. The Thunder would also win the Midwest Christian College Conference Regular Season and Tournament title in 2024-25, which they have won at least a share of the past six seasons. In 2024-25, the Thunder finished with an overall record of 23-13, 11-1 in the MCCC, and 9-1 against NCCAA Central Region opponents.

The Thunder return 10 players from last season's roster, where nine of the 10 have played in at least 18 games. Led by seniors, Jaxon Hurla, Fred Criqui, and Xavier Lucas, the Thunder look to use their collective college playing experience to lead their team. Hurla, a 5'9 guard from Paxico, Kansas, averaged 10.7 points on 36.4% shooting from the three-point line and 70.3% from the free throw line, to go along with 2.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals to earn Honorable Mention All-MCCC and NCCAA Central Region Second Team All-Region honors. Criqui, a 6'9 forward from St. Marys, Kansas, averaged 5.4 points on 57.1% shooting from the field, to go along with 4.0 rebounds. Lucas, a 6'3 guard from Tulsa, Oklahoma, averaged 10.9 points on 46.9% shooting from the field and 32.3% from the three-point line, to go along with 7.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.7 steals to earn Second Team All-MCCC honors. Junior, Davis Rokey was one of four players to play all 35 games in 2024-25. Rokey averaged 16.7 points on 58.7% shooting from the field and 37.5% from the three-point line, to go along 9.6 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and 1.1 steals to earn First Team All-American, Central Region MVP, and First Team All-MCCC honors. Redshirt-junior, Jordan Carter would average 14.8 minutes per game, while averaging 5.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. Sophomore, Tatum Pierce would play in 34 games and average 4.8 points on 52.3% shooting from the field, to go along with 2.6 rebounds. Other returners include, Peyton Torres, Dylan Gansel, Marcus Bauman, and Eddie Lloyd II, who are all sophomores this season.

The remaining 2025-26 roster consists of two transfers and six freshmen. Junior, James Braddy is a 5'9 guard who transferred in from Southwestern Community College (IA). Braddy played in 57 career games for the Spartans averaging 7.6 points on 38.5% shooting from the three-point line and 85.6% from the free throw line, to go along with 2.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 steals in two seasons. Junior, Hunter Hill is a 6'6 forward who transferred in from Hastings College and was high school teammates with Torres at Eagle Ridge Academy. Hill played in 27 games in 2024-25 and would average 4.6 points on 54.0% shooting from the field, 50.0% from the three-point line, and 76.5% from the free throw line, to go along with 2.1 rebounds. The six freshman include Colby Frehe, Alessandro Rodriguez, Jayden Brown, Kyler Wenger, Trayden Chambers, and Trent Webber.

Head coach Jordan Strom, who enters his seven season as the lead man, is ready for another basketball season in Manhattan, "We are excited for the start of another season! The guys have been working hard and we are looking forward to seeing what they do together." Strom has won 126 games as the head coach of the Thunder and holds a 62-4 MCCC record over six seasons.

Tickets for the 2025-26 season are now available on the SidelineTix app and website. To purchase tickets, fans can visit www.mccthunder.com and click the "Get Tickets" tab.

How to Follow the Thunder: For complete information and to stay up-to-date with Manhattan Christian College Men's Basketball, visit www.mccthunder.com and follow the team's social media pages on X and Instagram.