Preview // K-State Hosts Unbeaten Drake at T-Mobile Center Tuesday

GAME 10
KANSAS STATE (6-3) vs. rv/rv DRAKE (9-0)
Tuesday, December 17, 2024 >> 7 p.m., CT >> T-Mobile Center (19,135) >> Kansas City, Mo.
13th Wildcat Classic

TELEVISION
ESPN+ (online link)

Mark Neely (play-by-play)
Kevin Lehman (analyst)
Jeff Graham (producer)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: Ch. 390
Online: Varsity Network [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
Stan Weber (analyst)

LIVE STATS
kstate.statbroadcast.com

COACHES
K-State: Jerome Tang [Charter Oak State College '07]
Record at K-State: 51-28/3rd Year
Career Record: 53-28*/3rd Year+
vs. Drake: 0-0 [0-0 at home]

Drake: Ben McCollum [NW Missouri State '03]
Record at Drake: 9-0/1st Year
Career Record: 403-91/16th Year
vs. K-State: 0-0 [0-0 on the road]

LAST GAME STARTERS:
K-State (6-3)
G: #3 C.J. Jones
G: #11 Brendan Hausen
G: #2 Max Jones
W: #33 Coleman Hawkins
W: #1 David N'Guessan

Drake (9-0)
G: #4 Isaiah Jackson
G: #14 Bennett Stirtz
G: #22 Mitch Mascari
F: #3 Cam Manyawu
F: #54 Daniel Abreu

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 20-7
In Kansas City: First meeting
At T-Mobile Center: First meeting
Active Streak: Drake, 1
First Meeting: W, 37-13 [1/26/1918 in Manhattan]
Last Meeting: L, 70-80 [11/25/2020 in Manhattan]
Jerome Tang vs. Ben McCollum: 0-0

K-STATE HOSTS UNBEATEN DRAKE AT T-MOBILE CENTER TUESDAY NIGHT
K-State takes on one of the nation's last unbeaten teams on Tuesday night, as the Wildcats (6-3) play host to Drake (9-0) in the 13th Wildcat Classic at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. The game will tip at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN+. The Bulldogs are one of 5 unbeaten teams left in Division I, along with Florida (10-0), Oklahoma (10-0), Tennessee (10-0) and Utah State (10-0).

K-State has a 10-2 record in the Wildcat Classic, which began at the T-Mobile Center in 2007 with an 87-60 win over Florida A&M. Among the 10 wins at the Wildcat Classic are three over Top 25 foes, including No. 23 Alabama (2011), No. 8 Florida (2012) and No. 21 Texas A&M (2014). The team is 2-0 at the Wildcat Classic under head coach Jerome Tang with wins over Nebraska (71-56) and Wichita State (69-60) in each of the last 2 seasons.

This will be the 27th meeting between K-State and Drake but just the second in the past 5 seasons with the Bulldogs earning an 80-70 win at Bramlage Coliseum in the last meeting on Nov. 25, 2020.

LAST TIME OUT
An 18-5 run to open the second half helped St. John's seize the momentum en route to an 88-71 win over K-State in the sixth and final Big 12/BIG EAST Battle on Dec. 7 at Carnesecca Arena.

Junior Brendan Hausen led three Wildcats in double figures with a career-high 27 points, while seniors David N'Guessan and Coleman Hawkins added 15 and 11 points, respectively. Hawkins narrowly missed a double-double with a team-high 9 rebounds to go with a game-best 4 steals.

K-State led by as many as 10 points in the first half, in which, the Wildcats got 21 points from Hausen, including 6 made 3-pointers. However, the momentum swung to the side of the Johnnies after halftime, as the home team scored 53 points on 52.8 percent (19-of-36) shooting.

