Pioneer Men's Basketball
2006-07 News

 

KENDALL WEBB SELECTED TO ALL-STAR TEAM

DELRAY BEACH, FLA.---Kendall Webb, the all-time leading scorer at Wayland Baptist University, has been selected to play in the inaugural Collegiate Basketball Invitational on April 19-21 in Wadsworth, Ohio.

The Collegiate Basketball Invitational is a major national basketball event that will gather the finest 60 senior men's basketball players from all of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II and Division III and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

The event will take place at Wadsworth High School in Wadsworth, Ohio, and will consist of six teams of 10 players in double elimination tournament. Two sessions of two games each will be played both Thursday and Friday with the championship game being played Saturday at noon. The CBI will conclude with an all-star game Saturday evening in front of a live, ESPNU audience as 20 players will selected to play in the game.

“I sincerely congratulate the 60 players that have been selected to compete in this prestigious event,” said CBI Founder John McCarthy. “I am confident that this class of players will help make the public aware of the high level of talent at the NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA levels.”

Webb, a 5-10 guard from Amarillo, was a 2007 1st team NAIA All-American selection and the Sooner Athletic Conference’s Most Valuable Player.  He led the SAC in scoring with a 22.6 average and was fourth in the NAIA.  During his four years as a Pioneer, Webb scored 2,074 points, breaking the previous all-time high of 2,015 set by Michael Parks from 1983-87.

Robert Davenport, the head coach of the Pioneers, says that Webb has earned the opportunity to play among the nation’s best.

“I’m excited about the opportunity Kendall has to play in this first-time event.  He has earned the right to be there, and I expect him to do well, because he is one of the top players in the country.”

Webb will be on a team with two former opponents from the 2006-07 season.  West Texas A&M University’s Damien Lolar and B.J. Walker, from NAIA National Champion Oklahoma City University, are among his teammates.

The players at the CBI are the top seniors from all of NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and the NAIA. At the three-day event, players will have the opportunity to compete in front of the professional team representatives, agents and national media, while competing against the best of the best from around the country.

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THREE PIONEERS NAMED NAIA SCHOLAR ATHLETES

Three Pioneers have been named as 2007 Daktronics-NAIA Men's Basketball All-American Scholar-Athletes. Lee Berend, Justas Mikelionis and Michal Polanowski were honored for their academic achievements in a release by the NAIA on Wednesday.  Student-athletes must be nominated by their head coach, have achieved junior academic status and maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.

Berend, a 6-4 sophomore wing from Graham, averaged just over six points and five rebounds for the Pioneers in the 2006-07 season.  He is a Business Finance major with a 3.79 overall grade point average. 

Mikelionis, a 6-2 senior guard from Lithuania, has a 3.68 GPA as a Business major.  A 6-10 sophomore center from Konin, Poland,

Polanowski averaged eight points and four boards for Coach Robert Davenport’s Pioneers.  He also is a Business major with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

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WEBB NAMED NAIA 1ST TEAM ALL-AMERICAN

Wayland Baptist senior Kendall Webb has been named a First Team All-American by the NAIA, the association announced Tuesday.

A 5-10 point guard from Amarillo, Webb was Sooner Athletic Conference Player of the Year and a first-team All-SAC selection.  He was the only SAC player to be named to the NAIA's first team.

Webb led the SAC in scoring with a 22.6 per game average, and was fourth in the NAIA.  He was also the WBU leader in assists with 3.7 per game.

The Pioneer’s all-time leading scorer with 2,074 career points, Webb is only the second player in WBU history to be named to the NAIA’s All-American First Team.  Ty Harrelson, also a point guard, received 1st team honors following the 2002-03 season.

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PIONEERS BATTLE IN SEASON-ENDING LOSS

The Pioneers fought the good fight, but in the end could not find a way to defeat top-seeded Oklahoma City (29-1) in a 74-64 loss in the opening round of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament.

WBU led 33-27 at the half, but missed its first seven and nine of its first 10 field goals in the second half.  The Stars took advantage of the drought to take the lead, 37-36, at the 14:28 mark of the final period.

That was the first of nine lead changes over the next five minutes. There also were two ties in that span.

An 11-3 run by the Stars gave them a 62-53 lead. The Pioneers got as close as five in the last three minutes but couldn't’t get the key stop defensively.

Oklahoma City was led in scoring by Willie Irick with 15 points. Danny Storey had 17 points and 10 rebounds for his 11th straight double-double, and Pedro Montano also scored 17 in his final game as a Pioneer.

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KENDALL WEBB NAMED SAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Wayland Baptist University’s Kendall Webb has been named Sooner Athletic Conference Player of the Year, the league announced Monday.  Webb, a 5-10 senior guard from Amarillo, Texas, led the Sooner Athletic Conference in scoring with a 23-point average and became the all-time leading scorer at Wayland Baptist this season with over 2,000 career points.

Danny Storey, the Pioneer's 6-7 post, was named as a 3rd team All-Conference selection.  The junior from Canyon led the SAC in rebounding with 10.5 boards a game and averaged 16.8 points.

Six Pioneers earned Academic All-Conference honors:  Lee Berend, a sophomore wing from Graham; Justas Mikelionis, a senior guard from Lithuania; Michal Polanowski, a sophomore post from Poland; Tyler Roye, a sophomore wing from Lubbock; Zach TeGrotenhuis, a junior forward from San Marcos; and Webb.   Athletes must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have at least 64 semester hours of credit to be considered for Academic All-Conference honors. 

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PIONEERS TO PLAY IN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

The Pioneers are the 8th-seed in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament and will take on #1-seed Oklahoma City University at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 2.  This year's tournament is being hosted by Oklahoma Christian University in Edmond, Okla.

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FAST START GETS THE PIONEERS THE WIN

The Pioneers (12-16, 6-12) kept their post-season hopes alive with an 83-69 win over Oklahoma Christian on Saturday afternoon at Hutcherson Center.  If Oklahoma Baptist defeats USAO tonight, then the Pioneers will be the 8th seed in next week’s Sooner Athletic Conference tournament.  If USAO wins, then the WBU men are finished for the season. 

Kendall Webb scored a game-high 29 points in his last game at the Hutch.  Junior Danny Storey recorded his tenth straight double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds.  Lee Berend also put in 19 points, a career high for the sophomore wing.

The Pioneers jumped out early, grabbing a 48-24 halftime lead.  OC fought back behind the hot Charles Baldwin, who scored all 25 of his points in the first 15 minutes of the second period.  The Eagles got to within 63-61 with just over five minutes remaining, but WBU responded and got the lead back up to double digits on Berend's three-pointer with 1:33 left in the game.

After shooting 50 percent in the first half, Wayland cooled off considerably in the final 20 minutes, hitting just 27 percent from the field.  The Pioneers also hit six of their seven three-pointers in the opening period.  The home team did have better luck at the free throw line, hitting 20 of its 22 attempts in the second half. 

