UCO On The Road To Start Season

11/12/2015 8:29:00 AM

Seth Heckart

UCO TO OPEN SEASON: Central Oklahoma hits the road to open the 2015-16 campaign this weekend against a pair of state rivals, going to Durant, Okla. for the MIAA/GAC Challenge.

The Bronchos take on Northwestern Oklahoma at 5:30 p.m. Friday before meeting host Southeastern Oklahoma at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

UCO went 2-0 in last year's MIAA/GAC Challenge in Tahlequah, beating SOSU 80-68 and NWOSU 104-68.

The Bronchos are at near-by Oklahoma Christian next Tuesday before taking a seven-day break.

ABOUT THE BRONCHOS: UCO returns eight players from last year's 20-10 team that tied for third in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and is picked for an eighth-place finish in the league race this season.

Senior Seth Heckart started 23 games last year and is the leading returning scorer after averaging 10.6 points to go with 3.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.6 steals.

Sophomore Garen Wright made 18 starts and averaged 9.7 points and 3.7 rebounds a game last season, with Trai Jordan netting 6.6 points and a team-high 5.1 rebounds an outing while starting 17 games.

The Bronchos also have back seniors Jarred Bairstow (4.9 points/game, 3.1 rebounds/game) and Jacob Strassle (3.8, 1.6), juniors Corbin Byford (3.4, 2.4) and Logan Thelen (0.7, 0.4) and sophomore Garrett Kilborn (1.9, 1.0).

UCO has two redshirt freshmen and six newcomers on the roster, with junior transfers Cornell Neal and Kendahl Amerson and freshmen Josh Holliday and Jordan London expected to make the biggest impact.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION SEASON: UCO played two exhibition games, losing to Langston 72-69 at home and 78-58 at Division I Oral Roberts.

The Bronchos shot 26.7 percent (12-of-45) from 3-point range and 50.0 percent (21-of-42) from the free throw line while making 39 turnovers in those two games.

Neal led the team in scoring with a 12.0 average, with Jordan adding 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds.

ABOUT THE COACH: In his first year at the UCO helm is Tom Hankins, a long-time Division I assistant coach who took over the reigns last May.

Hankins was an assistant coach at Oral Roberts for 15 years before serving the last three seasons as associate head coach at Southern Illinois-Carbondale. He helped ORU capture five Summit League titles and make three national tournament appearances during his tenure there.

ABOUT SOSU: The Savage Storm were picked eighth in the Great American Conference pre-season poll.

Sami Brai is the leading returning scorer, averaging 12.0 points a game on last year's 15-14 team.

The Bronchos have played SOSU more than any other team (153 times) and have an 80-73 lead in a series that started in 1921. UCO has won the last 10 meetings.

ABOUT NWOSU: The Rangers have seven players back from last year's 9-18 team and were tabbed 11^th in the pre-season GAC poll.

T'aries Taylor averaged 12.3 points and 3.0 rebounds a game last season, while Adrian Motley added 11.3 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds.

The Bronchos have a commanding 71-40 lead in the rivalry that started in 1922, though the teams have played just twice (both UCO wins) since the 1983-84 season.

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