KEY STORYLINES

K-State has the second-hardest remaining strength of schedule according to ESPN's Power Index, as the Wildcats follow Tuesday's game against unbeaten Drake with a road trip to Wichita State (8-2) on Saturday to conclude non-conference play before opening Big 12 play vs. 22/23 Cincinnati (8-1) at home on Dec. 30. Eight of the top-16 hardest remaining schedules belong to Big 12 teams.
It's still a small sample size (9 games) but K-State seems to be a better scoring team, averaging 80.4 points on 47.2 percent shooting, including 37.5 percent from 3-point range with 9.7 makes per game. The Wildcats have already hit on better than 50 percent from the field as well as double-digit 3-pointers in 4 games. The team is 6-0 when scoring 74 or more points and 0-3 when they don't.
Newcomers have combined to score 555 (76.7 percent) of the team's 724 points, accounting for 25 of the 34 double-digit scoring games. Senior returner David N'Guessan (21, 12, 16, 10, 17, 10, 10, 17 and 15 points) is the only Wildcat to score in double figures in the first 9 games, but the next 6 highest scorers are newcomers, including 7 double-digit scoring efforts by junior Brendan Hausen and 4 each by senior Max Jones, junior Dug McDaniel and senior Coleman Hawkins.

A K-STATE WIN WOULD…

Give the Wildcats a 21-7 all-time record vs. the Bulldogs.
Give the Wildcats an 11-2 record in the Wildcat Classic.
Give the Wildcats a 24-22 record in the T-Mobile Center.
Give the Wildcats a 43-14 record vs. Missouri Valley foes.
Give the Wildcats an 188-58 non-conference mark since 2006.

NOTES ON DRAKE

Led by 4-time NCAA Division II Champion head coach Ben McCollum, Drake is one of 5 unbeaten teams remaining in the Division I ranks after a 90-35 win over St. Ambrose on Dec. 12. Four of its 9 wins have come away from home, including a Charleston Classic title with neutral site wins over Miami (80-69), FAU (75-63) and Vanderbilt (81-70) and a 66-60 road victory at Valparaiso. The Bulldogs have won their 9 games by nearly 20 points per game.
Drake is averaging 75 points on 50.1 percent shooting, including 34.9 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 55.2 points on 39.3 percent from the field, including 26.9 percent from 3-point range. The Bulldogs are hitting on 71 percent from the free throw line. They have the second-best scoring defense (55.2 ppg.) in the nation, along with No. 13-rated 3-point field goal percentage defense (26.9), No. 14 rebounding margin (+10.0), No. 15 scoring margin (+19.5) and No. 18 field goal percentage (50.1).
Three players are averaging in double figures led by junior Bennett Stirtz, who is averaging 17.8 points on 47.7 percent shooting to go with team-bests in assists (6.1 apg.) and steals (2.3 spg.). He is joined in double figures by graduates Daniel Abreu (13.9 ppg.) and Mitch Mascari (12.2 ppg.). Sophomore Cam Manyawu (9.7 ppg., 6.9 rpg.) is averaging a near double-double, including a team-high in rebounding.
McCollum has a 403-91 record in his 16th season as a head coach, which includes a 395-91 mark in 15 seasons establishing Northwest Missouri State as the nation's best Division II program, winning 4 NCAA Championships (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022) and advancing to 11 national tournaments.

LAST GAME OUT

Drake made easy work of the NAIA power St. Ambrose, 90-35, in its last outing on Dec. 12, as the Bulldogs connected on 63.2 percent from the field while totaling 54 points in the paint and 29 points off turnovers. They held the Fighting Bees to just 23.5 percent (12-of-51) shooting.
Five Bulldogs scored in double figures, including a game-high 15 points from junior Tavion Banks, who hit on 6-of-10 field goals. Sophomore Cam Manyawu and senior Nate Ferguson each added 14 points.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and Drake will be meeting for the 28th time on Tuesday with the Wildcats holding a 20-7 advantage in the series. Most of the meetings (26) came between 1918 and 1956 with the last meeting coming in 2020, as the Bulldogs posted an 80-70 win in Manhattan on Nov. 25, 2020.
K-State is 42-14 all-time against current members of the Missouri Valley. The 20 wins against Drake are the most against any current MVC member.