The Pioneers were strong on the boards, out-rebounding the Eagles, 54-35.  Senior forward Pedro Montano, playing in his final game before the home fans, pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds in the game.

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PIONEER POST-SEASON HOPES STILL ALIVE DESPITE LOSS

Despite an 89-84 loss to seventh-ranked Southern Nazarene on Thursday evening, the Pioneers still have a shot to continue their season in next week's Sooner Athletic Conference tournament with USAO's 62-46 upset loss at St. Gregory's.  WBU (11-16, 5-12) is currently tied for eighth in the conference with USAO (5-19, 5-12) but must beat Oklahoma Christian on Saturday to be assured of a shot at the tournament.

Danny Storey led the way for Wayland against the Crimson Storm with 21 points and 13 rebounds.  It was Storey's ninth consecutive double-double and 16th of the season.  Kendall Webb had 18 points, Pedro Montano 13, and Kris Hatley and Lee Berend added 10 points each.

The game was close throughout with neither team ever getting more than an eight point lead.  The Pioneers had the slight advantage for most of the first half, but SNU's Leroy Dawson hit a three-pointer right before the intermission buzzer to give his team a 43-40 halftime advantage.

Berend's jumper at the 16:57 mark of the second period gave the Pioneers a 50-45 edge, but SNU scored seven unanswered over the next 30 seconds to regain the lead.

The Storm eventually made the margin eight, 72-64, with 5:49 on the clock.  Montano hit a three to cut it to 75-72 with just over four minutes remaining.  After SNU again stretched the lead to seven, the Pioneers came charging back on Webb's only three of the game to pull to within two at 83-81 at the 1:40 mark.

Southern Naz missed two free throws on their next possession, and Webb had a chance to tie the game up with 1:03 left, but hit just one of two attempts from the charity stripe.

After two more Storm free throws, Storey hit a jumper inside the paint to make it 85-84, but that was it for the Pioneers.  SNU hit only 44.8 percent of its field goal attempts, but made 28 of its 33 free throw attempts.

WBU was an astounding 70.8 percent from the field in the second half to finish at 60 percent for the game, but hit only 21 of 32 from the line.

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KENDALL WEBB NAMED SAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Wayland Baptist University’s Kendall Webb has been named Sooner Athletic Conference Basketball Players of the Week for Feb. 12-18.

Webb, a 5-10 senior guard from Amarillo, Texas became WBU’s all-time leading scorer with 2017 points after posting 71 points in two games this week.  He scored 35 in a 79-71 loss at Northwestern and 36 in a 79-73 win at USAO.  He averaged 35.5 points, five assists and 3.5 rebounds per game for the Pioneers.

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WEBB BECOMES ALL-TIME SCORING LEADER IN WIN

Senior point guard Kendall Webb was 19 points away from the 2,000 career point mark going into this afternoon’s critical Sooner Athletic Conference game against the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.  More importantly, the Pioneers needed a win to keep their hopes alive for a berth in the SAC tournament.

Both goals were accomplished, and one was even surpassed.  The WBU men won the game 79-73, and not only did Webb reach the 2,000 point plateau, but he scored 36 points to become the all-time leading scorer in Wayland history.

The 5’10 Webb, a native of Amarillo, Tex., had 17 at the half, moving him into third place in WBU career scoring.  He hit a three-pointer with 18:13 left in the game to reach 2,001 points, and then hit another trey that tied him for second place with 2,006 points.  It also gave his team a four-point advantage with 8:45 on the clock.

A little over eight minutes later, Webb tied former Pioneer Michael Parks’ record of 2,015 career points with a free throw that gave WBU a 77-67 lead.  The NAIA pre-season All-American then made the record his by hitting two free throws with 14 seconds remaining.

Webb was 10-of-16 from the field in the upset win, including 6-of-9 from long distance.  He also hit 10 of his 13 free throw attempts, and had a game-high four assists.

Danny Storey got his eighth consecutive double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.  The junior center is leading the conference with 15 double-doubles this season.  Kris Hatley also hit the double figure mark for the Pioneers with 11 points.

The Pioneers (11-15, 5-11) and Drovers are tied for eighth place in the conference standings with two games remaining.  WBU has Southern Nazarene (22-5, 12-3) and Oklahoma Christian (13-12, 7-8) at home, while USAO must travel to St. Gregory's (7-19, 1-14) and Oklahoma Baptist (15-9, 8-6).  Only the top eight teams in the conference earn a trip to the SAC tournament.

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PIONEERS LOSE AT NORTHWESTERN

Kendall Webb scored 35 points to climb to within 19 points of the magic 2,000 mark, but it wasn't enough and the Pioneers fell at Northwestern Oklahoma, 79-71.  The loss puts WBU in ninth place in the conference standings with a record of 4-11, one game behind Saturday's opponent USAO.  Only the top eight teams in the standings will be eligible for the SAC Tournament which begins on March 1. 

The Pioneers fought their way back from a 12 point first half deficit to lead by one at the intermission, 38-37.  Webb, who had 20 points during the opening period, scored nine of those during a six minute stretch in which WBU outscored the Rangers, 17-4.

In the second half, the Pioneers once again fell behind by a 12-point margin.  NWOSU made four straight three-pointers to grab the 59-47 lead with ten and a half minutes left on the clock.  Pedro Montano and Webb helped cut the margin to five with 5:31 remaining, but that was as close as WBU could manage. 

Danny Storey got his seventh straight double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.  Webb also had a game-high six assists.  The Pioneers shot 48 percent from the field, but were just 10 of 17 from the free throw line, while the Rangers, who hit 47 percent of their field goal attempts, were 21-of-28 from charity stripe.

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HOT SHOOTING JOHN BROWN TRIPS UP PIONEERS

John Brown used a 22-9 run to start the game and held the Pioneers to 33 percent shooting in the second half on its way to a 76-70 win at Hutcherson Center on Saturday.  The Golden Eagles hit 62 percent of their shots in the first half to build a 46-39 lead. 

JBU seemed to be intent upon stopping Danny Storey inside in the opening stanza, which left Kendall Webb room to roam.  The senior guard took advantage, scoring 20 of his game high 25 points in the first 20 minutes, hitting 6-of-8 from the field and 3-of-4 from behind the arch.  All three of his three-pointers came in the final final three minutes of the opening half.

The Pioneers stayed within single digits of the Golden Eagles for the first three minutes of the second period, but following a Michael Polanowski dunk that made it 50-44 with16:48 remaining JBU reeled off seven straight points.  Webb hit one-of-two free throws with just over a minute and a half showing on the clock to close the gap to five, but that was as close as the Pioneers came.

Joining Webb in double figures were Storey, who posted his sixth straight double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Kris Hatley who had 10 points.  The Pioneers out-rebounded JBU 38-27, but committed 20 turnovers that the Golden Eagles converted into 29 points.

