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Oklahoma City University Athletics

Oklahoma City University
Home Of Champions|73 National Championships

Men's Basketball

OCU at St. Thomas men’s basketball preview

Stars start season 2-0

OCU currently ranks fourth in NAIA Division I by grabbing 37.0 defensive rebounds per game.
2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15
Jerabeck Activity and Athletic Center in Houston
 
THE MATCHUP: Oklahoma City University travels to take on St. Thomas (Texas) in the first of a home-and-home series with the nonconference foe this season.
 
ABOUT THE STARS: OCU started the season 2-0 with wins over NCAA Division II foes Central Oklahoma and Southern Nazarene. The Stars last played against NCAA Division I North Texas in an exhibition. OCU lost 106-100 in overtime Monday in Denton, Texas.
Tharone Chilton, a 6-foot-2 senior from Tulsa, Okla., led the Stars in the exhibition with 24 points, six assists and six rebounds. Chilton shot 9 of 13 from the free-throw line in the game. Chilton supplies OCU with 15.5 points a game.
R.J. McGhee, a 6-6 senior from Baton Rouge, La., provided 17 points and four rebounds. McGhee, the Sooner Athletic Conference player of the week, produces 28.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists a contest. His scoring average currently ranks second in the NAIA. Ivan Jelencic, a 6-8 senior from Sibenik, Croatia, added 15 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Jelencic averages 8.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
Oklahoma City ranks fourth in NAIA Division I with 10.50 3-pointers made per game. To see how the Stars stack up statistically with the rest of the NAIA, click here.
The Stars received votes in the preseason NAIA Division I rankings. OCU has been predicted to take fourth place in the Sooner Athletic Conference in the preseason. OCU has won national championships in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2007 and 2008.
OCU met St. Thomas one other time and lead the all-time series 1-0. In the previous encounter between the two squads, the Stars took care of St. Thomas 77-72 on Nov. 18, 2011 in the Halo Classic in San Antonio.
 
ABOUT THE CELTS: St. Thomas started the 2014-15 season with a 60-58 loss against Wayland Baptist (Texas) on Nov. 3 in Houston. Robert Waters of Wayland Baptist hit a free throw with 5.5 seconds left for the final margin.
Deric Dudley, a 6-3 senior, led the Celts with 14 points and seven assists. Jonathan Evan, a 5-10 senior, added 11 points and five steals. Josh Bearden, a 6-5 freshman provided two points and grabbed nine rebounds.
St. Thomas is projected to take third in the Red River Athletic Conference. St. Thomas received votes in the preseason NAIA poll.
 
ABOUT THE COACHES: Dionne Phelps owns a record of 47-38 in his fourth season as OCU coach. He led the Stars to the SAC Tournament title and an NAIA Division I Tournament appearance in 2012-13. Phelps took over the Stars after serving as assistant coach for Oklahoma, which featured future No. 1 NBA Draft pick Blake Griffin during his tenure. Phelps has been a part of four conference title teams as well as three NCAA Tournament teams during his 23-year coaching career. Phelps played for Texas Lutheran, eventually joining the Bulldog Athletic Hall of Fame.
Todd Smith entered his sixth season with St. Thomas. Under Smith, St. Thomas has gone 87-61. The Celts made the NAIA Tournament and fell in the first round last season.
 
FOLLOW THE STARS: Fans can keep up on the latest on OCU athletics through several ways.
Become a fan of the Oklahoma City University Stars on Facebook by going to www.facebook.com/ocustars.
Become a follower of the OCU Stars on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ocustars.
Check out video of the Stars in action at www.youtube.com/ocustars.
Be sure to catch the OCU Athletics Update video program weekly on ocusports.com, the OCU YouTube Channel or on OCU Athletics' Facebook page. Click here to see the latest edition or see our video channel in the upper right-hand corner of our home page.
 
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Players Mentioned

R.J. McGhee

#1 R.J. McGhee

F
6' 6"
Senior
Ivan Jelencic

#33 Ivan Jelencic

F
6' 8"
Senior
Tharone Chilton

#11 Tharone Chilton

G
6' 2"
Senior

Players Mentioned

R.J. McGhee

#1 R.J. McGhee

6' 6"
Senior
F
Ivan Jelencic

#33 Ivan Jelencic

6' 8"
Senior
F
Tharone Chilton

#11 Tharone Chilton

6' 2"
Senior
G