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.

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!