The WBU men fall to 10-14 on the year and 4-10 in conference play.

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PIONEERS COME UP SHORT AGAINST BISON

Oklahoma Baptist hit all eight of their free throw attempts in the final minute of the game to record an 80-73 win over the Pioneers on Thursday at Hutcherson Center. 

Kendall Webb had 21 points and Danny Storey posted his fifth consecutive double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds to pace the Pioneers, who fell to 10-13 on the season and 4-9 in conference play.

Wayland took a 10 point lead in the first half on a jumper by Kris Hatley, but #24 OBU fought back, trailing by just two at intermission.  Bison Mike Fraser, who led his team with 17 points and 11 rebounds, scored the first bucket of the second half to tie things up, then Tre Griffin hit a three-pointer to give his team a 39-36 lead.  Webb hit a trey of his own to knot the game at 39, but the visitors took control from that point holding a 13 point lead with just over five minutes left.

WBU rallied and made it a one-possession ball game (76-73) when Webb was fouled on a three-point attempt and sank all three of his free throws with 37 seconds on the clock, but the Bison took care of business at the charity stripe to earn the win.

John Brown University (14-10, 5-7) invades Hutcherson Center on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tip-off.  The Golden Eagles upset #15 Lubbock Christian University, 79-62, on Thursday. 

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DANNY STOREY NAMED CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Danny Storey has been named Sooner Athletic Conference Player of the Week for Jan. 29-Feb. 4.  The 6'6 junior center from Canyon averaged 20 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Pioneers to a 2-1 record, including a 76-70 win over #15 Lubbock Christian University.

Storey posted double-doubles in all three games during the week and now has a league-leading 11 on the season.  He had 22 points and 14 rebounds in the upset win at home against LCU, 21 points and 13 rebounds in the 86-73 loss on the road at second-ranked Oklahoma City, and 17 points and 15 rebounds in a 75-69 win at St. Gregory's.

On the year, Storey is second on the team in scoring with a 16.8 per game average.  He leads the SAC and is second in the NAIA in rebounding with an average of 10 boards a game.

The Pioneers have won three out of their last four games and return home this week to take on Oklahoma Baptist University on Thursday and John Brown University on Saturday.

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WEBB GETS 30 IN WIN

Kendall Webb scored career point number 1,900 in the Pioneers 75-69 win over St. Gregory's on Saturday afternoon at W.P. Wood Field House in Shawnee, Okla.  Webb went 17-of-18 from the free throw line to get a game-high 30 points in WBU's tenth victory of the season.  Danny Storey also had a big afternoon, recording his third straight double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds.

The Pioneers were down by 11 points at intermission, but shot a blazing 65 percent from the field in the second half in the come-from-behind win.  WBU hit just one three-pointer in the game, a season low, but put in 26-of-29 free throws and out rebounded the Cavaliers 36-22.

Michal Polanowski also hit the double figure mark for the Pioneers with 10 points.  The 6'10 sophomore from Poland was a perfect four-for-four from the field and put in both of his free throw attempts.

Wayland (10-12, 4-8) takes on Oklahoma Baptist (12-8, 5-5) on Thursday evening at Hutcherson Center.

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SLOW START BURIES PIONEERS

Danny Storey recorded his league-leading tenth double-double of the year, but it wasn't enough as the Pioneers fell to second-ranked Oklahoma City University, 86-73.  Storey had a game-high 21 points and 13 rebounds, but the Stars used a blistering first half of shooting to jump out to a 15 point halftime lead, then used a 13-0 run over a four minute period in the game's final period to seal their 22nd consecutive victory.  OCU hit almost 58 percent of its shots from the field in the first 20 minutes and nailed 5-of-8 three pointers.

The only Pioneer lead of the game came less than two minutes in when Kendall Webb hit a trey to give his team a 3-2 advantage.  Wayland did outscore OCU 32-28 in the paint and had 18 second chance points to just four by the Stars, but the home team hit eight long range shots compared to just three by WBU.

Pedro Montano added 16 points and eight rebounds for the Pioneers, who fell to 9-12 and 3-8, while Webb put in 11.

WBU travels to Shawnee on Saturday for a match-up against St. Gregory's (7-13, 1-8).  The Pioneers defeated the Cavaliers 104-77 earlier this season.

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STOREY LEADS PIONEERS TO WIN OVER LCU

With the Pioneers trailing 5-3 early in the Monday night's match up at home against Lubbock Christian, Danny Storey decided to take matters into his own hands.  The 6'6 junior post scored the next seven points, grabbed two rebounds and recorded two blocks in a three minute period to help push the WBU men to a lead that they never relinquished in a 76-70 victory over the Chaparrals.

Storey ended the game with a team-high 22 points and had 14 rebounds.  It is the ninth double-double this season for Storey, tops in the conference.  Kendall Webb added 14 points and Michal Polanowski came off the bench to get 13 as the Pioneers won their second straight SAC game.

WBU, which held the Chaps to 38 percent shooting in the first period, had a 37-28 lead at the half.  Pedro Montano increased that margin to 11 with a jumper to open the final 20 minutes.  The largest lead of the game for the Pioneers came with six and a half minutes remaining when Gustavo Lucero hit a driving lay-up to make the score 64-51.

LCU made a game of it in the end, getting within five points with just under 30 seconds left when Max Eding, who had a game-high 23 points, hit a jumper, was fouled and made the free throw.

Webb then sank two free throws to put the Pioneers back up by seven, but Eding converted another traditional three-point play to make it a 74-70 ball game with just over 10 seconds on the clock.  Kris Hatley found John Hollmon in the middle of the court on the ensuing inbounds pass and Hollmon passed it on to a wide open Polanowski for the dunk.

WBU was outscored 40-32 in the paint and the Chaps scored 20 points off 18 Pioneer turnovers, but free throws were the difference in the game as the Pioneers converted 27 of their 37 attempts from the line, compared to 7 out of 19 by LCU.

Wayland (9-11, 3-7) takes its two-game win streak on the road to Oklahoma City for a Thursday night matchup with the #2 Stars (21-0, 9-0).

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PIONEERS WIN BIG AT HOME

Junior guard Kris Hatley scored a career-high 18 points to lead the Pioneers to a 79-57 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State University on Saturday afternoon at Hutcherson Center.  Kendall Webb and Pedro Montano added 16 points each, and Danny Storey recorded his eighth double-double this season with 14 points and a career high with 21 rebounds.

Junior guard John Hollmon got the WBU men going with a three-pointer to start the game and the Pioneers never looked back.  NWOSU did tie the game at 16 with just under six minutes to go before halftime, but that was as close as the Rangers could get.

