2019–20 Air Force Falcons men's basketball team

2019–20 Air Force Falcons men's basketball
Conference	Mountain West Conference
Record	12–20 (5–13 MW)
Head coach	Dave Pilipovich (8th season)
Assistant coaches	Kurt Kanaskie Andrew Moore Nate Zandt Byron Jones
Home arena	Clune Arena

2019–20 Mountain West Conference
men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 6 San Diego State	17	–	1		.944			30	–	2		.938
Utah State †	12	–	6		.667			26	–	8		.765
Nevada	12	–	6		.667			19	–	12		.613
UNLV	12	–	6		.667			17	–	15		.531
Boise State	11	–	7		.611			20	–	12		.625
Colorado State	11	–	7		.611			20	–	12		.625
New Mexico	7	–	11		.389			19	–	14		.576
Fresno State	7	–	11		.389			11	–	19		.367
Air Force	5	–	13		.278			12	–	20		.375
San Jose State	3	–	15		.167			7	–	24		.226
Wyoming	2	–	16		.111			9	–	24		.273
† Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

The 2019–20 Air Force Falcons men's basketball team represented the United States Air Force Academy during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Falcons, led by eighth-year head coach Dave Pilipovich, played their home games at the Clune Arena on the Air Force Academy's main campus in Colorado Springs, Colorado as members of the Mountain West Conference. They finished the season 12–20, 5–13 in Mountain West play to finish in ninth place. They defeated Fresno State in the first round of the Mountain West tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to San Diego State.

On March 9, 2020, head coach Dave Pilipovich was fired.^[1] He finished at Air Force with an eight-year record of 110–151.

Previous season

The Falcons finished the season 14–18, 8–10 in Mountain West play to finish in sixth place. They defeated San Jose State in the first round of the Mountain West tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to Fresno State.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Zach Couper	2	G	6'4'	205	Freshman	Rockford, IL	Left the team for personal reasons
Ameka Akaya	11	F	6'6"	215	Sophomore	Hagerstown, MD	Left the team for personal reasons
Nic Wells	14	G	6'6"	210	Junior	Riverdale, GA	Left the team for personal reasons
Pervis Louder	22	G	6'4"	187	Senior	Raleigh, NC	Graduated
Charles O'Briant	24	G	6'8"	205	Sophomore	Johns Creek, GA	Left the team for personal reasons
Bryce Hughes	25	G	6'4"	195	Sophomore	San Antonio, TX	Left the team for personal reasons
James Edwards	35	F	6'0"	165	Sophomore	Allison Park, PA	Left the team for personal reasons

2019 recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Glen McClintock PG	Kansas City, MO	Rockhurst High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	N/A
	Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: N/A
Carter Murphy SG	Phoenix, AZ	Arcadia High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: N/A
Jordan Simmons PG	Addison, TX	Greenhill High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	N/A	Oct 1, 2018
	Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: N/A
Christian DePollar SG	Alexandria, VA	St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	190 lb (86 kg)
	Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: N/A
Joseph Octave SG	Gardena, CA	Mary Star Of Sea High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)
	Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: –   Rivals: –
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2020 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2020)
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Carlos Miller Jr. SG	Little Rock, AR	Hall High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	N/A
	Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: –   Rivals: –
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2019–20 Air Force Falcons men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Caleb Morris 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Army and Navy Academy Vista, CA G 2 Solomon Pierre-Louis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr The Wellington School Columbus, OH G 3 Sid Tomes 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr East Ridge Woodbury, MN G 4 Carter Murphy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Arcadia Phoenix, AZ G 5 Chris Joyce 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 193 lb (88 kg) Jr Bishop Kenny Jacksonville, FL G 10 A. J. Walker 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 191 lb (87 kg) So St. Mary's Hall San Antonio, TX F 12 Lavelle Scottie 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Arlington Heights Fort Worth, TX G 13 LeSean Brown 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr TMI Episcopal San Antonio, TX G 14 Marcus Hill 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Jesuit Prep of Dallas Dallas, TX F 15 Abe Kinrade 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Maquoketa Maquoeketa, IA F 20 Isaac Monson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Olympus Salt Lake City, UT G 21 Nick René 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Lakeview Centennial Garland, TX F 22 Nikc Jackson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Rancho Solano Scottsdale, AZ G 23 Deven Nelson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Mesa Ridge Fountain, CO G 24 Mason Taylor 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Grandview Kansas City, MO G 30 Camden Vander Zwaag 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Johnston Johnson, IA F 31 CJ Haut 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr St. Mary's Prep Monroe, WI G 32 Simon Banks 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Brebeuf Jesuit Prep Indianapolis, IN C 34 Ryan Swan 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Sr Overland Aurora, CO C 40 Anthony Charles 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Strength N Motion Prep Orlando, FL G 44 Keaton Van Soelen 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Des Moines Christian Waukee, IA	Head coach Dave Pilipovich (Thiel) Assistant coach(es) Kurt Kanaskie (La Salle) Andy Moore (Muskingum) Nate Zandt (Michigan Byron Jones (Central Oklahoma) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: November 15, 2019

Schedule and results

Source^[2]

