SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Evangel Valor Men's Basketball team kicks off their 2023-24 season on Tuesday (Oct. 31) evening with a non-conference matchup against William Woods on the road in Fulton, Missouri.

Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m., on Halloween evening as the Valor look to open their season with a win.

SERIES HISTORY

Tuesday's matchup with William Woods will be the 3rd meeting between the two schools, with Evangel leading the all-time matchup, 2-0. Evangel last matched up with the Owls in the 18-19 season, where the Valor were victorious, 81-75.

OPENING STORYLINES

• Evangel is 32-33 in season-opening contests since 1958.
• Valor Men's Basketball kicks off their 66th season on Tuesday, their third under head coach Bert Capel, who led the Valor to a 23-9 record last season and Evangel's first back to back NAIA Tournament appearances since the 13-14 and 14-15 seasons.
• After moving from the Heart of America Athletic Conference and joining the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, the Valor are picked to finish fourth in the conference, behind Oklahoma Wesleyan, Kansas Wesleyan, and Southwestern.
• Evangel is currently on a two game winning streak against the Owls, having only played them twice all-time.
• Graduate guard Josh Pritchett and senior guard Manrique Alvarado return to lead Evangel, following the departure of All-Conference members Edriel Martinborough and Autry Acord. Pritchett is Evangel's leading returning scorer, averaging 18.8 points per game as well as 3.5 assists a game. Alvarado averaged 10.7 points per game last year for the Valor.
• Key returners include Stephen Salvi, a senior who led the Valor in rebounds last season, averaging 5.2 per game. Big men Jace Coffie and Bryce Hunt also return, as both averaged just over seven points per game last year. Garrett Davault and Broc Smith also return after finding time in all 32 games last season.
• Newcomers for Evangel include Josh Mason, a NCAA DII transfer from Henderson State University, as well as freshmen newcomers Harrison Doennig (Springfield, Mo.), Isaac Wootton (Edmund, Okla.), Cole Griesemer (Springfield, Mo.), Cade Sutton (Bunker, Mo.), and Luke Foster (Rolla, Mo.)
• All Evangel home games in the 2023-24 season will be streamed through the KCAC Network at www.kcacnetwork.com/evangel.

LOOKING AHEAD

Evangel will open its 2023-24 home slate on Monday (Nov. 6) with a 6 p.m., non-conference matchup against the Drovers of USAO at the Ashcroft Center.

For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.