The Pioneers took a five point lead into intermission despite shooting just under 30 percent from the field.  Things improved drastically in the second half, when WBU hit almost 64 percent of their field goal attempts and was 22-of-25 from the free throw line.  The Rangers entered the game as the SAC's stingiest defense, limiting opponents to 60.6 points a game, and were ranked third in the NAIA in field goal defense, holding the opposition to just 38 percent. 

The Rangers (12-7, 4-5) outscored Wayland 36-28 in the paint, but the Pioneers held NWOSU to just 3-of-28 from beyond the arch and out rebounded the visitors 46-27. 

Wayland, which is now 8-11 and 2-7 in conference play, will be looking for a little revenge on Monday with a rematch against Lubbock Christian University.  The Chaps (12-6, 5-3) come to town with a three-game win streak on the line.

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HOME COURT DOESN'T HELP PIONEERS

The Pioneers hoped to find a cure for "what ailed them" at home against 2-12 Science and Arts of Oklahoma on Thursday, but instead all they found was another loss.  Four Wayland men scored in double digits, but USAO got double figure scoring from all five of its starters and hit 23 of 34 free throws in the second half to erase a four-point halftime deficit and take an 81-76 win.

USAO scored the first four points of the game, but Kendall Webb and Kris Hatley put in back-to-back three pointers to give the Pioneers a 6-4 lead.  The lead went back-and-forth until the 6:26 mark when WBU went on a 10-0 run and eventually took a 33-29 lead into the locker room at the half.

The Drovers started the second 20 minutes much like they did the first 20, scoring the first four points.  Neither team could gain much of an advantage until USAO went on a big run of its own, outscoring the Pioneers 17-7 midway through the period. 

WBU fought its way back into the game, getting to within three on Hatley's driving layup with 1:30 remaining.  Kevin Thames, who finished the game with 18 points to lead the Drovers, hit 5-of-6 free throws over the next few seconds, but Webb hit another three and Pedro Montano laid it in to make it a two-point game with 44 seconds left on the clock.

After Avery Stephenson missed two free throws on the other end of the court, Webb came down and missed an off-balance three-point attempt that would have given the Pioneers the lead at the 32 second mark.  That was as close as WBU was able to get, however, as USAO made just enough free throws down the stretch to ice the game.

>Danny Storey led all scorers with 20 points, Webb added 18, and Michal Polanowski and Montano put in 15 and 13 points respectively.

The Pioneers (7-11, 1-7) will get another chance to win at home on Saturday with a 3 p.m. start against Northwestern Oklahoma (12-6, 4-4).

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PIONEERS CONTINUE TO HAVE PROBLEMS ON THE ROAD

The WBU men remain winless on the road with losses at John Brown and Oklahoma Baptist.  Against JBU, the Pioneers shot over 57 percent from the field but fell 85-75.

Kendall Webb had 17 points, while Danny Storey, who was 6-of-6 from the field, recorded his 7th double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds.  Kris Hatley had a near-perfect game against the Golden Eagles, hitting all four of his shots from the field, including two three pointers, both of his free throws, and playing 16 minutes without committing a turnover.  John Hollmon also hit the double digit mark in scoring with 11 points.

A hot-shooting Oklahoma Baptist defended its home court with an 80-64 win on Saturday.  The Bison shot 58 percent from the field, 64 percent from three-point range, and 84.6 percent from the free throw line.  The Pioneers, on the other hand, started the game off by shooting a frigid 23 percent in the first half.

WBU had a brief 3-0 lead on a Kendall Webb three-pointer before the Bison responded with 11 points. OBU followed that up with 13-0 spree to take 28-7 lead.  Michal Polanowski gave Wayland Baptist two free throws and its third field goal and the first not scored by Webb, with 4:32 left in the first half to pull the Pioneers to within 28-11, capping WBU’s best first-half run.  The Bison led 43-21 at halftime.

OBU built the lead to 77-47 in the second half.  The Pioneers, who shot a very respectable 59 percent in the final period, score the game's final 14 points to close the gap back to the final margin.

Webb moved into fourth place on the Wayland all-time scorers list with a team-high 18 points, followed by Danny Storey with 17.  Michal Polanowski had 10 points for the Pioneers who dropped to 7-10 on the season and 1-6 in conference play.

The team returns to Hutcherson Center for a three-game home stand beginning Thursday evening against USAO.

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PIONEERS LOSE A CLOSE ONE

Kendall Webb scored 28 points and had six assists, but it wasn't enough as the Pioneers lost to undefeated Oklahoma City, 79-67.  The second-ranked Stars had the hot-hand shooting, hitting nearly 55 percent from the field, compared to just 36 percent for Wayland, but the Pioneers managed to stay in the game by hitting 24 of 32 free throws.

Michal Polanowski got things started with a monster dunk off a good feed from Danny Storey.  Webb made it 5-0 on his only three-pointer of the game, then after a basket by OCU, Webb and Storey hit back-to-back jumpers to give the Pioneers a 9-2 lead.

The Stars outscored WBU 27-9 over the next 11 minutes to take control of the game.  The Pioneers worked their way back to within three with just under three minutes remaining in the half, but OCU went into the locker room at the break with a 40-35 lead.

WBU stayed within striking distance in the second half.  Pedro Montano made it a one-possession game when he hit a three with just over 13 minutes left to make it 52-49, but that was as close as OCU let it get.  Webb hit a lay-up to close the gap to five with about two and a half minutes remaining, but the Stars answered with six straight, then made their free throws down the stretch to earn their 17th victory of the season.   

Storey joined Webb in double figures with 11 points.  He and Lee Berend had seven rebounds a piece and Polanowski recorded a game-high five blocks for the Pioneers who fell to 7-8 overall and 1-4 in SAC action.

WBU returns to the road next week with games at John Brown on Thursday and Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday.

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MEN WIN BIG AT HOME

The Pioneers pulled back to .500 and got their first conference win of the season with a 104-77 win over St. Gregory's at Hutcherson Center Thursday night.  Six technical fouls and three ejections marred an otherwise good game for the WBU men, who shot over 60 percent from the field. 

WBU, which never trailed in the game, jumped out to a 49-29 halftime lead.  Kendall Webb scored 23 of his game-high 34 points in the first half, hitting 5-of-8 three pointers in the first 20 minutes.  Danny Storey added 21 points and had nine rebounds, while Pedro Montano and Kris Hatley came off the bench to score 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The game got out of control in the second half with just over seven minutes on the clock when Montano and SGU's Patrick Jones got into a shoving match under the Pioneer basket.  Both players were issued technical fouls and Cavalier coach Kevin Morrissey picked up a pair of technicals and was ejected from the game.  Two minutes later, two more technicals were called against SGU players and a Cavalier player was also ejected from the game.  Webb, who was 15-of-17 from the free throw line, hit all the technical shots.

