OCU in Texas Wesleyan Champions Classic men's basketball preview

Stars look to remain unbeaten on season

5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8
vs. Our Lady of the Lake (Texas)
1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9
vs. Bethel (Kan.)
Sid Richardson Center | Fort Worth, Texas

THE MATCHUP
• Oklahoma City University visits Texas Wesleyan for the Champions Classic
• The Stars' opponents in the event will be Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) on Friday and Bethel (Kan.) on Saturday

ABOUT THE STARS
• OCU fended off Baker (Kan.) 66-58 on Tuesday night inside Abe Lemons Arena. The Stars (4-0) limited Baker to its season lows in points and field-goal percentage (39.6 percent)
• Rashaun Coleman, a 6-foot junior from Houston, spearheaded Oklahoma City with 14 points and five assists. He hit all four of his field-goal attempts and 5 of his 7 free throws. Coleman furnishes the Stars with 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists a ballgame
• Darrion Willies, a 6-6 senior from Fontana, Calif., contributed 11 points and five rebounds, while A.J. Cockrell, a 6-8 senior from Tulsa, Okla., added 11 points and four rebounds. Willies tops OCU with 12.8 points per game to go with 6.0 rebounds a contest
• The Stars have totaled 63 assists as a team to rank 15th in NAIA Division I led by Coleman's 23 helpers, which ranks fourth nationally. Compare OCU with the rest of the NAIA statistically this season here
• OCU received votes in the preseason ratings. Oklahoma City reached the NAIA Division I Championship Tournament for the 25th time last season and has won six national championships in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2007 and 2008
• The Stars have been slotted to take fifth place in the Sooner Athletic Conference according to the preseason coaches poll. OCU owns 13 SAC regular-season championships and 10 SAC Tournament titles
• Oklahoma City nipped Our Lady of the Lake 93-92 on Nov. 25, 2016 in Shawnee, Okla. Terence Bonhomme sank the winning jump shot with 21 seconds remaining. The Stars have a 3-1 all-time mark against Our Lady of the Lake
• The Stars collected a 77-66 victory over Bethel on Nov. 19, 2004 in North Newton, Kan., in the Bethel Classic in the only all-time meeting between the two teams. Trevor Meier led OCU with 17 points and seven rebounds

ABOUT THE SAINTS
• Southwestern Assemblies of God handed Our Lady of the Lake a 98-71 loss Friday in Waxahachie, Texas. The Saints (0-2) gave up a 58.2 percent field-goal percentage to Southwestern Assemblies of God
• Victor Roper, a 6-8 freshman, had 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor. Roper averages 15.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.50 steals per game
• Our Lady of the Lake took the sixth spot in the preseason Red River Athletic Conference coaches poll

ABOUT THE THRESHERS
• Bethel nabbed an 86-79 win over Doane (Neb.) on Tuesday night in Crete, Neb. The Threshers (4-0) will play their first six games this season away from home. Bethel plays its home opener Nov. 13 against Southwestern (Kan.)
• Garrett White, a 6-3 senior, provided Bethel with a career-high 27 points to go with six rebounds and two assists. He shot 6-for-10 from 3-point range. Roper averages 15.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.50 steals per game
• Bethel had been picked to finish 10th in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference according to the coaches and media preseason polls

MEET THE COACHES
Stan Holt (first season with OCU)
• Holt arrived to OCU after directing fellow SAC school Langston to national prominence, putting together four consecutive 20-win seasons in his five seasons with the Lions. During his time there, Holt also won a conference tournament title in 2016 and reached the NAIA Division I Championship Tournament quarterfinals in 2017
• Langston produced five all-Americans and 18 all-conference performers under Holt
• Prior to his days at Langston, Holt spent time on the coaching staff at the University of Southern California. The Trojans appeared in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments during his tenure
• Holt's head-coaching record stands at 111-50 in his sixth year

Chris Dial (7-21, second season with Our Lady of the Lake)
• Founded The Basketball Embassy (TBE), a multinational, nonprofit organization that builds community through basketball and assists National Basketball Federations as well as other organizations in their quest to grow and develop the game of basketball in their country or region
• Has been the program director for the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Europe U14 Development Project in Southeastern Europe
• Has been heavily involved with the Swedish Basketball Federation in Stockholm

Jayson Artaz (19-15, second season with Bethel)
• Artaz led Bethel to its most wins in a single season since 2003-04. The 2018-19 team included the KCAC freshman of the year, Jaylon Scott, as well as two other All-KCAC performers
• Artaz had been the lead assistant under coach Tony Hoops, now Bethel's director of athletics, from 2014-18. The 40 wins Bethel amassed in four seasons was more than the seven previous seasons combined
• Artaz graduated from Bethel College in 2005 with a degree in elementary education. As a player, Jayson was a second-team all-conference player in 2005 and a key contributor on the 2003 conference championship team and national tournament qualifier. He is still the program's single-season 3-point holder, draining 96 total in 2004-05

ON THE AIR
• Go to the Texas Wesleyan Stretch Internet portal to watch game or follow via live stats Friday's game and follow Saturday's game on live stats
• 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

#21 Darrion Willies: F; 6' 6"; Senior

#2 Rashaun Coleman: G; 6' 0"; Junior

Players Mentioned

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

#21 Darrion Willies
: 6' 6"; Senior
: F

#2 Rashaun Coleman
: 6' 0"; Junior
: G

Players Mentioned

#5 Terence Bonhomme

#21 Darrion Willies

#2 Rashaun Coleman

Players Mentioned

#5 Terence Bonhomme

#21 Darrion Willies

#2 Rashaun Coleman