The Lowdown: (RV) Florida Memorial vs. (RV) Friends University
* NAIA First Round
Location: Caldwell, Idaho
When: Friday, Mar. 14 @ 6 pm (CST)
Broadcast ($10)
Live Stats
Tickets
Flying with the Falcons: The (RV) Friends University Falcons, the No. 8 seed in the Naismith Quadrant, finished the regular season at 23-7 overall under second-year head coach Phil McClintock for the program's first 20-win season since the 2018-19 season. The Falcons also came in second in the KCAC with an 18-4 league record for the team's best conference showing since winning the league 11 years ago. Friends is set to make its first NAIA National Championship tournament appearance in six years, read the full details HERE!
The KCAC Co-Player of the Year, KJ Spiller leads the Falcons in scoring (16.7 ppg) and is second on the team in rebounding (5.7 rpg). Cahlese Lee (12.6 ppg), Randy Woolf, Jr. (10.8 ppg) and Ring Deng (10.5 ppg) are also scoring in double-figures to give the Falcons a balanced offensive attack.
Woolf, Jr. is tops on the Falcons and tied for fourth in the KCAC with 3.9 assists per game, with Deng recording a team-leading 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. Lee has given the Falcons a viable threat from beyond the arc, leading the team in three-point percentage (42.6).
Scouting the Lions: The Florida Memorial University Lions, the No. 9 seed in the Naismith Quadrant, posted an identical 23-7 record as the Falcons and finished third in the Sun Conference with a 12-4 league mark. The Lions fell 81-70 to second-seeded Ave Maria in the conference tournament semifinal round.
Latavious Mitchell is pacing the Lions in both scoring (16.6 ppg) and rebounding (10.3 rpg) this season. Calvin Payton (13.4 ppg), Terrin Hamilton (12.4 ppg) and Felix Uadiale (10.6 ppg) are also scoring in double-figures this season, while Jason Danso has distributed a team-leading 3.9 assists on the season for Florida Memorial.
The Series: This will be the first meeting on record between the Falcons and Lions.
Quoting head coach Phil McClintock:
"We have arrived in Idaho and are preparing for our game Friday. The guys are hungry and we are excited about playing in the national tournament. Florida Memorial is a very good team that has great size and physicality. We will need to be at our best on the boards and defensively to have a chance."
Top of the League: The Falcons' most wins in six years resulted in elite recognition within the KCAC, highlighted by head coach Phil McClintock being named the KCAC Coach of the Year and KJ Spiller selected as KCAC Co-Player of the Year. Randy Woolf, Jr., Cahlese Lee and Ring Deng also earned all-conference recognition. Read the full release HERE!
Postseason Breakthrough: The Falcons' last NAIA postseason appearance came in 2018-19, where they were tripped up by Cornerstone University. The program's last NAIA national tournament victory came during the 2013-14 season, as the Falcons marched to the national quarterfinal round before being tripped up by Indiana Wesleyan University.
80 is a Serious Number: When the Falcons reach at least the 80-point mark, they've won all 15 games, compared to an 8-7 mark when failing to score at least 80. On the other end, the Falcons are 19-3 when holding the opposition below 80 points but have split eight games that the opposing team gets at least 80 points.
Glass House: The Falcons have won all 19 games when leading in rebounding but are just 4-7 when the opposition controls the boards.
Half Good: When taking a lead into the locker room this season, the Falcons have won 17 of 18 games. But they're 5-5 when trailing at the break while splitting two games that were tied at the half.
Straight Shooters: The Falcons are 20-3 when outshooting the opposition from the field but are 3-4 when the opposing team records a higher field-goal percentage.
SCHEELS: We are proud to have Scheels as a sponsor of Friends University Athletics this season! Click HERE for more info on the Scheels store in Wichita.
Kansas Army National Guard: We are thrilled to have the Kansas Army National Guard on board with us this year as an official sponsor! Click HERE to visit their website.
Falcons by the Numbers:
Overall record: 23-7
KCAC: 18-4
Home: 10-5
Road: 11-2
Neutral: 2-0
When scoring:
Under 50 points: 0-0
50-59 points: 0-2
60-69 points: 0-2
70-79 points: 8-3
80-89 points: 8-0
90+ points: 7-0
When allowing:
Under 50 points:
50-59 points: 3-0
60-69 points: 7-1
70-79 points: 9-2
80-89 points: 4-4
90+ points: 0-0
When leading at halftime: 17-1
When trailing at halftime: 5-5
When tied at halftime: 1-1
When committing fewer turnovers: 12-3
When committing more turnovers: 9-4
When turnovers are tied: 2-0
When leading in field-goal percentage: 20-3
When trailing in field-goal percentage: 3-4
When field-goal percentage is tied: 0-0
When leading in three-point percentage: 16-1
When trailing in three-point percentage: 7-5
When three-point percentage is tied: 0-1
When leading in rebounding: 19-0
When trailing in rebounding: 4-7
When rebounding is tied: 0-0
When leading in assists: 17-1
When trailing in assists: 5-6
When assists are tied: 1-0
In OT: 0-0
The Coaches:
Phil McClintock is in his second season as head coach of the Friends University men's basketball program and has already transformed the Falcons into a national contender.
McClintock brought a stark familiarity of the KCAC to Friends, highlighted by an eight-year tenure as Associate Men's Basketball Head Coach at Ottawa University.
At Ottawa, McClintock served as the recruiting coordinator and was responsible for film breakdown and scouting reports.
2019-20 was a breakout season, as McClintock brought in six of the team's top 10 players that produced a school-record 28 victories, a regular season KCAC championship and an NAIA Sweet 16 appearance (tournament ended early due to COVID-19).
In addition to his basketball coaching experience at Ottawa, McClintock has also been the Braves Men's and Women's Golf head coach for the past four seasons.
McClintock's first basketball head coaching position came at Salem high school, where he spent three seasons and guided the team in the 2014-15 campaign to their first winning record in eight years.
A strong developer of young players, McClintock has served as a Camp Coach at the KU Bill Self Basketball Camps every year since 2012. His responsibilities at the camp include running drills, coaching teams and developing player skills.
His first career coaching job was a two-year tenure as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at William Woods University from 2010-12.
McClintock also played collegiately at Ottawa and enjoyed immense success, earning two NAIA All-America honors, a pair of All-KCAC nods while finishing his career as the all-time leader in blocked shots and top five all-time in scoring, rebounding and steals.
An Ottawa University Hall of Fame inductee in 2021, he helped the Braves to two conference titles and a pair of NAIA Sweet 16 berths.
A 2009 graduate of Ottawa University in Physical Education and Health, McClintock then earned his Master of Education in Athletics/Activities Administration from William Woods University in 2012.
McClintock and his wife Kirsten have three boys, Lawson (15), Jackson (11), and Bodie (three).
Delano Thomas is in his second season as head coach of the Florida Memorial University Lions.
Prior to arriving at Florida Memorial, Thomas led Shawnee State University to the NAIA National Championship, defeating Lewis-Clark State in the title game. During that 2020-21 campaign, Thomas was named the NAIA Coach of the Year and the Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year.
Thomas played for Shawnee State for two seasons and earned NAIA All-American honors in the 2003-04 season. He ranks first in school history in blocks (148) and rebounds per game (11.5 rpg) and was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017.
Up Next: With a victory over Florida Memorial, the Falcons would face off against the winner of No. 1 seed College of Idaho and No. 16 seed UC Merced (Calif.) Saturday evening (Mar. 15) at 8 pm (CST) for the right to advance to the NAIA Round of 16 in Kansas City, Mo.
