Oilers Open Season at Home on Sunday
The Oilers will open their regular season at home on Nov. 13 against Illinois-Springfield. The non-conference contest is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. inside Croy Gymnasium.
Hawaiian Day
The first 400 fans to attend the Oilers home opener against Illinois-Springfield will receive a FREE lei. The Oilers Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is sponsoring Hawaiian Day and is teaming with Make-A-Wish to bring Alyssa, a 15-year old battling Hodgkin's Lymphoma, to the game. Alyssa's wish is to go to Hawaii with her family to relax in paradise.
All fans are encouraged to attend the game in beach attire!
Sights and Sounds
Oilers basketball games can be heard on 88.3 FM "WLFC" or on the internet via their web site. You can listen to the broadcast by clicking on the following link:
UFTV will be airing all the Oilers home basketball games live on their YouTube channel. You can access the channel here:
Live stats will also be available for all contests. A link to retrieve the live stats can be found on the schedule page of the website.
Center Court with Charlie Ernst
Don't forget to tune into 88.3 FM "WLFC" for Center Court with Charlie Ernst. The radio show will be aired on Tuesday evenings during the season from 7-7:30 p.m.
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Series Information
The Oilers have a 2-1 record against Illinois-Springfield dating back to the 2010-11 campaign when Findlay came out on top by a score of 66-57 in Croy Gymnasium.
Illinois-Springfield claimed an 82-80 victory over the Oilers last season in Las Vegas. The Oilers shot 46 percent (29-of-63) from the floor while Illinois-Springfield connected on 50 percent (28-of-56) of their attempts.
Elijah Kahlig led the way with 17 points off the bench. Kahlig hit 6-of-11 shot attempts and canned 5-of-10 attempts from three point range.
Martyce Kimbrough had 14 points on the strength of a 4-of-6 showing from long range while Taren Sullivan had 13 points and five boards.
John Staley nearly reached a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds while Ricardo Smith and Dylan Kaufman added seven points apiece.
Mark Weems and Jamall Millison paced Illinois-Springfield with 16 points apiece.
Findlay
The Oilers were picked as the favorite to win the GLIAC South Division during the 2016-17 season as the league office unveiled their annual preseason poll on Oct. 26. They finished last season with a 20-8 record.
The Oilers received 34 points in the poll and led the South Division with five first place votes. Ashland was picked to finish second in the South followed by Hillsdale.
Junior guard Martyce Kimbrough and junior forward Taren Sullivan were each tabbed as preseason all-conference performers for the Oilers this season.
Kimbrough was a first team all-GLIAC selection last season after scoring 16.0 points per game to lead the Oilers. He was 11th in the league in scoring and ranked second with 80 three pointers made.
Sullivan meanwhile was a second team all-GLIAC winner last season after scoring 12.6 points per contest for Findlay. He also averaged 4.3 rebounds per game and shot 47.3 percent from the field.
Illinois-Springfield
The Prairie Stars went 11-18 last season. They averaged 77.2 points per game and made 8.2 three pointers per contest.
Zach Steinberg is Illinois-Springfield's top returning scorer as he posted 8.0 points per contest during the 2015-16 campaign. Bahari Amaya is also back after scoring 6.4 points per contest last season.
Steinberg was a three point sniper last season as a freshman, hitting 55.3 percent of his attempts while Amaya connected on 42.0 percent of his long range tries.
The Prairie Stars were picked to finish seventh in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) East Division.
Preseason Polls
The Oilers are ranked 21st in the nation according to the NCAA Division II Media Poll, which was released on Nov. 8.
20-Win Seasons
The Oilers have won 20 games in a season 14 times in the past 15 years. The streak started during the 2001-02 campaign when Findlay finished with a 23-7 season. The only year that they did not reach the 20-win plateau came during the 2014-15 campaign when they finished with a 16-11 record.
An Elite Program
The Oilers have one of the best winning percentages in NCAA Division II competition since the year 2000, having won 391 games and lost only 98 for an overall winning percentage of .800. During that timeframe, the Oilers reached the Elite 8 in 2005, appeared in the Sweet 16 in 2008 and won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2009 with a perfect 36-0 record.
Conference Championships
The Oilers have won 13 GLIAC South Division titles in their 18-year affiliation with the conference and have also won eight conference tournaments, capturing titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
In the last 15 years, the Oilers have won 12 GLIAC South Division titles. Overall, Findlay has won GLIAC South Division titles in 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
A History of League Excellence
The Oilers have had a total of 25 first team all-conference performers since joining the GLIAC during the 1997-98 campaign. Additionally, 14 more players have earned second team all-conference accolades.
Findlay has also been fortunate enough to have three players who were named the GLIAC Player of the Year. Greg Kahlig (2014), Josh Bostic (2009) and Dustin Pfeifer (2006) all earned the award during their senior seasons with the Oilers. Pfeifer was also tabbed the GLIAC Freshman of the Year in 2003 while Marcus Parker earned the honor for Findlay in 2007.
Former head coach Ron Niekamp was recognized as the GLIAC Coach of the Year five times during his career. He earned the award in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009. His five coach of the year awards are tied for the most in league history.
The Oilers, who have buiit a stong program based on defense, have also had 20 players earn a spot on the GLIAC all-defensive team.
All-Americans
The Oilers have had six NCAA Division II All-Americans in the past ten years. Dustin Pfeifer was the Oilers first player to earn All-American honors for his performance during the 2005-06 campaign. Additionally, Frank Phillips (2006-07), Josh Bostic (2007-08 and 2008-09), Nathan Hyde (2010-11) and Greg Kahlig (2013-14) have earned All-American honors for Findlay.
Bostic, the Oilers only two-time NCAA Division II All-American, was also named the 2009 NCAA Division II National Player of the Year. He led the Oilers to a 36-0 record and a national championship during his final season with the team.
All-Region Performers
The Oilers have had 11 players earn first team all-region honors since 2005. Dustin Pfeifer (2005, 2006), Frank Phillips (2007), Josh Bostic (2008, 2009), Nathan Hyde (2010, 2011), Marcus Parker (2010), Kyle Caiola (2012) and Greg Kahlig (2013, 2014) have all earned all-region honors for the Oilers in that timeframe.
Dancing
The Oilers have appeared in 12 NCAA Division II National Tournaments since joining the DII ranks as a full member in 2000-01 and have recorded a 16-11 record in those games.
The team reached the Elite 8 for the first time in school history during the 2004-05 campaign and advanced to the Sweet 16 during the 2007-08 season. They then used those experiences to win a NCAA Division II National Championship during the 2008-09 campaign, finishing the year with a perfect 36-0 record. They claimed the title with a 56-53 overtime win against Cal Poly Pomona on March 28, 2009 in Springfield, Mass.
Their 36 wins as an undefeated national champion are the most in the history of NCAA Division II men's basketball.
Helpful Links
NCAA
NCAA Division II Stats
National Association of Basketball Coaches
GLIAC
NCAA Division II Basketball