Tinker Hawks play at Gerrity this weekend Published Feb. 19, 2016 By John Parker Staff Writer TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Team Tinker will get a chance to see the best basketball on base this weekend as the varsity Hawks play Air Force and Army teams for homecoming. Spectators should see some high-caliber play. The Central U.S. Military Basketball Conference includes players such as Fort Sill's Ella Ellis, a 6-foot-7 former NCAA Div. 1 player who was called up to an NBA Development League team last fall. Overall, the Hawks are 13-10 in 2015-2016 season play (including tournaments) that began in October. They are 7-5 in conference games. The conference record includes close losses and isn't a good reflection of the Hawks' goal of a conference and national championship, Hawks coach Jonathan Morgan said. The Hawks won back-to-back conference championships in 2013 and 2014. "The ironic thing is that three years ago when we won our first championship we had the same type of year," Morgan said. "We started the first half of the season kind of slow, then we came on and beat everybody right at the end. I'm hoping to do that again." The Hawks will vie Saturday and Sunday against conference teams from McConnell AFB, Kan., and an Army team from Fort Riley, Kan. Entry is free. Fort Riley has a strong team that tends to play up tempo and force turnovers, Morgan said. McConnell has a mix of veteran and young players. The Hawks and McConnell are currently 2-2 against each other. "It should be pretty good competition when we face each other," coach said. There will be six games played at the Gerrity Fitness Center this weekend. The Hawks will play two matches each day. Coach Morgan said the biggest challenge this year has been the thick roster of more than 20 players. Sixty percent of the roster for any games must be active-duty military. "We kind of took some teams for granted that we've beat easily in the past, but they've retooled their rosters, so the adjustment we've had to make is that every time we play we can get beat," he said. "The level of competition has gone up." Coach Morgan said he's constantly adjusting the mix of player lineups that will work best against specific teams. He usually calls upon starters that include Jarail Smith, Brian Johnston, Earl Moseby, Corey Clark, Zhamar McAdory, Delane Finley and Ryan Florie, he said. "Some lineups don't work as well as others and some players need certain other players on the floor with them so that they feel comfortable," he said. "I'm finding that mix. It's an evolving process that never stops. "From top to bottom, we have a lot of great players -- skillwise second to none," he said. "It's just getting everybody on the same page and playing together as a team on both ends of the floor. When we do that we're lethal." The Hawks will automatically be seeded in the CUSMBC championship playoffs in April in San Antonio. The other three conferences are based out of the Pacific West, the Washington, D.C., area and the Southeast United States. Morgan said fan turnout this weekend would be a big boost to the Hawks' morale. "That will really mean a lot to the guys to have people out here supporting them," he said. Gerrity game times · Tinker Hawks vs. McConnell AFB 11 a.m. Saturday · McConnell AFB vs. Fort Riley 1 p.m. Saturday · Fort Riley vs. Tinker Hawks 3 p.m. Saturday · Fort Riley vs. Tinker Hawks 11:30 a.m. Sunday · McConnell AFB vs. Fort Riley 1:30 p.m. Sunday · Tinker Hawks vs. McConnell AFB 3:30 p.m. Sunday