New coach Clint Galyean embracing challenges facing young Pioneers

Clint Galyean knows there will be growing pains as he sets out as head coach of the Wayland Baptist Pioneers. Not only is Galyean a first-year coach at Wayland who is in his fourth year as a collegiate head coach, but the majority of his roster will be young, too. That's a tough proposition for a team playing in one of the toughest small college conferences in the country, the Sooner Athletic Conference. Still, it's a challenge that Galyean is very much embracing.
 
And it all starts this week when the Pioneers play in the Mazzio's Classic in Goodwell, Okla. Hosted by Oklahoma-Panhandle State, the classic will see WBU take on Randall University (Okla.) at 8 p.m. Thursday and Bethany College (Kan.) at noon Friday. The Pioneers don't play again until Nov. 2 for their home debut against Dallas Christian.
 
"We are excited about the group of guys we have. We are really young. We have nine true/COVID freshmen. We know there will be an adjustment period for these guys, not only with a new staff, but how physical the college game is," said Galyean, who took the reins from former head coach Ty Harrelson after he resigned following a six-year stint.
 
A native of Eastland where his father Doug is considered a legend in the high school coaching ranks, Clint Galyean came to Wayland from Central Baptist College in Conway, Ark., where he spent the last three years as head coach, helping the Mustangs to the American Midwest Conference regular-season or tournament title and into the NAIA National Championships every season. Galyean's teams, ranked as high as No. 18 in the NAIA, produced a combined win-loss record of 63-27, a winning percentage of .700.
 
"I am looking forward to building off the success this program has established over the years," Galyean said shortly after being hired at Wayland. "Our vision is to help our student-athletes be successful on and off the court, grow in their faith, assist them in getting their diplomas and then propel them to successful careers in whatever they might choose to do, while also competing for conference and national championships."

The Pioneers last season went 7-5 overall and 6-3 in the SAC in a COVID-reduced schedule. The top three scorers from that team aren't back, including graduated Tre Fillmore of Amarillo Palo Duro. Two players who averaged just under 8 ppg do return in Jordan Brannon, a 6-foot-3 sophomore guard from Lubbock Trinity, and Gage Hulse, a 6-1 sophomore guard from Huffman. Also back are 6-foot-2 sophomore guard Javorian Miller of Odessa Permian (6.1 ppg) and 6-5 freshman guard/forward Thad Udoh of Amarillo Palo Duro (4.7 ppg.). (Due to the abbreviated COVID-19 season, returners retained last season's eligibility.)
 
Size comes in the forms of 6-foot-8 Jibrael Washington, the team's second-leading rebounder last year at 6.3 per game who also averaged 2.8 blocks, and 6-foot-11 Deng Bol Yol of Uganda. Rounding out the veterans are 6-4 freshman guard Brady Bailey of Wheeler, 6-0 sophomore Josh Servantez of Shallowater, and 6-7 freshman Jaxon Reecer of Pottsboro.
 
Newcomers on the roster include three guards from Oklahoma schools: Lubbock native Bryan Rector of Western Oklahoma State and Parrish Hewitt, a senior, and RJ Mason, a junior, both from Northwestern Oklahoma State. Galyean said that trio should pay big dividends. New freshmen faces belong to Kade Cleavinger of Nazareth, Algerians Amine Bensaleh and Amine Bouarifi, Kenyon Williams of Bedford, Dylan McDougal of Moore, Okla., and Ryan Davis of Perryton.
 
"We have a chance to be really good defensively," Galyean said. "Our guys are tough and work extremely hard. Offensively, we have a lot of unique pieces that can all do different things. Our guys are really unselfish, so it should be a fun group to watch develop and come together."

The Pioneers are picked sixth in the Sooner Athletic Conference Coaches Poll, which saw Wayland picked everywhere from fifth place to 11^th. Defending regular-season champion Southwestern Assemblies of God, which advanced to the NAIA Championship Tournament Fab Four, was picked to repeat, while defending SAC Tournament winner Science & Arts was selected second.
 
The SAC Tournament will be Feb. 24-March 1 with the quarterfinals taking place on campus sites Feb. 24. The Gaulke Activity Center on the campus of Mid-America Christian in Oklahoma City will be the site of the semifinals Feb. 28 and the championship March 1. The NAIA Championship Opening Round occurs March 11-12 with those winning teams advancing to the final site March 17-22 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
 

2021-22 Sooner Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
No.	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Pts.
1.	SW Assemblies of God	9		1	1								116
2.	Science & Arts	1	7	2		1							106
3.	Mid-America Christian		3	5	2			1					96
4.	Texas Wesleyan	1		3	4	3							91
5.	John Brown	1	1	1	5	2	1						90
6.	Wayland Baptist					2	5	2	1			1	59
7.	Southwestern Christian					4	1	2	2	1	1		57
8.	Oklahoma City						3	5	2	1			54
9.	Central Christian		1						5	4	1		44
10.	Panhandle State						1	2	2	6			42
11.	Langston						1				6	4	22
12.	North Texas Dallas										4	7	15