The Pioneers had 50 points in the paint, compared to 28 for the Cavaliers.  WBU also put in 20 second chance points and converted 15 SGU turnovers into 21 points.  Wayland out-rebounded the Cavaliers, 36-21.

St. Gregory's (7-8, 1-3) was led in scoring by Trey Gibbs, who scored 14 points off the bench.  Patrick Jones and Oren Mansky had 13 points a piece.

Up next for Wayland is undefeated Oklahoma City University, ranked #2 in the latest NAIA poll.

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PIONEERS FALL TO #10 SOUTHERN NAZARENE

BETHANY, OK---Although they managed to keep the game close for the first 26 minutes, the Pioneers eventually fell to the 10th-ranked Crimson Storm of Southern Nazarene University, 82-72, Saturday afternoon.  The loss keeps WBU winless in three tries in Sooner Athletic Conference play and drops its overall mark to 6-7.

There were five ties and 10 lead changes in the first half of the game in SNU's Sawyer Center.  The Storm finally pulled out to an eight point lead (37-29) with two-and-half minutes left in the opening period, but John Hollmon scored the next five points on a short jumper and a three pointer, then Brian Festog put back a miss at the buzzer to close the gap to two at the half.

SNU stretched the lead back to four in the opening minutes of the second period, but Pedro Montano made it a one-point game on an assist from Hollmon with 16:54 remaining.  Hollmon tied the score at 49 with just under 15 minutes on the clock, but the Crimson Storm outscored the Pioneers 30-10 over the next ten minutes to put the game out of reach.

Kendall Webb led all scorers in the game with 23 points.  The 5-10 point guard also had a game-high 11 rebounds.  John Hollmon played his best game of the season with 17 points, while Lee Berend added 11.

Southern Naz, 12-2 and 2-0, outscored the Pioneers 40-24 in the paint.  Both teams shot 46 percent from the field, and WBU connected on 22 of its 32 attempts from the free throw line, compared to 13-of-18 for the Storm.  The battle of the boards was close with SNU having a 34-33 edge.

The Pioneers return home for the first time in conference play with a game Thursday, Jan. 11 against St. Gregory's.  Second-ranked Oklahoma City then comes to town on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 13.

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POOR SHOOTING VICTIMIZES PIONEERS

EDMOND, OK---The Pioneers fell to 6-6 on the season and 0-2 in conference play after a 73-58 loss at Oklahoma Christian on Thursday.  WBU had three players score in double figures, but it wasn't enough to compensate for a poor shooting performance.  The Pioneers hit just three of their 22 three-point attempts, their worst showing of the season.

Lee Berend had a team-high 15 points and nine rebounds.  Danny Storey followed that up with 14 points and seven boards, while Kendall Webb hit 11, only one of which was from behind the arch. 

OC, which improved to 7-4 on the season, had a major advantage at the free throw line, converting 20 of their 24 shots, compared to the Pioneers who sank just 13 of their 21 attempts.  OK Christian also outscored WBU 21-9 from the three-point line, but Wayland had the edge in second chance points, 21-16, even though the Eagles had a slim advantage on the boards, 41-38. 

The Pioneers will look to bounce back on Saturday afternoon with a game at Southern Nazarene University.

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FORMER PIONEER ALL-AMERICAN MAKING NAME FOR HIMSELF IN EUROPE

Ty Harrelson, the only Pioneer ever to be named as a 1st team NAIA All-American, is making quite a name for himself in Europe.  The 6'4 point guard who played for the Pioneers from 2001-2003 and is tied for 27th in WBU career scoring with 1,111 points is currently playing professional basketball in Germany.

Harrelson, who holds the Pioneer record for assists in a game (15) and for season assists (6.8/game), was named the Player of the Month in the Germany 2nd Bundesliga League.  During the month of October, Harrelson helped lead his team, BBC Bayreuth, to an undefeated record and a first place standing in the 2. Bundesliga.  He was also named Player of the Week for the first week of November.

At the Christmas break, his team is 10-3 and tied for third in the league.  Harrelson is averaging 17.6 points and a league-leading eight assists per game.

Bayreuth is a city of over 76,000 people located about 124 miles north of Munich in Western Germany.  Harrelson, who says he loves playing in Germany, signed a two-year contract with the Bayreuth team last June.  During the 2005-06 season, he led the league in assists with 5.9 per contest, while playing for TV Langen in the same league.

"I decided to sign with Bayreuth because it is a much better location and the team has a good tradition," says Harrelson who was back in the states visiting family and friends during the Christmas holiday.  "The gym is bigger and it's just a more professional atmosphere.

Harrelson says that one advantage to playing in Germany is that there are many English-speaking people.

"It is a big help that so many people here do speak English, but I'm taking a German class right now.  It's hard, but maybe someday I'll get it down."

A fan favorite in Bayreuth, Harrelson was recently driving through the city when a bus pulled in front of him and he came face-to-face with himself.

"The sponsor of our team called me in a month or so ago for a photo session.  He told me then that he was going to put my picture on a bus, but I really didn't think anything of it at the time.  Then one day I'm driving along, and there I am.  It's kind of embarrassing, but I'm honored too."

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WEST TEXAS A&M USES LATE RUN TO DEFEAT PIONEERS

In a game that looked like it would go right down to the wire, the West Texas A&M Buffaloes used an 18-3 run  during the final four minutes to defeat the Pioneers 80-66 in Canyon on Saturday night.

There were 11 ties and 23 lead changes in the game between the two schools that are just 50 miles apart but haven't played each other in regular season action since the 1980-81 season.  The score was tied at 27 at intermission, and neither team could gain any breathing room in the second half.  The Buffaloes finally went up 60-56 with 4:35 left on the clock, but WBU's Kendall Webb hit his first three-pointer of the game to narrow the gap to one on the next possession.  After a Webb steal, the Pioneer's had a chance to regain the lead, but junior guard John Hollmon missed both free throws when he was fouled on the lay-up attempt, and then began the decisive WTA&MU run.

Danny Storey led the Pioneers with 20 points and six rebounds.  Michal Polanowski, who was 5-of-6 from the field, contributed 16 points, hauled down a team-high seven boards and recorded three blocked shots, while Webb had 10 points and six assists.

The Wayland men, 6-5 on the season, are off until Jan. 4 when they resume Sooner Athletic Conference play on the road against Oklahoma Christian University.

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WEBB HITS 40 IN WIN OVER HOWARD PAYNE

Kendall Webb hit a career-high 40 points and Danny Storey recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 21 points and 12 rebounds in the Pioneer's 87-80 win over Howard Payne University.

Coming off a disappointing performance on Thursday against Lubbock Christian, the WBU men started out the game in Brownwood with a lackadaisical performance and trailed at the intermission 39-33.  The final 20 minutes of the game against HPU was a different story, however, as the Pioneers exploded for 54 second half points. 