LAST 5 MEETINGS

Date	Rank	Result	Score	Location
1/24/1948	—/—	W	56-45	Manhattan
12/6/1952	—/—	W OT	79-73	Manhattan
12/12/1955	—/—	L	64-70	Des Moines
12/18/1956	—/—	W	90-41	Manhattan
11/25/2020	—/—	L	70-80	Manhattan

WILDCAT CLASSIC HISTORY

K-State is 10-2 in the Wildcat Classic, which began with an 87-60 win over Florida A&M on Dec. 17, 2007. The team has won 7 of the last 8 games in the Wildcat Classic, including Nebraska and Wichita State.

CURRENT WILDCATS VS. DRAKE

Junior C.J. Jones played Drake 3 times while at UIC, twice scoring double figures against the Bulldogs, including a 16-point, 14-assist performance in their last meeting on Feb. 28, 2024.

LAST TIME OUT:
ST. JOHN'S 88, K-STATE 71

An 18-5 run to open the second half helped St. John's seize the momentum en route to an 88-71 win over K-State in the sixth and final Big 12/BIG EAST Battle on Dec. 7 before a sold-out crowd of 5,602 fans at Carnesecca Arena.
Junior Brendan Hausen led three Wildcats in double figures with a career-high 27 points, while seniors David N'Guessan and Coleman Hawkins added 15 and 11 points, respectively. Hawkins narrowly missed a double-double with a team-high 9 rebounds to go with a game-best 4 steals.
K-State led by as many as 10 points in the first half, in which, the Wildcats got 21 points from Hausen, including 6 made 3-pointers. The 21 first-half points tied for the sixth-most in a first half in school history, as the junior became the 21st player to have 20 or more points in an opening half.
The momentum swung to the side of St. John's (7-2) after halftime. After a basket by Hawkins pushed the lead to 41-35 to open the second half, the home team scored 18 of the next 21 points to go ahead 53-44 and force a timeout by head coach Jerome Tang at the 15:13 mark.
The Wildcats got to within 12 points twice down the stretch, including 76-64 after a pair of free throws by junior Dug McDaniel with 4:02 remaining, but that would be the closest they would get. The Red Storm answered with an old-fashioned 3-point play, as they surged ahead by as many as 19 points in the waning minutes to cap an impressive second-half performance.
Junior Zuby Ejiofor scored 17 of his game-high 28 points in the second half, as St. John's tallied 53 points after halftime on 52.8 percent (19-of-36) shooting with 28 points in the paint.
For the game, the Wildcats connected on a season-low 35.2 percent (25-of-71) from the field, including 32 percent (8-of-25) from 3-point range, while making 13-of-20 attempts from the line.
Hausen scored his career-high 27 points on 9-of-17 field goals, including 6-of-10 from 3-point range, and 3-of-4 free throws. N'Guessan, who has now scored in double figures in 10 consecutive games, scored his 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting with 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. Hawkins had 11 points to go with team-highs in both rebounds (9) and steals (4).
In pregame ceremonies, St. John's honored its legendary head coach Lou Carnesecca, who passed away at the age of 99 earlier in the week. Both head coaches wore sweaters to commemorate the affable Carnesecca, who never had a losing season in 24 seasons.

POSTGAME NEWS & NOTES

St. John's now leads the series, 2-1, in this, the first meeting since 1965.
K-State is now 1-4 all-time in the Big 12/BIG EAST Battle series, including 0-3 on the road... The Wildcats are 26-28 all-time vs. BIG EAST foes.
K-State scored its 71 points on a season-low 35.2 percent (25-of-71) from the field, including 32 percent (8-of-25) from 3-point range, while making 65 percent (13-of-20) from the free throw line.
K-State had a season-low 10 assists on 25 made field goals.
K-State managed single-digit turnovers (8) for third time this season.
Hausen scored his 21 first-half points on 7-of-11 field goals, including 6-of-8 from 3-point range... He is the 21st player in school history to have 20 or more points in a first half.
Hausen now has at least 2 triples in all 9 games played this season.

