The East Central University men's basketball team will be playing in their second tournament of the 2014-15 season when they travel to Springfield, Mo., for the Doubletree Houlihans Thanksgiving Classic hosted by Drury.  The Tigers will first play Missouri Western State Friday, Nov. 28 and then Cameron, Saturday, Nov. 29 at 1 p.m. each day.

Game Notes

The Broadcast
ECU's radio home for Tigers basketball in 2012-13 is Ada's KXFC, 105.5, FM 'The X-Factor'. Kenny Morrison returns to broadcast the games for his 18th season. Morrison, a 1987 ECU graduate, spent two seasons doing color prior to taking over the play-by-play duties during the 1997-98 season.  

The Coverage
Fans who can't be at the game can find links to live stats, live video (if available) and the KXFC radio broadcast on ECUTigers.com.  Go to the men's basketball schedule page. Fans can listen to the radio broadcast online or through the FREE KXFC App available in ITunes, Google Stores where apps are sold and www.kxfcradio.com.

Scouting Missouri Western State
The Griffins are 2-1 overall after dropping their last game of the season (Nov. 24) at Upper Iowa.  MWSU has a -1.3 scoring and a +4.0 rebounding margin for the season and is close to its opponents in most areas on the season box score.  The one area that there is a large difference is in free throws where the Griffins trail 10.3 to 17.0 in free throws made per game.

MWSU has three players that are averaging double-digits in the scoring column, with Aaron Emmanuel lead the way with 11.7 points per outing.  Emmanuel adds 4.3 boards per game and is shooting .625 (15-of-24) from the field.  Currie Byrd and Kevin Thomas both add 11.3 points per game, with Byrd recording 7.0 rebounds per game and Thomas 6.7.

The Series
This is the first meeting in the all-time series between the Tigers and the Griffins.

Scouting Cameron
The Aggies are 3-1 overall after falling in their last outing (Nov. 25) and will face Drury Friday before battling with ECU.  Cameron has had a strong start to the season with a +14.5 scoring and +14.8 rebounding margin.  They hold a .545 to .389 advantage in overall shooting percentage and a .537 to .268 in three-point shooting.

With their strong shooting comes three players that are averaging over 10 points per outing.  Deondre Ray leads the team with 12.8 points and 4.3 rebound per game, with adding six assists and five blocks.  Desmond Henry and Cameron Lee are both contributing 12.5 points.  Henry is the team's leader in rebounds with 6.8 per game.

The Series
The Tigers and the Aggies are currently tied at 33-33 in the all-time series after Cameron has won the last three games.  This will be the first time that the teams will meet on a neutral court, with the last meeting taking play Dec. 31, 2011 (L, 54-63) and the last Tiger win Feb. 20, 2010 (91-81) on the road.

Thomas Player of the Week
ECU junior Stirling Thomas has picked up his first honor of the 2014-15 season, as he was named the Great American Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for Nov. 24.  Thomas tallied 22 points and five assists against Arkansas-Monticello. Two days later, he scored 36 points and added seven steals vs Henderson State. His .875 (7-of-8) mark from behind the arc tied a school record for three-point field-goal percentage in a game and he was one steal away from tying the school record for steals in a game.

Revealing Reeves
Redshirt sophomore Braxton Reeves might not have played in the 2013-14 season, but he has stepped right back into his game in 2014-15.  Against Arkansas-Monticello, Reeves tallied a career-best 22 points, while shooting 9-of-14 from the field and 4-of-9 from beyond the arc.

Pwono Player of the Week
After finishing the 2013-14 season as the GAC Player of the Week, senior Henry Pwono has become the first GAC Player of the Week for the 2014-15 season.  At the GAC/Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Challenge, Pwono averaged 20.5 points and 11 rebounds. The Pittsburgh, Pa., native scored 33 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the victory against Wayne State College. He converted on 14-of-18 from the floor, including an 11-of-14 performance against the Wildcats.

Solid Stirling
Junior Stirling Thomas proved that he was a good addition to the Tigers squad as he came out and averaged 21.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in the first two outings of the 2014-15 season.  Thomas shot .441 (15-of-34) from the field, .455 (5-of-11) from beyond the arc and .889 (8-of-9) from the charity stripe, while adding four assists and four steals.

Turning Out for the Exhibition
The Tigers had a strong showing at their exhibition game at Oral Roberts, falling by just seven points (68-75).  ECU led for most of the game and took a 38-33 lead into the locker room at the half.  The Tigers were led by junior Stirling Thomas, with 25 points and five rebounds, while senior Henry Pwono tallied 16 points and 11 rebounds.  The duo were two of four players with double-digit point totals, with redshirt sophomore Braxton Reeves adding 15 and senior Brandon Lucas 10.

Returning Power
While most, including the ECU coaching staff, expected to lose senior Henry Pwono at the end of the 2013-14 season that is not the case.  Pwono had a redshirt available from his season at Seaton Hill and it was approved by the NCAA, so Pwono will be back on the court for the Tigers after averaging 11.9 points and 6.6 boards per game a year ago.  Pwono ended the season with three-straight games where he recorded over 20 points.

Making a Difference Off the Court
On the court is not the only place that you can find a member of ECU men's basketball team.  Since head coach Ja Havens has taken over the program the Tigers have renewed their commitment to community service.  ECU has been a part of several community service projects already this school year, with an emphasis on youth events.  The Tigers have been to several elementary and middle schools in the area to read with the students and to get to know their younger fans.

Up Next at the Kerr Activities Center
The Tigers will return home for the first GAC game in the Kerr Activities Center for 2014-15 when ECU welcomes Southwestern Oklahoma State, Thursday, Dec. 4 for a 7:30 p.m. tip.