THE AGENDA
The OUAZ men's basketball team starts the 2018-19 season this weekend with a pair of games at the Ohkay Owingeh Classic host by Northern New Mexico College in Espanola, N.M. The Spirit will face Southwest (N.M.) in their first game of the season on Friday at 5 p.m. MDT / 4 p.m. MST. They will then play the tournament host on Saturday at 7 p.m. / 6 p.m. Both games will be played at the Eagle Memorial Sportsplex.
 
There are no live video or live stats options available during the games. Scores and stats will be posted to OUAZSpirit.com and on social media once they are available from the tournament.
 
The latest news and information on OUAZ men's basketball can be found at OUAZSpirit.com, by downloading the OUAZ Athletic app from the Apple and Android app stores, and by following the Spirit on social media by searching OUAZSpirit and OUAZMBB.
 
ABOUT THE SPIRIT
OUAZ finished its inaugural season of 2017-18 with a 15-12 overall record. The Spirit closed the year by winning 11 of their final 12 games played. They were 5-2 in games played at home with an 8-6 mark in road games and 2-5 at a neutral site.
 
The Spirit put together an average of 78.6 points per game last season in shooting 46.2 percent from the field. They averaged 7.4 made 3-pointers per game in hitting on 36.6 percent from long range. OUAZ added 67.8 percent at the foul line. The team posted 12.6 assists per game and had a 0.8 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
Defensively, OUAZ allowed opponents to average 80.8 points per game and shoot 44.5 percent from the floor. The opposition shot 37.3 percent from deep and made 7.4 threes per game. The Spirit collected 40.1 rebounds per game with a 2.0 rebounding margin and they forced 12.3 turnovers per game.
 
This season, OUAZ welcomes back nine players that played in a game last season. That group includes four of the teams six leading scorers and five guys that started at least one game.
 
Leading the returners is last season's leading scorer Tanner Riley. The senior scored 16.5 points per game as a junior last season while shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from three. He scored in double figures 21 times with seven 20-point outings and a pair of 30-point nights. Riley also grabbed 4.7 rebounds per game and added 46 assists and 30 steals.
 
Chandler Solis also returns after scoring 6.3 points per game last season. He started seven games a year ago and scored in double figures six time. Solis shot 38.0 percent from the floor and hit 39 triples at 37.5 percent.
 
Marcus Williams made five starts last season and in 15 games played he averaged 9.1 points per game. Williams scored in double figures six times and made 34 3-pointers in shooting 41.5 percent from beyond the arc.
 
ABOUT SOUTHWEST
Southwest finished last season with a 13-18 overall record and they were tied for fifth in the Red River Conference with an 8-10 mark. The Mustangs averaged 83.6 points per game and shot 50.1 percent from the field.
 
Friday will be the first-ever meeting between the Spirit and Mustangs.
 
ABOUT NORTHERN NEW MEXICO
Northern New Mexico is coming off a 14-15 season in 2017-18 where the Eagles advanced to the semifinals of the AII Division II Conference Tournament. Bryce Simmons returns to the team this season after scoring a team-leading 14.8 points per game last year.
 
OUAZ and Northern New Mexico will play for the first time on Saturday.
 
JOINING THE GSAC
OUAZ will play a full Golden State Athletic Conference schedule this season as a first-year member of the NAIA. The Spirit are not eligible for GSAC or NAIA postseason play during this first year of membership. The preseason coaches' poll had OUAZ picked to finish last in the 10-team league.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The Spirit will continue their season on Wednesday, November 7, when they travel across town to face Benedictine Mesa. The first of two meetings between the teams will tipoff at 7:30 p.m. at Heap Gymnasium at Mesa Community College.