BETTER OFFENSE, BETTER SHOOTERS

K-State is averaging 80.4 points through 9 games on 47.2 percent shooting, including 37.5 percent from 3-point range, to go with 17 assists per game. The Wildcats rank in the top-50 nationally in assists (40th), while they are 50th in 3-pointers/game (9.7), 54th in 3-point field goal percentage, 66th in effective field goal percentage (55.1) and 98th in field goal percentage.
The Wildcats have scored 74 or more points in all 6 of their wins, including 80 or more in 4 contests, highlighted by the school-record 120-point effort vs. UAPB (12/1/24). The 120 points topped the previous record of 116 set in a win at No. 6/6 Texas on Jan. 3, 2023, while they were the most in a home game, surpassing the 115 scored against Delaware State in 1991 and Fresno State in 1994.
K-State has connected on better than 50 percent from the field in 4 of 9 games, including a season-high 61.5 percent (40-of-65) vs. UAPB (12/1/24). The team hit on 57.8 percent vs. Cleveland State (11/9/24), 51.8 percent vs. George Washington (11/22/24) and 58.9 percent vs. Longwood (11/25/24).
Seven players are shooting better than 40 percent from the field led by senior David N'Guessan's 69.7 field goal percentage (53-of-76), which ranks seventh nationally and tops in the Big 12 through 9 games.

BETTER FROM 3-POINT RANGE

One of the top priorities for head coach Jerome Tang and his coaching staff this offseason was getting better production from the 3-point line. Last season, K-State ranked last in the Big 12 and 289th nationally in 3-point percentage at 31.8, while the Wildcats were eighth in the league and 183rd in the nation in 3-point field goals made/game at 7.4.
Through 9 games, the Wildcats have made dramatic improvement in that area, as they rank 54th nationally and eighth in the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage (37.5) and 50th in the nation and sixth in the league in 3-point field goals made/game (9.7). They are also fifth in the Big 12 in attempts (25.8).
K-State has connected on 10 or more 3-pointers in 4 games, including a near school-record 21 triples vs. UAPB (12/1/24). The 21 3-pointers are the second-most in school history and the most since hitting a record 23 in vs. Fresno State on March 24, 1994. In addition, the Wildcats made 13 treys vs. New Orleans (11/5/24), 10 vs. Cleveland State (11/9/24) and 11 vs. Longwood (11/25/24).
Three Wildcats have already registered double-digit 3-pointers led by junior Brendan Hausen's 33 makes. Hausen ranks second in the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made (33) and 3-point attempts (76) as well as 3-pointers/game (3.67). He ranks among the top-70 nationally in all 4 categories. Ten different players have at least 2 made 3-pointers this season, including 12 by senior Max Jones and 10 by senior Coleman Hawkins.

SUCCESS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY

K-State has posted a 187-59 (.764) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season. During that span, the Wildcats have a 146-17 (.899) mark at home venues (includes games played at Bramlage Coliseum, INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita and the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City) in non-conference play, including a 130-14 (.907) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State's 12-1 non-conference mark in 2022-23 was the best since the 2009-10 team went a program-best 13-1. Last season, the team went 10-3 in non-conference play, including 7-1 at Bramlage Coliseum.

Year	Overall	Home	Bramlage
2006-07	11-4	7-0	7-0
2007-08	10-4	8-1	7-1
2008-09	12-3	11-0	10-0
2009-10	13-1	9-0	8-0
2010-11	12-3	9-1	8-1
2011-12	11-1	7-0	6-0
2012-13	11-2	9-0	8-0
2013-14	10-3	7-1	7-1
2014-15	7-6	6-2	5-2
2015-16	11-2	8-0	8-0
2016-17	11-2	8-0	8-0
2017-18	11-2	8-1	8-0
2018-19	10-3	7-0	6-0
2019-20	7-6	6-2	6-1
2020-21	4-5	4-5	4-5
2021-22	8-5	6-1	6-1
2022-23	12-1	8-0	7-0
2023-24	10-3	8-1	7-1
2024-25	6-3	4-1	4-1
Total	187-59	146-17	130-14

