[Men's Basketball] MBB Gameday Preview: Falcons resume KCAC action at home tonight vs. Avila
The Lowdown: Avila University at Friends University
Location: Garvey Center
When: Monday, Nov. 28 @ 8 pm
Broadcast: https://kcacnetwork.com/friends/
Live Stats: https://bit.ly/3V9cUw8
Flying with the Falcons: The Friends University Falcons are 1-7 overall and 0-2 in the KCAC after pushing No. 24-ranked Kansas Wesleyan University to the limit last Tuesday (Nov. 22) before ultimately falling 82-78 in Salina, Kan.
Ian Konek leads the Falcons and is fifth in the KCAC with 16.9 points per game, while Tim Barbieri is tops on the team and third in the league with 8.6 rebounds. Barbieri (second, 65 percent) and newcomer Al Emerllahu (fourth, 60.4 percent) both rank within the top five of the conference in field-goal percentage.
Another new addition, Kee'on Hutton, is also scoring in double-figures with 11.0 ppg, followed by Barbieri at 10.9 ppg. Darryon Frierson ranks fourth in the KCAC with a team-leading four assists per game for the Falcons.
Scouting the Eagles: The Avila University Eagles also come into tonight's matchup at 1-7 overall and have dropped all three KCAC outings.
Tremaine Banks has scored a team-high nine points per game for Avila and DJ Pitia leads the team with 5.1 rebounds. Donte Simpson is first on the Eagles and fifth in the KCAC with 3.8 assists.
The Series: Avila won all three meetings between the two schools last season, including a 73-65 win in the KCAC tournament first round. Prior to that, the Falcons had won six of eight matchups over the Eagles.
Quoting Head Coach Austin McBeth:
"The best part about being in the season is that whether you're winning or losing, playing well or playing poorly, you get another chance to get on the court and pursue winning. Our guys are very close to getting over the hump, and we are all looking forward to another chance to do that against Avila."
Countdown to 1,000: Senior guard Ian Konek currently sits at 947 career points, just 53 away from becoming the 10th member in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone in the modern statistical era (since 2003-04). Konek is averaging a team-high 16.9 points per game this season.
Sponsor Alerts: Friends University Athletics is excited to have Home2 Suites by Hilton back as an official athletic sponsor this season! For more on what they can offer, click HERE to visit their official webpage.
Tickets: Fans are able to purchase tickets for all home basketball games by clicking HERE.
Falcons by the Numbers:
Overall record: 1-7
KCAC: 0-2
Home: 1-2
Road: 0-4
Neutral: 0-1
When scoring:
Under 50 points: 0-0
50-59 points: 0-1
60-69 points: 0-1
70-79 points: 0-3
80-89 points: 0-2
90+ points: 1-0
When allowing:
Under 50 points:
50-59 points: 0-0
60-69 points: 1-0
70-79 points: 0-3
80-89 points: 0-3
90+ points: 0-1
When leading at halftime: 1-4
When trailing at halftime: 0-3
When tied at halftime: 0-0
When committing more turnovers: 0-6
When committing fewer turnovers: 1-1
When turnovers are tied: 0-0
When leading in field-goal percentage: 1-5
When trailing in field-goal percentage: 0-2
When leading in three-point percentage: 0-3
When trailing in three-point percentage: 1-4
When three-point percentage is tied: 0-0
When leading in rebounding: 1-2
When trailing in rebounding: 0-5
When rebounding is tied: 0-0
When leading in assists: 1-2
When trailing in assists: 0-4
When assists are tied: 0-1
In OT: 0-0
The Coaches:
Austin McBeth is in his second season as head coach of the Friends University men's basketball program.
In his debut season, McBeth coached two All-KCAC performers and a pair of all-freshman members.
McBeth arrived at Friends following a highly successful stint as the head assistant coach at NCAA D-II Truman State University of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC).
Serving as the recruiting coordinator for Truman State, McBeth was at the heart of a team that won the GLVC regular season championship and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA D-II National Tournament.
At Truman, McBeth also served in roles as the director of strength and conditioning, academic advisor for "at risk" players, summer camp director, director of community service while being heavily involved in fundraising and skill development for guards and post players.
McBeth's coaching experience includes head assistant coaching stops at the University of Illinois-Springfield, also of the GLVC and NAIA program Montreat College in Black Mountain, NC.
He was also a part of his alma mater team, the Iowa State University men's basketball program under head coach Fred Hoiberg, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.
McBeth was a Volunteer GA Assistant Coach at ISU in 2013 and served as a camp instructor for the Cyclones in the summer of 2012.
Off the court, McBeth is a perfect fit for the Friends University Christian mission, having served as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) President at Iowa State while also filling the role of an FCA Co-Sponsor at Iowa State, Montreat and Illinois-Springfield. In addition, he has authored two books on coaching philosophies and the important role that coaches play in the lives of athletes.
Bill Sloan is in his seventh season at the helm of the Avila University men's basketball program. Prior to being named head coach, Sloan spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the program. Before arriving at Avila, Sloan was an assistant for nearly 20 years across two stints at Kansas City Kansas Community College.
Up Next: The Falcons will play at No. 7-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan University Thursday night (Dec. 1) in Bartlesville, Okla. before returning to the Garvey Center to host Ottawa University Saturday (Dec. 3) at 7 pm.