TAHLEQUAH -- NSU men's basketball opens its 93rd season Friday afternoon, where they will face UMary on the campus of Central Oklahoma. They close out the trip to Edmond with a familiar foe, Northwestern Oklahoma.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic last season, the RiverHawks and the rest of the MIAA did not get to play any out-of-conference contests.
The RiverHawks last played on Nov. 3, where they lost 84-53 in an exhibition against Tulsa. Newcomer
Emeka Obukwelu led the RiverHawks with 30 minutes played, 12 points, and six rebounds.
The Setup
- Ja Havens opens his second season at the helm of the Northeastern State men's basketball program.
- The RiverHawks are entering their tenth season as members of the MIAA and 25th season as an NCAA Division II program.
- Counting exhibitions with Tulsa, Northeastern State will play nine consecutive contests within Oklahoma.
Storylines
- Northeastern State was picked to finish in 13th place in both the MIAA Coaches and Media Polls in October.
- This season, Brad Davis is the RiverHawks' longest-tenured player on their roster and has played in 43 games and started all but one game for NSU last season. Between NSU and two seasons at Eastern Okla. CC, the native of Red Oak, has over 1,200 career points scored.
- Christian Cook finished his true freshman season, averaging 17 points in the final five games shooting 57.1-percent on the floor.
- The RiverHawks have ten newcomers to their basketball program in 2021-22, with three having NCAA Division I playing time.
- Emeka Obukwelu is a graduate transfer from the University of Arkansas, where he played for two seasons for the Razorbacks. He transferred from Texas-Tyler, where he was Selected to the Small College Basketball Watch List for the Bevo Francis Award of 2018 following a season where he averaged 19.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
- Graduate transfer Tylor Arnold played for Head Coach Ja Havens for three seasons at East Central (Okla.) and was on the top-10 list for career minutes played, career steals, and career throw percentage. Arnold came to NSU as a graduate and was a finalist for the Distinguished George Nigh Award, given to East Central's Top Graduate and the 2021 Distinguished Graduate of the ECU Stonecipher School of Business.
- Northeastern State has brothers Jake Gendron and Ryan Gendron on their roster. Jake was a 2021 All-State selection out of Bishop Kelley HS where he played for Jordan Nagel, a Northeastern State alumnus. Ryan is a transfer from the University of Tulsa, where he was a member of the men's basketball program (2019-21). He attended Oklahoma State on a baseball scholarship and redshirted the 2019 season.
- Local Tahlequah product Jaxon Jones is in his second season at NSU, and was limited to three games last season after suffering a season ending injury on New Year's Eve. He was going to enter the year was a redshirt but saw action by the third game of the year.
About UMary
- Went 4-12 last season and finished the year dropping six straight games.
- Junior guard Josh Sipes was named NSIC Player to Watch in 2021-22. He started all 16 games and most of his freshman season, shot 46.8 percent from behind the arc, and made 22 treys. Sipes averaged 5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds/game.
- Under first-year head coach Jack Nelson who spent three seasons at the University of Sioux Falls.
Last Time They Met
Northeastern State 85, UMary 54 | Nov. 9, 2019 | Alva, Okla.
- Northeastern State never trailed in the contest shooting 58-percent from the field and 9-for-18 at the arc. At the free-throw line, they were nearly flawless, going 18-for-20.
- The RiverHawks never trailed.
- Brad Davis is NSU's leading returning scorer having 11 points.
Series Notes
- Northeastern State has only played UMary once previously.
About Northwestern Okla.
- The Rangers went 3-12 last season and 1-11 in the GAC. Two of their wins came in the opening weekend of the season against non-NCAA competition.
- Northwestern was picked to finish 11th this season in the Great American Conference.
- Led by Vinay Patel, who is in his third season at Northwestern Oklahoma.
- Havens is 8-6 all-time against Northwestern Oklahoma.
Last Time They Met
Northeastern State 74, Northwestern Okla. 53 | Nov. 8, 2019 | Alva, Okla.
- Northwestern sank a trey to open the game and it was their only lead of the night.
- The RiverHawks bench helped carry the load with all their non-starters leading a hand with 36 points.
- First win for Northeastern State in Alva since 2012.
Series Notes
- One of NSU's oldest series that started in 1927 in the third year of the men's basketball program.
- The Rangers lead the series 72-63 over Northeastern State.
- Much of the early part of the series was controlled by Northwestern Oklahoma who won the first 27 contests. (1927-41)