'CATS PICKED 8TH IN BIG 12 POLL; HAWKINS NAMED CO-NEWCOMER

K-State was picked eighth in the new 16-team Big 12 preseason poll, while senior transfer Coleman Hawkins was named the league's co-Newcomer of the Year, alongside Baylor's Jeremy Roach.
Hawkins is the first Wildcat to be selected as the Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and the fourth to be chosen for a preseason player honor, joining Michael Beasley (2007-08 Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year), Jacob Pullen (2010-11 Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year) and Dean Wade (2018-19 Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year).
Hawkins, who earned All-Big Ten honors at Illinois in 2023-24, was also selected to the preseason All-Big 12 Second Team by the league coaches, joining Baylor's Norchad Omier and Roach, Iowa State's Keshon Gilbert and Kansas' Dajuan Harris Jr.
Hawkins is also the first Wildcat to earn selection to one of the main preseason all-conference teams by the coaches since Barry Brown Jr. and Wade in 2018-19. He is one of eight players in school history to be chosen for preseason all-conference honors dating to Manny Dies in 1998-99. Others include Pullen and Curtis Kelly in 2010-11, Rodney McGruder in 2012-13 and Marcus Foster in 2014-15.
K-State received 133 points to place eighth in the poll, just two points behind seventh-place Texas Tech and 17 points ahead of ninth-place BYU.
Kansas was picked first with 215 points and nine first-place votes followed closely by Houston (211, five first-place votes), third-place Iowa State (194, one first-place vote), fourth-place Baylor (185) and fifth-place Arizona (179, one first-place vote).
Hawkins has also been named to the watch list for the Naismith Trophy as well as the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award.

N'GUESSAN OFF TO STRONG START

Senior David N'Guessan is off to a strong start to his fifth and final year of college in 2024-25, as the De Lier, The Netherlands native has scored in double figures in 9 consecutive games (10 dating to last season) to open the season. He is second on the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game on a Big 12-best 69.7 percent shooting from the field with 6.8 rebounds per game.
N'Guessan made quite the season debut against New Orleans on Nov. 5 becoming the first Wildcat with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in an opener since Wesley Iwundu (23 points, 10 rebounds) did it against UMES on Nov. 13, 2015. He scored his 21 points on 10-of-14 field goals to go with 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in nearly 31 minutes. It was his fourth career double-double and his first career 20-point, 10-rebound performance.
N'Guessan followed with 16 points vs. LSU (11/14/24) before adding a near double-double in the win over George Washington (11/22/24) with 17 points and 9 rebounds. He recently had another near double-double at St. John's (12/7/24) with 15 points, 7 rebounds and a team-high tying 2 blocks.
N'Guessan, the last remaining member of the 2023 Elite Eight team, is in his third season at K-State after transferring from Virginia Tech in 2022-23. He has scored 565 points in his Wildcat career, connecting on 64.4 percent from the field, to go with 385 rebounds, 69 assists, 45 blocks and 50 steals in 71 games played with 47 starts. He has 4 career double-doubles.
N'Guessan is coming off a career year in 2023-24, in which, he posted career-highs in points (265), double-digit scoring games (14), field goals made (111) and attempted (190), rebounds (230), assists (31), blocks (26), steals (24) and total minutes (935). He also collected 3 double-doubles.
N'Guessan has been a part of 89 victories in college, including 3 trips to the NCAA Tournament (2021, 2022, 2023), an NIT appearance in 2024, an ACC Tournament title in 2022 at Virginia Tech and Elite Eight run in 2023 at K-State.

MR. ALL-AROUND

Senior wing Coleman Hawkins has proven himself to be an elite all-around player for the Wildcats, as he leads the team in rebounding (7.2 rpg.), steals (2.4 spg.), blocks (1.2 bpg.) and minutes (32.1 mpg.) while he is second in assists (3.7 apg.) and fourth in scoring (8.8 ppg.).
Hawkins has registered at least 4 assists and 2 steals in 6 of 9 games played, while he has grabbed 5 or more rebounds on 6 occasions and had 3 games of at least 2 blocks. He has scored in double figures 4 times, including a season-high 19 points in the win over Longwood (11/25/24) on 7-of-10 field goals, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range.
Hawkins ranks in the top-15 in 4 categories in the Big 12, including fourth in steals (2.4 spg.), fifth in minutes (32.1 mpg.), 11th in rebounds (7.2 rpg.) and 12th in blocks (1.2 bpg.). He is just outside the top-15 in assists (3.7 apg.).
Hawkins was named to the Paradise Jam All-Tournament Team on Nov. 25 after averaging 13.0 points on 55.6 percent (15-of-27) shooting from the field, including 50 percent (7-of-14) from 3-point range, with 8.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.7 blocks in 34.3 minutes per game. He registered his seventh career double-double and his first as a Wildcat with his 19-point, 10-rebound effort vs. Longwood (11/25/24) which also included 5 assists.