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
Nov 1, 2019* 7:00 pm		Colorado Christian	W 85–73		Clune Arena  Colorado Springs, CO
Regular season
Nov 7, 2019* 7:00 pm		Idaho State	L 79–89	0–1	Clune Arena (1,633) Colorado Springs, CO
Nov 9, 2019* 2:00 pm		Texas State	W 78–71	1–1	Clune Arena (1,526) Colorado Springs, CO
Nov 12, 2019* 5:00 pm, Stadium		at Army	W 69–57	2–1	Christl Arena (546) West Point, NY
Nov 18, 2019* 7:00 pm, FSSW+		at TCU	L 54–65	2–2	Schollmaier Arena (6,110) Fort Worth, TX
Nov 21, 2019* 2:00 pm, FloHoops		vs. Loyola Marymount Junkanoo Jam	L 64–78	2–3	Gateway Christian Academy (200) Bimini, Bahamas
Nov 22, 2019* 4:30 pm, FloHoops		vs. Duquesne Junkanoo Jam	L 63–69	2–4	Gateway Christian Academy (250) Bimini, Bahamas
Nov 24, 2019* 2:00 pm, FloHoops		vs. Indiana State Junkanoo Jam	L 74–84	2–5	Gateway Christian Academy (150) Bimini, Bahamas
Dec 1, 2019* 2:00 pm		Jackson State	W 76–52	3–5	Clune Arena (1,438) Colorado Springs, CO
Dec 4, 2019 7:00 pm		at Wyoming	W 86–77	4–5 (1–0)	Arena-Auditorium (3,013) Laramie, WY
Dec 7, 2019 12:00 pm, ATTSNRM		Nevada	L 85–100	4–6 (1–1)	Clune Arena (1,517) Colorado Springs, CO
Dec 14, 2019* 1:00 pm		at Denver	W 79–75	5–6	Magness Arena (1,170) Denver, CO
Dec 17, 2019* 7:00 pm		Johnson & Wales (CO)	W 99–42	6–6	Clune Arena (1,386) Colorado Springs, CO
Dec 21, 2019* 12:00 pm		Drake	L 80–85	6–7	Clune Arena (1,791) Colorado Springs, CO
Dec 31, 2019* 2:00 pm		UC Riverside	W 105–56	7–7	Clune Arena (1,356) Colorado Springs, CO
Jan 4, 2020 8:00 pm, ESPNU		at UNLV	L 59–71	7–8 (1–2)	Thomas & Mack Center (7,633) Paradise, NV
Jan 7, 2020 9:00 pm, ESPN2		Utah State	W 79–60	8–8 (2–2)	Clune Arena (4,563) Colorado Springs, CO
Jan 11, 2020 4:00 pm, Stadium		at New Mexico	L 78–84	8–9 (2–3)	Dreamstyle Arena (11,014) Albuquerque, NM
Jan 15, 2020 7:00 pm, ATTSNRM		Boise State	W 85–78	9–9 (3–3)	Clune Arena (1,758) Colorado Springs, CO
Jan 18, 2020 2:00 pm, ATTSNRM		Colorado State	L 65–78	9–10 (3–4)	Clune Arena (2,475) Colorado Springs, CO
Jan 21, 2020 9:00 pm, ESPNU		at Utah State	L 47–72	9–11 (3–5)	Smith Spectrum (8,442) Logan, UT
Jan 25, 2020 3:00 pm		at San Jose State	L 81–90	9–12 (3–6)	Provident Credit Union Event Center (1,534) San Jose, CA
Jan 28, 2020 7:00 pm, ATTSNRM		Fresno State	L 68–79	9–13 (3–7)	Clune Arena (1,535) Colorado Springs, CO
Feb 4, 2020 9:00 pm, ESPN2		at Nevada	L 54–88	9–14 (3–8)	Lawlor Events Center (8,299) Reno, NV
Feb 8, 2020 6:00 pm, CBSSN		No. 4 San Diego State	L 74–89	9–15 (3–9)	Clune Arena (4,401) Colorado Springs, CO
Feb 11, 2020 7:00 pm, ATTSNRM		at Boise State	L 57–74	9–16 (3–10)	ExtraMile Arena (4,898) Boise, ID
Feb 15, 2020 2:00 pm		San Jose State	W 95–86	10–16 (4–10)	Clune Arena (2,178) Colorado Springs, CO
Feb 19, 2020 8:00 pm, ESPN3		at Fresno State	L 62–71	10–17 (4–11)	Save Mart Center (4,608) Fresno, CA
Feb 22, 2020 2:00 pm, ATTSNRM		Wyoming	L 72–78	10–18 (4–12)	Clune Arena (1,529) Colorado Springs, CO
Feb 26, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN3		New Mexico	W 60–58	11–18 (5–12)	Clune Arena (1,925) Colorado Springs, CO
Feb 29, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPN3		at Colorado State	L 74–87	11–19 (5–13)	Moby Arena (4,862) Fort Collins, CO
Mountain West tournament
Mar 4, 2020 1:00 pm, Stadium	(9)	vs. (8) Fresno State First round	W 77–70	12–19	Thomas & Mack Center (5,198) Paradise, NV
March 5, 2020 12:30 pm, CBSSN	(9)	vs. (1) No. 5 San Diego State Quarterfinals	L 60–73	12–20	Thomas & Mack Center (8,189) Paradise, NV
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Mountain Time.

References

1. "Dave Pilipovich fired as Air Force Falcons men's basketball coach". March 9, 2020.
2. "2019-20 Men's Basketball Schedule". goairforcefalcons.com.