Exhibition Game at SMU

Friday, November 11, the War Hawks will travel to Dallas, TX to compete against the Southern Methodist University Mustangs. Though it will be an exhibition game, the team and coaches are anxious for the first game of the 2011-2012 season.

Last year, McMurry hosted the Division I SMU in a regular season game. It was only the third time in history an NCAA Division III hosted an NCAA Division I. McMurry fell short of the upset in the last seconds of the game, ultimately falling to the Mustangs by the score of 67-70.

If you are in the Dallas area, be sure to come out to Moody Coliseum at 7:00 pm for the game. Tickets will be as low $10. Visit the SMU ticket office or call (214) 768-2904 to purchase advanced tickets. 

McMurry Picked as Number One!

On Wednesday, October 19, the American Southwest Conference announced the preseason rankings for basketball. The rankings were divided by East and West divisions and voted on by head coaches, sports information directors, and other media members. The McMurry War Hawks were excited to recieve the number one spot for the West Division! With 13 of the 24 first place votes, McMurry recieved 174 points. Following the War Hawks are Mary-Hardin Baylor in second and Hardin Simmons in third. Rounding out the West Division are Concordia, Texas Lutheran, Sul Ross, Schriener, and Howard Payne. In the East division, UT Dallas, Mississippi College, and East Texas Baptist are the top three teams.

Along with the team honors, Steven Jones was picked as the West Division Preseason Player of the Year! Jones is returning for his senior year after being named the ASC West Division Player of the Year in the 2010-2011 season.

With a first place pick and player of the year honors to begin the season, there is some definite pressure on the War Hawks. But, Jones and the War Hawk team are hard at work to defend their honors. The athletes and coaches are ready to prove their ranking. Practices continue to be intense and focused. The McMurry men hope to repeat their Division and Conference Championships this year, and this is only the beginning!

 Visit McMurry's website or the ASC website for more information about the preseason picks.

Basketball Season has Arrived!!!

October fifteenth- the first day of college basketball season. 

The first day the coaches can roll out the basketballs and teach their team the ins and outs of the game they want played this year. 

The first day the athletes can run their plays and begin preparing on the court for their season. 

It's a day that coaches and athletes both look forward to. And it has arrived!

The War Hawk basketball team began practice on Saturday, October 15 at 8:30 am. The team worked hard, rested, and came back at 5:00 pm for another session of hard work. The War Hawks didn't want to miss out on a minute of opportunity on the first day of their 2011-2012 basketball season.

The team looks good. The coaches and players are both excited to get more acquainted with each other and really get the season underway.

Go War Hawks!!!

Staying Busy During Off-Season

During the off-season, War Hawk Men's Basketball participates in several different philanthropy events. It is important to the coaching staff, as well as the student athletes, to stay involved in the community. McMurry has a great group of long-time supporters, and in return, the men's basketball team enjoys supporting the community of Abilene.

A couple weeks ago, the team helped a long time McMurry Basketball supporter in her move at Wesley Place. Wesley Place is an assisted living complex in Abilene where Mrs. McMinn was moving from one floor to another. The athletes helped to move all her funiture and get everything set up and in its place.

Tonight, the War Hawk Men's Basketball team joined other War Hawk athletes at Disability Resources Incorportated. The athletes helped unload a truck full of over 4,000 pumpkins to help get the pumpkin patch ready in time for Halloween! The pumpkin patch at DRI serves as one of their biggest annual fundraisers as it brings in up to $80,000.

 

Coach Isler and Coach Kemp did their part as well.

The guys kept the energy and smiles going throughout the 2 hours of unloading. 

Make sure to head over to DRI and pick up a pumpkin!

Getting Ready

The basketball season begins well before the basketballs come out. As soon as the school year started, the student athletes- those recruited and those trying out- began working. The guys met each every day of the week to participate in player-led workouts. The atmosphere as the guys worked out was energy-filled and excited. Everyone was ready to prepare for the upcoming season. Returners were encouraging newcomers, and several newcomers really stood out with their hard work. 

Based on the pre-season work put in by this group of student athletes, War Hawk basketball has another great season coming up!

Locker Room Renovation

One of the biggest projects of the summer was the Men's Basketball locker room renovation. When Coach Isler came in, he immediately wanted to update the locker room and give the guys a space to be proud of. A HUGE thanks to Steve Hargis who built and installed the lockers and also helped with electrical needs and installation of the TV display.

