OCU vs. Manhattan Christian men's basketball preview

Stars open season with first October game since 2011

Jonathan Ellis added 7.0 points, 3.8 assists and 1.68 steals a game last season.

Men's Basketball | 10/27/2017 4:51:00 PM

3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28
Abe Lemons Arena inside the Freede Center

STATS | VIDEO | AUDIO

THE MATCHUP
• Oklahoma City University will open its men's basketball season against Manhattan Christian (Kan.)
• The Stars will tip off in October for the first time since Oct. 29, 2011, when Dallas Baptist nipped OCU 57-56 at Abe Lemons Arena
• Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students and OCU students, faculty and staff get into all regular-season OCU home athletics events free with their ID
• When the Stars score 70 points, fans get a 2-for-1 combo coupon for Raising Cane's

ABOUT THE STARS
• Oklahoma City comes off a season where the Stars (21-11) advanced to the NAIA Division I Tournament for the third consecutive time, posted their first 20-win season since 2007-08 and reached the top five in the national rankings for the first time since 2008
• Terence Bonhomme, a 6-foot senior from St. Martinsville, La., provided OCU with 17.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.46 steals a game in 13 games last season. Bonhomme picked up a Sooner Athletic Conference player of the week award as well as OCU's Jim Wade Award winner as the 2016-17 male student-athlete of the year
• Lou Dunbar, a 6-3 senior from Seabrook, Texas, accumulated 15.2 points a game while shooting a team-best 44.8 percent from 3-point range. Dunbar collected honorable-mention all-conference and NAIA and SAC player of the week nods for Jan. 23-29
• Ridell Camidge, a 6-4 senior from Wilmington, N.C., scored 14.5 points per game and became a second-team all-Lone Star Conference pick for Tarleton State (Texas) last season
• OCU topped the NAIA and set a single-season program record with 167 blocks last season
• OCU has been slotted at No. 12 in the preseason NAIA Division I rankings. Oklahoma City has made 23 NAIA Division I Tournament appearances and won six national championships in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2007 and 2008
• The Stars have been picked to finish second place in the Sooner Athletic Conference according to the preseason coaches poll. OCU owns 12 SAC regular-season titles and nine SAC Tournament crowns
• OCU owns a 1-0 mark against Manhattan Christian, overwhelming Manhattan Christian 113-55 on Nov. 18, 2006 at Abe Lemons Arena. OCU opened the game with a 39-0 run

ABOUT THE THUNDER
• Manhattan Christian opens its season at Mid-America Christian at 8 p.m. Friday inside the Gaulke Activity Center
• Manhattan Christian fell to Bob Jones (S.C.) 115-85 in the fifth-place game of the National Christian College Athletics Association Division II Tournament on March 11 in Ankeny, Iowa. Manhattan Christian went 24-9, 9-0 in Midwest Christian College Conference play last season
• Sterling Turner, a 5-11 senior, returns after averaging 13.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.87 steals a game and shooting 37 percent from 3-point range last season

ABOUT THE COACHES
Vinay Patel (36-22, third season with OCU)
• Patel has guided two OCU all-Americans, including the Stars' first first-teamer since 2008; the 2017 Sooner Athletic Conference player of the year, the 2017 SAC co-defensive player of the year, a finalist for the Dark Horse Dunker competition, six all-conference performers and three academic all-SAC choices
• Before coming to OCU, he spent one season as Rogers State's assistant coach and aided the Hillcats to a 20-8 season led by the conference player of the year
• Patel spent nine years as assistant before serving as the head coach at West Texas A&M. During that time, West Texas went to the NCAA Division II Tournament five times, won the Lone Star Conference championship and took two Lone Star South Division titles

Shawn Condra (475-283, 24th season with Manhattan Christian)
• In 1996, Manhattan Christian captured the NCCAA Division II-A championship and he was named the NCCAA IIA Coach of the Year
• He has also been named the NCCAA Central Region coach of the year seven times (2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008 & 2009, 2015)

ON THE AIR
• Oklahoma City University athletics provides live and on-demand audio, stats and video of its contests on OCU's Stretch portal. Cost to watch the game is $7.95 per game, $34.95 for a men's basketball season pass and $79.95 for an all-season pass in 2017-18
• Andrew Himes calls the action. Himes enters his seventh season as the voice of the Stars and has been broadcasting OCU basketball for 10 years starting on color commentary as an OCU student
• Fans can access regular-season broadcasts from NAIA institutions as well as from NAIA Championships postseason contests via Stretch Internet through custom apps on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV. Users can search for "NAIA" on the app interfaces on any compatible device, and then download the free NAIA Network app

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Players Mentioned

#5 Terence Bonhomme: G; 6' 0"; Senior

#22 Lou Dunbar: G; 6' 3"; Senior

#3 Ridell Camidge: F; 6' 4"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#5 Terence Bonhomme
: 6' 0"; Senior
: G

#22 Lou Dunbar
: 6' 3"; Senior
: G

#3 Ridell Camidge
: 6' 4"; Senior
: F

Players Mentioned

#5 Terence Bonhomme

#22 Lou Dunbar

#3 Ridell Camidge

Players Mentioned

#5 Terence Bonhomme

#22 Lou Dunbar

#3 Ridell Camidge