"We were just going through the motions in the first half," said Pioneer coach Robert Davenport, "but in the second half we hustled to the ball, made good shot selections, and generally did what we needed to do to win."

WBU hit just 13 of 32 field goal attempts in the opening period, but came back to shoot 64 percent from the field after intermission.

In Thursday's 72-63 loss at LCU, Wayland committed 26 turnovers compared to just 12 on Saturday.  The Pioneers also outscored the Yellow Jackets 40-20 in the paint.

Michal Polanowski was the only other Pioneer in double figures with 10 points. 

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DANNY STOREY EARNS PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS

Pioneer Danny Storey has been named as the Sooner Athletic Conference Male Player of the Week for Nov. 27-Dec. 3.

The 6-7 junior center from Canyon, Texas, averaged 19.5 points and 14 rebounds a game last week for the Pioneers while compiling two career highs.  He topped his previous career high of 20 points with 24 in a loss to #9 Lindsey Wilson College, then pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds in a win over New Mexico Highlands.

Storey has recorded three double-doubles in his last three games and has a total of five already this season.

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PIONEERS GET BALANCED SCORING IN WIN

Four Pioneers scored at least 15 points in a 78-61 victory over New Mexico Highlands in the final game of the Plainview Lions Pioneer Classic Saturday night.

“After the game last night I was pleased to see more scoring from more guys,” said head coach Robert Davenport. “It was a sloppy game, but I was pleased with what we did. It took us a little while to get going, but we played through it. Anytime you win, you’ve got to be happy with it.”

Kendall Webb had a team-high 20 points, 14 of which came from the free throw line, and Michael Polanowski made the most of his first start of the season with 19 points. Junior Danny Storey recorded his third straight double-double with 15 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, while sophomore Lee Berend got the first double-double of his career with 15 points and 10 boards.

“They played a box-in-one on Kendall, which is something we’re going to start seeing a lot of and this was a good game for us to work on that. I think the guys now recognize what they are going to need to do against that kind of defense.”

The Pioneers, who shot just 41 percent from the field, once again struggled on their long distance shooting, hitting just three of their 16 three-point attempts.

“We didn’t shoot the ball as well as I would have liked from the perimeter, but again that had a lot to do with the kind of game it was. We controlled the boards, and got to the foul line which is what you need to do to win.”

 WBU, 5-3 on the season, opens the Sooner Athletic Conference season Thursday night at Lubbock Christian University. The Flying Queens begin the doubleheader at 6 p.m. followed by the Pioneers at 8.

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PIONEERS FALL TO 9TH-RANKED LINDSEY WILSON

The Pioneers jumped out to a 22-12 lead over Lindsey Wilson College, but scored just one point in the final 8:55 of the first half, and eventually fell to the #9 Raiders, 64-53, in their home opener Friday night during the Plainview Lions Pioneer Classic.

Lindsey Wilson used a stifling perimeter defense to hold the WBU men to just 33 percent shooting, including 3-of-18 from behind the arch.  Only six Pioneers registered points on the scoreboard, led by Danny Storey with 24.  Kendall Webb was held to a season-low 13 points, as three Raider guards alternated intense man-to-man pressure on the senior All-American all night.

The game saw seven ties, including a 23-23 halftime score, and eight lead changes.  Sophomore Lee Berend's layup with 15:59 remaining in the second half put the Pioneers up for the final time 29-27.  Storey hit two free throws at 12:32 to tie the score for the final time at 36.

After LWC worked the lead up to as many as seven, John Hollmon put in a short jumper with just over six minutes left on the clock to get WBU back within two, 48-46, but the Raiders outscored the Pioneers 16-7 from that point to improve their record to 8-1 on the season.  Wayland is now 4-3.

Storey recorded his second straight double-double with a game-high 13 rebounds.

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WBU MEN MAKE IT FOUR IN A ROW

GRAND JUNCTION, COL---The Pioneers are finally headed home after a month of long road trips that resulted in a 4-2 record, topped off by Saturday night's 76-70 win over Mesa State College in the Holiday Inn Thanksgiving Classic. 

Kendall Webb led all scorers with 24 points and Danny Storey got his third double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Pioneers recorded their fourth straight win in front of a packed house at Mesa State's Brownson Arena.

Wayland jumped out to an early 15-4 lead, but Mesa State fought back taking a 33-31 lead at the half.  The Mavericks were increased the lead to four points early in the second period, but a three-pointer by WBU's John Hollmon put the Pioneer's back on top, 37-35.  WBU never trailed after that, but MSC stayed within single digits until a 9-0 run put the Pioneers up 58-47 with just under ten minutes to go.

A trey by Kris Hatley gave Wayland it's largest lead of the game, 61-48, with eight and a half minutes remaining, but the home team battled back to close to within four with 31 seconds left on the clock.  Webb sealed the victory with two free throws.

"It was a total team effort," said Pioneer coach Robert Davenport.  "It was a really big crowd, but we held it together and played well down the stretch."

WBU plays in front of the home crowd for the first time this season when they host Lindsey Wilson College on Friday at 6 p.m. in the first round of the Lion's Pioneer Classic.  On Saturday, the Pioneers will have a rematch with New Mexico Highlands at 6 p.m. 

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PIONEERS WIN THIRD STRAIGHT

GRAND JUNCTION, COL---The Pioneers recorded their third straight win Friday evening with a 69-56 victory over Colorado State University-Pueblo in the Mesa State College Thanksgiving Classic.  Kendall Webb scored 25 points to lead WBU, which is now 3-2 on the season.  Danny Storey and Pedro Montano who put in 15 and 12 points respectively were the only other Pioneers to hit the double figure mark in the low-scoring contest.

"They are a very patient offensive team, so we spent a lot of time on defense," explained Wayland coach Robert Davenport.  "We played really good post defense and forced them to take their shots from the perimeter.  They shot the ball well early on from out there and kept it close, but our guys controlled the boards in the second half and we did what we had to do to win."

The game was close throughout the first half with five ties and 11 lead changes.  The Pioneers finally took the lead for good with 1:58 to play in the opening period on a jumper by Storey and extended that lead to five at the half, 36-31.

WBU scored the first six points of the second half to increase the margin to 11.  CSU-Pueblo closed the gap to within five with eight and a half minutes left in the game, but back-to-back threes by Montano and Webb turned the momentum back in the Pioneer's favor.

"That was a good team out there," says Davenport.  "They beat the University of Denver, which is a Division I school, by 30 points in an exhibition game earlier this season, so that was a good step forward for our team.  As long as we  understand what we need to do to win and keep improving every game, we will be ready once the conference season gets underway."

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KENDALL WEBB NAMED SAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Pioneer senior guard Kendall Webb has been named Sooner Athletic Conference Men’s Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 13-19.

