KINGSVILLE, Texas – Thanksgiving may be right around the corner, but for the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team, the focus is less on turkey and gravy and more on the two games they're scheduled to play immediately after Turkey Day as part of the Ed Messbarger Classic, which will be held on Friday and Saturday in San Angelo, Texas at the Stephens Arena at the Junell Center.
For the Hogs, their tournament will begin on Friday evening, when they'll lock horns with the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys at 5 p.m. and less than 24 hours later, they'll take on the Missouri Baptist Spartans at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
The Javelinas will be trying to build on the momentum they've captured during a three-game win streak that includes two wins in their first two home games on Nov. 19th and 20th. The early season storylines surrounding the club include the play of freshman Derek Luna (Palmview, Texas), who is third in the Lone Star Conference in scoring, the early impression being made by sophomore newcomer C.J. Smith (Mansfield, Texas), who is 11th in the league in points per game and third in assists per game, and the return of senior Dayante McClellan (Austin, Texas).
McClellan was one of the leading rebounders during the Javelinas' 21-9 campaign in 2019-20 and also finished that year with the squad's highest field goal percentage at 65.6. After missing the 2020-21 season, McClellan has started his senior year by averaging 7.5 rebounds per game through TAMUK's first four contests, the third-best average in the LSC. He has also pulled down 16 offensive rebounds tied for 2nd-most in the conference and good enough to place him inside the top 25 in the nation.
Friday's affair will be the second time the Javelinas meet the Wonder Boys, with the first meeting also coming at a neutral site in 2018. That matchup occurred in Waco, Texas and ended with an 80-70 TAMUK victory.
Since then, ATU has made a change at head coach, hiring Mark Downey prior to the start of the 2020-21 season for his second stint as the program's leader. During his first term in Russellville, which stretched from 2006-10, the Wonder Boys went 77-39, reached the NCAA Tournament twice and attained a No. 1 national ranking in 2009-10. Downey is attempting to recreate his previous successes at ATU and guide the program to its first winning season since 2017-18.
Missouri Baptist already has eight games under its belt in 2021-22, posting a 5-3 record over the season's first month. MBU's last time out was in an exhibition matchup with Division I Southeast Missouri State and the Spartans held a halftime lead over the Redhawks before falling, 71-63.
The leading scorer for MBU against SEMO was junior Jadis White, who set a career-high with 21 points and has scored in double figures five times in his team's eight games. The player with the hottest hand for the Spartans of late has been guard R.J. Pair, who has averaged 16.2 points per game over his team's last five contests. In an upset win over No. 24 Benedictine College on Nov. 19th, Pair shot 7-of-12 from the field and matched his season-high with 19 points.
Visit Javelinaathletics.com to find links to live stats and streaming video from San Angelo, as well as a recap at the end of each day. Fans can keep up with Javelina men's basketball throughout the season by following @JavelinaMBB on Twitter and Instagram, liking Texas A&M University-Kingsville Men's Basketball on Facebook, subscribing to the Javelina Athletics YouTube channel and visiting Javelinaathletics.com. Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy.
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