The last set of lockers ready to be moved in

Coach Isler, Coach Kemp, and Steve Hargis doing the heavy lifting

All 15 lockers in and ready to be set and bolted. Also notice the new carpet and ceiling!

And without further ado, welcome to the new Men's Basketball Locker Room!

Part of the new flooring

Lockers completed and ready to be used

Each locker includes several shelves, a cabinet, a hanging clothes rod, a drawer, and a McM War Hawk chair

Each player has their favorite Bible verse included on their name plate

The tradition of McMurry basketball is a daily reminder in the new locker room

One of the most exciting additions is the TV display

There are a total of four TVs in the new locker room

Now that the locker room is complete, McM Basketball is ready! 

GO WAR HAWKS!!!

New Court Revealed!

On August 22nd, McMurry University revealed their new court. Named after former basketball coach of 20 years and current athletic director, Ron Holmes Court displays the new War Hawk mascot at center court. The black sidelines contrasted by the white lettering give the court a clear definition.
As the student athletes arrived on campus this week, they were excited to have the opportunity to play on the new court during open gym. As class begins tomorrow, all McM students are sure to be impressed by the new court!

Coming Soon! New Gym Floor

With the naming of the War Hawk mascot, McMurry has been very busy this summer updating! One of the major renovations will be the gym floor. Work began on Monday and should be completed by August 22nd. Check back over the next few weeks to see updates.

The McM gym prepped and ready for renovation

Sanding in progress

The sanding and varnishing have been completed. Painting of the new design begins tomorrow. The new floor is sure to be impressive! 

2011-2012 Schedule Finalized

The McMurry Men's Basketball team has finalized the schedule for the upcoming basketball season. Click on the image to be redirected to the online schedule.

Out of conference, McM will play SMU, Barclay College, Southwestern Adventist University, and Northern New Mexico. Both SMU and Northern New Mexico are scholarship schools that the War Hawks will travel to play.
Conference play will begin November 26 when LeTourneau comes to town. Last year McMurry went 16-5 in conference- winning the West Division and the Conference Tournament Championship. 

New Look for McMurry Sports Website

Last Wednesday, McMurry debuted a new look for their sports website- www.mcmurrysports.com. With the naming of the War Hawk mascot in April 2010, McM has updated the website as well as uniforms and school apparel. Be sure to check out the new look and click around!

Officially Division II

Tuesday morning, we received news that NCAA had been accepted McMurry as a Division II institution. This is very exciting news for the university! Beginning in the Fall of 2012, McMurry will have the ability to reward scholarships to athletes. The DII announcement also means movement to a new conference.  McMurry basketball will join the Heartland Conference which includes St. Edward's University, St. Mary's University, Dallas Baptist University, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Newman University, Texas A&M International University, University of Texas-Permian Basin, and the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. The War Hawk basketball team will begin play with the Heartland Conference in the 2012-2013 season. 

Though the university will play one more season of Division III basketball, the candidacy period for Division II begins with the 2011-2012 school year. McMurry will have to complete work required by the NCAA in order to move forward. Everyone at McMurry is very excited to embark on this journey! You can read more about the work to be done here.

Director of Basketball Operations

Megan Kemp was hired as the Director of Basketball Operations this week. She will assist in the administrative tasks and promotions of the Men's Basketball program. Megan is the wife of Assistant Coach David Kemp, so she followed the team closely last year. She is excited to have the opportunity to be more involved with the program this year.

Go War Hawks!

Meet the Coaches

Head Coach: Jerry Isler

In June of 2011, McMurry named Coach Isler as the new head coach. He brings 25 years of coaching experience at the Division I, Junior College, and High School levels, as well as a .769 overall win percentage. Coach Isler has been hard at work since being named the new head coach. He has big plans to continue the winning tradition that McMurry basketball carries. You can read more about Coach Isler's career here.

Assistant Coach: David Kemp

Coach Kemp will begin his second season with McMurry and is excited to have the opportunity to stay on and work with Coach Isler. As McMurry transitions from Division III to Division II, Coach Kemp brings DII experience from Texas A&M Kingsville where he spent a year. You can read more about Coach Kemp's career here.