Webb scored a career-high 39 points, including eight three-pointers on NCAA Division II New Mexico Highlands in an 88-71 Pioneer win.  The Amarillo, Texas native hit 10-of-18 shots from the field in topping his previous career mark of 30 points.  He also had a steal, two rebounds and five assists.

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WEBB UNLOADS ON NM HIGHLANDS

LAS VEGAS, NM---In his four years as a Pioneer, Kendall Webb has produced some highlight reel moments, but Saturday night, Webb put together a highlight reel game.  The All-American senior guard scored a career-high 39 points in WBU's 88-71 victory over New Mexico Highlands University.

"Kendall shot the ball very well, especially early on when he reeled off several straight threes" said Coach Robert Davenport.  "As a team we played well early.  Everything worked offensively, and on the defensive side we played as well as we have all year.  We limited them to one shot, which is what you want to do."

The Pioneers scored the first 16 points of the game and led at halftime 56-35.  WBU shot 57 percent from the field in the first half, and hit nine of 15 three-pointers.  Webb hit six of ten shots from behind the arch in the first 20 minutes, and finished with eight treys in the game.

The second half was marred by sloppy play on both ends of the court.  The Pioneers hot shooting hand cooled off considerably, and the teams combined to commit a total of 30 fouls over the final 20 minutes.  After hitting all seven of their free throws in the opening period, WBU hit just 16 of 25 in the second half, and was good on just 41 percent of its shots from the field.

Sophomore post Michal Polanowski added 14 points, while Danny Storey, a junior, contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds. 

The Pioneers, who have evened their record up at 2-2, are back in action on Friday when they travel to Grand Junction, Col. to take part in the Mesa State Thanksgiving Classic.  Wayland will play Colorado State University-Pueblo on Friday at 5 p.m. and Mesa State at 9 p.m. on Saturday.

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STOREY SCORES A CAREER HIGH IN WIN

AUSTIN--Wayland Baptist junior post Danny Storey had a career-high 23 points to lead the Pioneers to a 78-64 win over Huston Tillotson on Saturday afternoon. A Canyon native, Storey also pulled down nine rebounds to help give WBU its first victory of the season.

“Danny had a big game, and Michael Polanowski really dominated in the first half, getting six or eight points and as many rebounds,” said Pioneer coach Robert Davenport. “As a team we executed as well as we have all season.”

The Pioneers shot almost 59 percent from the field in the first half to jump out to a 43-37 lead. They ended up hitting 57 percent of their field goals, including 67 percent from behind the arch, while holding the Rams to 46 percent shooting and forcing 19 turnovers.

“They are a very athletic team, but we did a good job on them defensively. Coach [Quinn] Wooldridge put together a good scouting report, and we were able to take them out of the things they wanted to do.”

Senior All-American Kendall Webb added 20 points, hitting three of his five three-point attempts, and had 11 assists, while junior guard John Hollmon put in 14 points.

The WBU men, 1-2 on the season, take to the road again next weekend with a contest Saturday at New Mexico Highlands University.

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WEBB SCORES 28 IN LOSS

All-American senior guard Kendall Webb scored 28 points but it wasn’t enough as the Wayland Baptist Pioneers lost their second game of the season 84-73 to William Jewell College late Saturday evening in the RMC Las Vegas Classic.

Junior Danny Storey added 17 points and Pedro Montano had 12 points, but the Pioneers couldn’t overcome a poor shooting performance in which they hit just 38 percent of their shots from the field, including 4-16 shots from behind the arch.

WBU jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after Webb got a steal, hit a lay-up and was fouled. Unfortunately the Pioneers were outscored 18-5 over the course of the next six minutes and could never recover, trailing at half 45-34.

The Cardinals began the second half with a 7-0 run, but Wayland battled back with a 7-0 run of its own. The Pioneers eventually closed the gap to seven with 5:40 remaining in the game after Montano put back a miss by Storey. William Jewell answered with a three-pointer, then hit nine free throws down the stretch to seal its first victory of the season.

Wayland did win the battle of the boards, 42-30, led by Montano with eight. The Pioneers are back in action on Saturday with a road game at Huston Tillotson University.

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LAST SECOND FREE THROWS DOOM PIONEERS

Las Vegas, NV - Two free throws with less than a second remaining on the clock resulted in a 74-73 season-opening loss for the Pioneers.  Robert Morris College, the top-rated team in the NAIA preseason poll, won the hard-fought victory in the RMC Vegas Classic on Friday at Del Sol High School in Las Vegas, NV. Junior guard Marlon Smith hit a pair of free throws to give the Eagles the win.

The Pioneers took an early 7-4 lead behind five quick points from their All-American senior guard Kendall Webb. RMC's own All-American, Freeman Taylor answered with five of his own to give the Eagles their first lead at 9-7.

Points were hard to come by as tough, defensive play with every shot contested marked the remainder of the first half. The period ended with the Eagles holding a slim 34-31 edge after WBU’s Brian Festog, a 6’5 junior forward, hit a shot with three seconds left. Webb and Festog each had seven points at the half. The Eagles began to inch away in the second half, building an 11-point lead at 50-39 with about twelve minutes remaining. But the Pioneers refused to go away, scoring six unanswered. RMC’s All-Conference center Reggie George responded by scoring on a pair of low-post moves sandwiched around a put-back, but WBU answered every basket with a score of their own, including four free throws by Webb.

The Pioneers finally tied the game at 60-60 on a clutch three-pointer by Webb put down just as the shot clock went off. With a little over two minutes remaining, Robert Morris senior guard Melvin Council took the ball all the way to the hoop from the right wing to give the Eagles a 70-69 edge, the eighth lead change in less than three minutes. After a Webb miss, RMC grabbed the defensive rebound and rushed the ball up the court. A strong put-back of a missed shot by George resulted in a shoving match and a pair of technical fouls on RMC’s senior guard John Winchester, one for hanging on the rim after his dunk, and one as part of a double technical call for a post score exchange with a WBU player. Webb missed the first of the two free throws, but made the second to make the score 72-70 in favor of the Eagles.

With about a minute remaining, WBU had the ball out of bounds after the free throws. The Pioneers forced up an off-balanced three attempt, but Robert Morris was called for a foul on the rebound. The Pioneers could only hit one of the two shots, leaving them still trailing by a point at 72-71. WBU fouled Steve Strong on the inbounds play with 29 seconds remaining, but he was unable to hit either end of his pair of free throws.

That left the door open for the Pioneers. Webb missed a jumper, but Danny Storey was fouled on the rebound. Storey, a 45 percent free throw shooter last year, coolly hit both ends of his double bonus to give the Pioneers a 73-72 lead with 14.6 remaining. As the clock ticked down, Council found Smith on the left wing. Smith drove the lane, putting up a shot and drawing a foul with less than a second remaining on the clock. The junior guard from The Bronx hit both shots to give the Eagles a 74-73 victory.

