COMING UP: vs. Bushnell, Friday, 7:30 p.m.; vs. Corban, Saturday, 5 p.m.

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: All OIT men's basketball games will be carried live on 92.5 KLAD-FM in the Klamath Basin and streamed online at MyBasin.com, with Mike Safford on the call – beginning 30-minutes prior to the scheduled tip off. All Cascade Conference games, home and away, will have Live Video via the Urban Edge Network, while Live Stats will be available via OIT's SIDEARM Sports Portal.
 
UPCOMING PROMOTIONAL NIGHTS: Friday night, Tech will host Military/First Responders Appreciation Night, with the first 1,000 fans receiving a camo t-shirt, courtesy of Winema Electric, while Saturday, it is Rogue Credit Union $1 Popcorn Night. For tickets to all home events, visit OIT's Ticket Portal.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – BUSHNELL: The weekend begins against a Bushnell team on an upswing, as the Beacons (5-4, 2-0 CCC) have won 3-in-a-row (vs. Cal Maritime, Corban, Warner Pacific) since a 2-4 start – with the Eugene team scoring 86 points or more in each of their five wins. BU is averaging 82 points per game and commit just nine turnovers a night, but opponents have torched the net at a 49% shooting clip. The Beacons return all five starters from last season – including 2-guard Squeeky Johnson (9.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg), wings Kaleb Burnett (18.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg) and Cory Johnson (13.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and post Ashton Harvey (6.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg). Tech has won 5-straight and 12 of the last 13 meetings with Bushnell, with the Owls holding a 58-16 all-time series lead.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – CORBAN: The Owls host longtime rival Corban to close out the 2025 portion of the schedule. The Warriors (5-5, 1-1) have a signature win over The Master's but have been up-and-down since that big victory – splitting the opening weekend of league play. The Salem school is averaging 74 points a game and converting 47% of field goals but have made just 28% of 3-point chances. Former Oregon State tight end Tj Zimmerman (14.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg) is the top scorer, joined by fellow transfers Joe Gould (12.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg), Anjay Cortez (10.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg) and Oreon Courtney (8.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg). It is the 111th all-time meeting, with OIT holding a 76-34 series lead, including a 47-14 mark in the Basin.
 
PARNELL PICKS UP MILESTONE WIN: With the win on Dec. 6 vs. Northwest, head coach Justin Parnell picked up his 200th career win – the fastest OIT coach to 200 wins. Parnell needed 281 games over 10 seasons to reach 200 victories, surpassing Danny Miles, who needed 295 games to hit the mark over 11 seasons. Parnell is the third current CCC coach to win 200 collegiate games - joining C of I's Colby Blaine (212) and LC State's Austin Johnson (207).
 
METRICS LIKE TECH: OIT heads into the week ranked No. 22 in the NAIA Top-25 poll (new poll is set to be released on Wednesday), with the Hustlin' Owls climbing in the second set of NAIA which help determine seeding and at large bids to the NAIA Tournament. Tech is No. 9 in the NAIA RPI (power ranking), while also sitting at No. 9 in NAIA Strength of Schedule – both the top marks in the CCC. In addition, the Owls are ranked No. 9 in the Massey Rating Index.
 
DOMINANT WEEKEND TO OPEN CCC PLAY: Tech returned home to start Cascade Conference play, cruising to lopsided wins against Evergreen and Northwest – improving to 7-3 on the season. The Owls combined to make 56% of their field goal attempts – with the team unbeaten (6-0) when scoring 80-or-more points in a game. OIT had their best weekend defensively, holding TESC to a 29% shooting night and NU to a 33% clip – with the two teams making just 11-of-65 3-point attempts. In addition, the Owls combined to record 40 more rebounds than the opposition.
 
3-POINT BARRAGE: The Owls had their best shooting night from long range against Northwest – recording their best 3-point shooting night in 30 years. Tech knocked down their first eight 3-pointers and 11-of-12 to start the night – finishing 13-of-20 from distance, the fifth time the club has made 65% more of their 3's. It marked the best 3-point percentage since college basketball moved the 3-point line back (twice) from the original 19 feet, nine-inch distance and the best 3-point percentage since a 1995 game vs. Western Oregon.
 
DUNK PARTY NETS REBER HONOR: Dakota Reber was the dominant force for the Owls in the two victories – earning CCC Player of the Week honors after recording the first two double-doubles of his collegiate career. Reber converted 16-of-20 field goal attempts, scoring 23 points in both wins – finishing with 11 rebounds vs. Evergreen and 13 rebounds vs. Northwest. The senior played above the rim throughout the doubleheader – slamming home five dunks in the Friday win, adding three more in the Saturday victory over Northwest.
 
