By BRENT BRIGGEMAN, The Gazette
The first offers Dave Pilipovich extended after taking over as Air Force’s basketball coach were to Trevor Lyons and C.J. Siples.
On Saturday, the duo will be among the five outgoing players honored for the team on senior day.
Here’s more on the players Air Force who will putting a wrap on their home careers.
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TREVOR LYONS
TREVOR LYONS
6-3 – guard – Newport News, Va.
Highlights: Needs 15 points to move into the program’s top 20 all-time. His 1,046 points currently rank 21st. He has averaged 9.1 points per game over his career. … Ranks in Air Force history in steals (160), seventh in assists (299) and 12th in games played (115). … Has started 95 games, including at least 18 in each of his four seasons. … His single-game career highs in points (24), rebounds (10) and assists (10) have each come in Mountain West games. ... Joins his brother, Michael (a 2013 Air Force graduate), as the first set of brothers to record 1,000 points at the same school in conference history.
Quoting Pilipovich: “In 32 years of coaching, I don’t know if I’ve been around a young man who’s matured as much as Trevor has as a player over the years and as a team player. … He has done whatever we’ve asked of him and it’s really something to see.”
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RYAN MANNING
RYAN MANNING
6-6 – forward – Sacramento
Highlights: Led the team in scoring during the non-conference this season, averaging 10.8 ppg. … Set a career-high with 23 points at San Jose State in 2017. … Scored 17 points at Colorado in November, returning to the gym where he suffered a season-ending knee injury as a sophomore. … Shot 36.6 percent from 3-point range as a junior. … Started 19 games in his career. … Scored 12 points with a team-high nine rebounds in a game against Army at Madison Square Garden in December. … Played as a junior in terms of eligibility this season, but will opt not play next year as he graduates in December.
Quoting Pilipovich: “Ryan will be the first millionaire of the group. I’ll say that. He’ll be the financial guru. … One of the harder workers we’ve had. I’ve never seen anybody come back from a knee injury and work as hard as he did and get himself back into playing shape.”
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C.J. SIPLES
C.J. SIPLES
6-3 – guard – Cibolo, Texas
Highlights: Has appeared in 108 games, starting 32. Has scored 421 points with 164 assists and 82 steals. … Best stretch of his career came late in his sophomore season when he replaced his lifelong best friend, Lyons, in the lineup because of an injury. Siples started the final 10 games that season and averaged 12.6 points and 4.4 rebounds during that stretch, garnering Mountain West Player of the Week honors along the way. … He has started the past nine games, but an ankle injury leaves him questionable to play Saturday.
Quoting Pilipovich: “I’m going to miss C.J. so much. Every time you see C.J., he’s got a smile on his face. C.J. makes the whole room light up. That young man will be successful in whatever he does. He has been a great team player with his attitude and effort. Maybe quicker with the ball baseline to baseline than he is without the ball. He is a jet.”
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FRANK TOOHEY
FRANK TOOHEY
6-7 – center – Elmhurst, Ill.
Highlights: Career-best year came in 2016-17 as a junior, when he averaged 10.7 points and 4.5 rebounds, ranking second on the team in both categories. … Played sparingly to start his sophomore season, logging just 18 minutes against non-conference Division I opponents, but broke into the lineup midseason and averaged 9.1 points over the final 11 games. The lone member of the team’s senior class who will attend pilot training. … Was replaced in the starting lineup as a senior by sophomore Ryan Swan.
Quoting Pilipovich: "Unbelievable person. I’ve said this before, if I had a job – wherever I was working – and even if Frank had no experience in that field, I would hire him. Because he’s a winner. … With his toughness and grit, I think he epitomizes a cadet-athlete."
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JACOB VAN
JACOB VAN
6-1 – guard – Mansfield, Texas
Highlights: Ranks fifth in Air Force history in free throw shooting (83.3 percent). … After playing sparingly, his emergence stunned the Mountain West late in his sophomore year. He had scored 19 points against Division I opponents through 23 games that season before averaging 19.4 points over the final seven games – including a conference tournament-record 37 points in a loss to UNLV. … Followed that breakout campaign by averaging 10.6 points as a junior. … His shooting percentage and minutes have dropped as a senior, as he is averaging 4.1 ppg.
Quoting Pilipovich: “How can you ever forget that night? 37 points in Vegas. … He kind of jumped in there. He didn’t jump in there with 2 points or 4 points, he jumped in with 20-some point efforts. He jumped in there right when we needed him and he’s been a pleasure the whole time.”