Webb finished the game with 18 points. Storey recorded a double-double in the game, coming away with 18 points and 11 rebounds. The junior post from Canyon also connected on all six of his free throw attempts.

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WEBB NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN TEAM

Kendall Webb has been named as a NAIA Preseason All-American by Street & Smith's College Basketball Yearbook. The 5-10 senior guard from Amarillo's Randall High School was one of five players named to the magazine's 1st team.

A 2005-06 third team NAIA All-American and first team All-Sooner Athletic Conference selection, Webb helped lead the Pioneers to a 19-11 record and a berth in the NAIA Men's Championship Tournament.  He has led Wayland in scoring and in assists the past two seasons, averaging 18.9 points and 4.6 assists a year ago.

Webb reached the 1,000-point mark last December and is currently 12th in WBU career scoring with 1,419 points.

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2006-07 PIONEER PREVIEW

Since the end of the 2005-06 basketball season, the Wayland Baptist Pioneer basketball team lost three starters, who combined to average just over 35 points per game and its head coach of seven years.  All is not lost, however, as new head coach Robert Davenport has a good nucleus of returning players from that team which advanced to the NAIA Championship Tournament and was ranked 17th in the final 2006 NAIA poll.  That group includes a NAIA All-American who has led the team in scoring and assists the past two seasons, and a two-year starter at the post position.

Kendall Webb, a 5’10 senior, is a three-time All-Sooner Athletic Conference selection and a 3rd team All-American pick in 2006.  Last year the Randall High graduate moved into 12th place in Pioneer career scoring with 1,419 points and has a good shot at hitting the 2,000 point plateau during the 2006-07 season.  He scored 566 points last year, averaging 18.9 ppg, and handed out 137 assists (4.6 apg).  Storey, a graduate of Canyon High School who put in 6.7 ppg hitting 54.3 percent of his shots from the field, was second in team rebounding a year ago, pulling down 5.3 rpg.

Other Pioneers back after seeing significant playing time in 2005-06 are 6’7 senior forward Pedro Montano (6.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg), 6’11 sophomore post Michal Polanowski (4.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg), 5’9 junior point guard Kris Hatley (3.3 ppg, 1.7 apg), 6’4 guard Lee Berend (3.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg), and 6’3 walk-on guard Tyler Roye (1.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg).  Sophomore guard Gustavo Lucena is also returning to the Pioneers after spending last season as a medical red-shirt. The 6’1 Lucena averaged 3.8 points and 1.5 assists coming off the bench in 2004-05.

Montano, who joins Webb as the only other senior on the team, provides a physical presence and can take the ball inside or step outside for the three. Polanowski, who was coming off major knee surgery, started the final 12 games of the season and is an excellent shot blocker. Hatley led WBU in three-point shooting percentage for the second straight year, hitting 46.5 percent of his long-range shots, and Berend started in seven games as a freshman.

Newcomers to the Pioneer team in 2006-07 are transfer students Brian Festog, a 6’6 junior forward from Trinidad State Junior College, and John Hollmon, a 6’3 transfer from Langston University.  A native of Denver, Col., Festog averaged 8.8 points and 3.1 rebounds in 26 games last season at TSJC. Hollman, a junior from San Marcos, Tex., played in 12 games at Langston in 2005-06, averaging 14.2 points and 4.2 boards.

The Pioneers have played an extremely physical game in the past, evidenced by the fact that the team has led the conference in fouls the past three seasons, but Davenport says that he doesn’t plan to grind it out as much this year.

“We’ll try and open it up a little bit, to get up and down the court. I’m not saying that we won’t be physical when he have to be, but with the numbers we have, we can’t afford to get anybody hurt trying to bang it up.”
Wayland opens its season with six straight road games, beginning Nov. 2 at the Las Vegas (NV) Classic.  In fact, the only opportunity the home fans will have to see the team before the Christmas break is at the annual Lion’s Pioneer Classic which is Dec. 1 and 2.  The Sooner Athletic Conference schedule begins the next week with a Dec. 7 match-up against arch-rival Lubbock Christian University in Lubbock.

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DAVENPORT NAMED HEAD COACH

Robert Davenport, head coach at the University of Texas-Pan American for the past two seasons, has been named as the 10th head coach of the Wayland Baptist University Pioneer basketball team.“I couldn’t be happier,” says Davenport, a native of Oklahoma and a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University. “ This is just such a great fit for me and my family. It is great to be back at a Baptist institution and a part of a competitive conference like the SAC [Sooner Athletic Conference]. I truly believe that this is the right fit at the right time."Coach Thurman and Coach Dean have done a good job in directing the program, and there is a good nucleus of players coming back. I hope to continue to improve on that. I know how competitive the league is, and what it will take to achieve our goal of getting back to the national tournament and making a run at the championship.”“Wayland is fortunate to land a coach with Robert's credentials,” says Dr. Greg Feris, WBU’s Director of Athletics. “He had everything we were looking for in a new coach: head coaching experience, experience in the Sooner Conference, and the understanding of what a faith-based institution is all about. We welcome him and his family to Plainview.”Davenport has over 15 years of coaching experience, including five years as an assistant coach at UT-Pan American before taking over the reigns in 2004. During his time at UTPA, which competes as a NCAA Division I Independent, the program graduated 24 out of 28 seniors and accumulated 80 victories. The 2000-01 team ranked 11th among all NCAA D-I teams in scoring and 23rd in field goal percentage. A member of the NCAA Division I Assistant Coach’s Committee from 2001-2004, he recruited UTPA’s first All-American in 20 years, nine All-Independent players and a pair of Independent Defensive Player of the Year award winners.Prior to his time in the Rio Grande Valley, Davenport spent two years as head coach at LeTourneau University and Missouri Baptist University. At Missouri Baptist, Davenport guided his team to a 15-18 record and a second place finish in the American Midwest Conference Tournament in 1999. The 15 wins were more than the previous two years combined. He recruited two All-AMC players, four All-Academic AMC players, the MBU all-time single-season assist leader, and a NAIA Honorable Mention All-American. He also served on the NAIA National Tournament Redcoat Committee for two years.A member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches for the past 15 years, Davenport was an assistant coach from 1993 to 1997 at Oklahoma Baptist University, where he recruited four NAIA All-Americans and two NAIA All-American Scholar Athletes. OBU won two SAC crowns and qualified for the NAIA national tournament each of those years, finishing second in 1997.A standout collegiate player for the Bison his final two seasons, Davenport began his playing career at Oklahoma Christian University. Upon completing his collegiate eligibility in 1986, he spent one season playing for Athletes in Action in South America. He received his bachelor’s degree in public relations from OBU in 1988, and earned a master’s degree in secondary education from East Central University in 1996.Davenport and his wife, LeAnna, have been married for 19 years and have two children; Morgan, 11, and Reed, 7. He is an Ordained Deacon and member of the First Baptist Church in McAllen.

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