COOPER DOUBLES UP: The tremendous start to the season for Jackson Cooper continued in the conference openers, as the junior recorded his first double-double of the season – narrowly missing a triple-double. The forward scored 17 points, adding 11 rebounds and nine assists vs. Evergreen, adding 14 points and eight board vs. Northwest. Cooper made 11-of-18 field goals in the wins and is converting 67% of his shot attempts over the last seven games – while leading the CCC in free throws made (42) and attempted (58).
 
PAYNE TIES SHOOTING MARK: It was a perfect night for freshman Gylan Payne vs. Northwest, as the forward finished 8-for-8 from the field – becoming the 11th OIT player to make 8-or-more field goals in a game without a miss. The freshman tied a career-high with 20 points in the victory – posting the most efficient shooting game since Kaison Faust was 9-for-9 in a 2021 victory. Matt Foster holds the Owls all-time record, going 11-for-11 vs. Warner Pacific in 1996.
 
MORE NUMBERS: Forward Grant Tull had a huge night vs. Northwest, converting 4-of-6 3-point attempts, scoring a career-best 16 points in the victory. Freshman James Kefgen canned a 3-pointer in both conference games – with the guard knocking down a three in four-straight contests. Colby Whicker came off the bench, scoring six points in both wins, Garrett Osborne posted a career-high four rebounds vs. Evergreen, Mason Bierbrauer scored five off the best vs. Northwest, with freshman Kyle Bittle scoring his first collegiate points against Evergreen.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: Four teams got through the first weekend of Cascade Conference games without a loss – as OIT and Southern Oregon swept Northwest and Evergreen, Bushnell claimed road wins at Corban and Warner Pacific, with Eastern Oregon outlasting LC State and Walla Walla at home. In addition, LC traveled to College of Idaho and earned a 20-point road win against the defending CCC champs. This week, LC and WWU meet in a midweek game before traveling to Warner Pacific, EOU and C of I are off to Northwest and Evergreen, with Corban and Bushnell heading to OIT and SOU.
 
LEAGUE LEADERS: As a team, Tech leads the CCC in field goal percentage (.490), rebound margin (+7.8), assists per game (15.1) and lowest opponent 3-point percentage (.315), ranking No. 3 in scoring average (83.1). Individually, Jackson Cooper leads the league in assists per game (5.1), ranking No. 3 in rebounds per game (6.9), No. 4 in points per game (17.0) and No. 6 in field goal percentage (.587), with Gylan Payne No. 3 in rebounds per game (6.9), No. 4 in steals per game (1.5) and No. 8 in blocks per game (0.9). Jared Sucher ranks No. 3 in 3-point percentage (.500), No. 5 in free throw percentage (.833) and No. 10 in scoring average (14.5), with Dakota Reber No. 8 in scoring average (15.4) and blocks per game (0.9), ranking No. 10 in rebounds per game (5.8).
 
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: Since OIT moved to their current campus in 1964, the Hustlin' Owls have had a decisive home floor advantage inside the Athletic Center – winning over 81-percent of their home games. Over the last 61 seasons Tech has played on what is now known as Danny Miles Court, the Owls hold an 803-183 overall record in the building – including an 116-23 mark under current head coach Justin Parnell. OIT has recorded a winning record in 57-of-59 seasons (going 5-7 in 1965-66 and 1-8 in 1970-71), including undefeated records four times (1986-87, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11). The Owls are 5-1 at home this season, looking to extend a 54-year streak of winning seasons on their home floor – the longest streak in NAIA history.
 
RECORD BOOK: Two Hustlin' Owls have cracked the Top-75 in the OIT career record book, as Jackson Cooper ranks No. 53 in blocks (21), No. 64 in free throw attempts (201), No. 71 in free throws made (137) and No. 72 in rebounds (357), while sitting just outside the mark in assists (130), field goals made (261) and points scored (659). Dakota Reber is No. 53 in blocks (21) and just outside the list in 3-pointers made (31) and attempted (92).
 
OVER 1,000-STRAIGHT GAMES WITH A 3-POINTER: The 3-point shot has been key to the Hustlin' Owls success over the years, with Tech extending their string of games with a made 3-pointer to 1,053. OIT last failed to make a 3-pointer on Dec. 4, 1992, at Humboldt State, going 0-for-7 from outside the arch. During the current streak, the Owls made one 3-pointer in a game on five occasions. Duke (1,274) and UNLV (1,270) hold the current 3-point streak record, just ahead of CCC rivals Corban (1,236) and College of Idaho (1,211), along with East Tennessee State (1,201).
 
NEXT WEEK: The Owls will not be in action until 2026 begins – starting the new year at Walla Walla (Jan. 2 / 2 p.m.) and LC State (Jan. 3 / 6 p.m.). Tech returns home on Jan. 9 for the 16th Annual Pink Out, presented by Sky Lakes Cancer Treatment Center, against Eastern Oregon.