HAUSEN GOOD FROM 3

Junior guard Brendan Hausen has given the Wildcats a scoring threat from 3-point range, as the Villanova transfer ranks second in the Big 12 in total 3-point field goals made (33), 3-pointers attempted (76) and 3-pointers/game (3.67) and ninth in 3-point percentage (43.4).
Hausen has connected on at least 2 made 3-pointers in all 9 games while he had a season-high 6 makes against Cleveland State (11/9/24) and at St. John's (12/7/24). Twice he has 4 treys in a game (New Orleans and Liberty), while he made 3 in back-to-back games vs. Longwood (11/25/24) and UAPB (12/1/24).
Hausen had his best game to date in the last outing at St. John's (12/7/24), as he posted his second 20-point game of the season with a career-best 27 points on 9-of-17 field goals, including 6-of-10 from 3-point range. He scored 21 of his 27 points in the first half, becoming the 21st player in school history to score 20 or more points in an opening half.
A starter in all 8 games, Hausen leads the team in scoring (15.2 ppg.) while connecting on 45.2 percent from the field, including 43.4 percent from 3-point range. He is second on the team behind David N'Guessan with 7 double-digit scoring games, including 5 in a row.
Dubbed the 'Amarillo Assassin' for his 3-point ability in high school, Hausen has totaled 121 made 3-pointers in his 75-game college career, making 40.5 percent from the field. He was Villanova's top 3-point shooting threat in 2023-24, totaling 61 makes on 38.1 percent shooting from the bench.

POINT GUARD BY COMMITTEE

A weakness a year ago, head coach Jerome Tang made it a point to have options at the point guard position in 2024-25, bringing in transfers C.J. Jones (UIC) and Dug McDaniel (Michigan) to go with incoming freshman David Castillo. Throw in versatile big man Coleman Hawkins, who is second on the team with 3.7 assists/game, and the coaching staff have plenty of ball handlers.
K-State is averaging 17.0 assists through 9 games this season, which ranks 40th nationally and eighth in the Big 12, while they have assists on nearly 59 percent of their made baskets (153 out of 260). The Wildcats have twice dished out more than 20 assists, including 30 on 40 made field goals while breaking the school scoring record (120) vs. UAPB (12/1/24). The 30 assists tied for the second-most all-time and the most since the record of 34 was set in 1985.
Jones has started 8 games this season, averaging 6.6 points on 39.6 percent shooting with 2.4 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per game. He has at least 2 assists in 7 games, including a season-high 4 vs. New Orleans (11/5/24) and George Washington (11/22/24), while he scored a season-high 12 points vs. Mississippi Valley State (11/19/24).
McDaniel has provided a spark from the bench, leading the Wildcats in assists (41) while averaging 28.6 minutes per game. He has at least 3 assists in 7 games played, including a career-best 10 against UAPB (12/1/24). He has scored in double figures in 4 of the last 6 games, including a season-best 18 points vs. UAPB to post his first career double-double.
Castillo, who posted his first career double-digit scoring game (17 points) vs. UAPB (12/1/24), is averaging 10 minutes off the bench.

Preview // K-State Hosts Unbeaten Drake at T-Mobile Center Tuesday

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Players Mentioned

David Castillo

Brendan Hausen

Coleman Hawkins

C.J. Jones

Max Jones

Dug McDaniel

David N'Guessan

Kansas State University Athletics

Preview // K-State Hosts Unbeaten Drake at T-Mobile Center Tuesday

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Players Mentioned

David Castillo

Brendan Hausen

Coleman Hawkins

C.J. Jones

Max Jones

Dug McDaniel

David N'Guessan

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