Tag: Men’s Basketball

HOUSTON, TX. – Small College Basketball and the National Awards Committee announced on Monday, April 3, the winner of the 2023 Bevo Francis Award – RJ Sunahara, a redshirt-junior forward from Bay Village, Ohio. The Bevo Francis Award recognizes the best small college basketball player in the country.
T
he Clarence “Bevo” Francis Award is presented annually to the player who has had the finest overall season within Small College Basketball. Considerations will be season statistics and individual achievements, awards, personal character and team achievements.  This is an incredibly prestigious award, as this award is only given to the finest men’s basketball players in the country who compete in the affiliations of NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA Division I, NAIA Division II, USCAA and NCCAA.

Head Coach Jim Crutchfield, in his fifth season as the Sharks bench boss, guided the NSU to the first NCAA National Championship in program history, has coached Sunahara and elevated his game throughout his Sharks career. “RJ is such a great team guy; he plays hard every day, is unselfish and fun to be around,” said Crutchfield. “He’s the type of guy that makes me look forward to coming to work every day, When he says he represents our team, when he accepts this award, he means it.”

Sunahara has earned a plethora of awards during the 2022-23 season and closes his campaign with the 2023 Bevo Francis Award. The redshirt junior guided Nova Southeastern to 36-0 record, marking the sixth undefeated national championship season in the history of NCAA Division II basketball. Sunahara started 34 games for the Sharks, averaging 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds-per-game, while shooting 59.9% from the field and leading the team in blocks (54). The Ohioan put together one of his best games in the Division II National Championship, scoring 28 points, going 12-17 from the field, and grabbed nine rebounds.

At the conference level, Sunahara earned the second First-Team All-Sunshine State Conference recognition of his career and was named as the SSC Player of the Year. The redshirt junior also earned  the honor of being named D2CCA South Region Player of the Year and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) National Player of the Year.

Sunahara is one of the most decorated student-athletes in the history of Nova Southeastern Men’s Basketball, and in his career has won: Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year (2019-20), Sunshine State Conference Defensive Player of the Year (2021-22), Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year (2022-23), South Region Player of the Year (2022-23), NABC National Player of the Year (2022-23) and now, the Bevo Francis award.

Members of the Bevo Francis Award committee include the following coaches: Tobin Anderson – St. Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.), Gary Stewart – Stevenson (Md.), Chris Briggs – Georgetown (Ky.), Bill Dreikosen – Rocky Mountain (Mont.), Ryan Kane – Ripon (Wisc.), Mark Berokoff – Oklahoma City, Mike Donnelly – Florida Southern, Rhett Soliday – Vanguard (Calif.), Sam Hargraves – Olivet (Mich.), Stacy Hollowell – Loyola (La.), Stephen Brennan – Babson, Richard Westerlund – Great Lakes Christian, Chase Tiechmann – Florida College, Bart Lundy – Queens (N.C.), Aaron Siebenthall – Ottawa (Kan.), Tae Norwood – Humboldt State, Justin Parnell – Oregon Tech, Mark Vanderslice – USC – Aiken and Grant Leep – Seattle Pacific. 
 

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HOUSTON, TX. – Nova Southeastern Head Men’s Basketball Coach Jim Crutchfield has been awarded the 2023 Clarence Gaines Award, presented annually to the top NCAA Division II college basketball coach.  

Crutchfield, in his fifth season at Nova Southeastern, led the Sharks to the program’s first national championship and guided NSU to a perfect 36-0 record. NSU is the sixth team in NCAA Division II history to go undefeated and win the national title. Crutchfield, the NABC Coach of the Year, has accumulated a record of 136-21 (0.866) during his tenure at Nova Southeastern and has gone 67-1 in the past two seasons.  

Nova Southeastern entered the 2022-23 season ranked No. 4, following an Elite Eight appearance in 2021-22, and earned the No. 1 ranking on February 14. Crutchfield earned Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year honors, while coaching RJ Sunahara (Player of the Year/First-Team) and Will Yoakum (Newcomer of the Year/Second-Team) to SSC recognition.  

Additionally, Sunahara earned the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Player of the Year Award, while Yoakum was recognized as the Most Valuable Player in all three – Sunshine State Conference, South Region, Elite Eight – tournaments during the Sharks postseason run.  

The 2022-23 Sharks are the second team to go undefeated in Sunshine State Conference play since the 1981-1982 expansion, matching the accomplishment from the 2021-22 NSU Men’s Basketball team.  

The Clarence Gaines Award is named in honor of the legendary Winston Salem State head coach. 
 
One of the true legends of all-time, Clarence “Big House” Gaines retired from Winston-Salem State University in 1993 with a record of 828-446. At the time he was the winningest active basketball coach in NCAA history. Gaines was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982. 
 
During his 47-year tenure as coach and athletic director at WSSU he coached professional basketball greats Cleo Hill, the first African-American from an historically Black college and university to be drafted No. 1 by the National Basketball Association, St. Louis Hawks, 1961, and Earl “The Pearl” Monroe. 
 
Coach Gaines passed away on April 18, 2005. 

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KANSAS CITY, Mo – Following an undefeated national championship season, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) has recognized Nova Southeastern Men’s Basketball Head Coach Jim Crutchfield as the NABC Coach of the Year and RJ Sunahara, a redshirt-junior forward, as the NABC Player of the Year.

Crutchfield led the Sharks to a perfect season, going 36-0 and winning the program’s first NCAA Division II National Championship. Nova Southeastern led Division II in points per game (102.5), scoring margin (+25.7), second in assists per game (21.4), and third in assist/turnover ratio (1.71). During his tenure at Nova Southeastern, Crutchfield has turned the Sharks Men’s Basketball program into a powerhouse going 136-21 (0.866 winning percentage) and to three Elite Eights in his five seasons.

Sunahara, the Sunshine State Conference and South Region Player of the Year, caps off a brilliant campaign with National Player of the Year honors alongside his national championship. The redshirt junior from Bay Village, Ohio, averaged 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game for the Sharks, while shooting 59.9% from the field. Sunahara was dominant during the NCAA Division II National Championship game, scoring 28 points and grabbing nine rebounds in the victory.

No. 1 Nova Southeastern defeated West Liberty in the NCAA DII National Championship game, earning the first title in program history and became just the sixth team in Division II history to finish as undefeated national champions. The Sharks set the scoring record in the national championship, recording 111 points in the victory.
 

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Unphased. Unbeaten. Perfect. National Champions. All the words you can use to describe the No. 1 Nova Southeastern Sharks Men’s Basketball team following NSU’s undefeated run to the program’s first national title. The Sharks storybook season ended with a 111-101 victory over No. 2 West Liberty on Saturday afternoon from the Ford Center. Nova Southeastern broke the NCAA Division II record for points in the national championship game.

The 2022-23 Men’s Basketball national championship is the tenth in the history of Nova Southeastern Athletics. 

Will Yoakum and RJ Sunahara earned Co-Most Outstanding Player honors in the tournament and were joined on the All-Tournament team by Dallas Graziani. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Score – No. 1 Nova Southeastern 111 | No. 2 West Liberty 101
Records – No. 1 Nova Southeastern 36-0 | No. 2 West Liberty 33-4
Location – Ford Center | Evansville, Ind.
Get Social – Instagram & Twitter – NSU_MBasketball | Facebook – NSU Men’s Basketball

COACH’S CORNER – Jim Crutchfield led the Sharks to the program’s first NCAA National Championship and has turned NSU into a Division II powerhouse. “It’s been a storybook season and perfect ending. To play in the National Championship against West Liberty – where I got my start – is special. This game had a lot of intensity and a lot of emotions, but I’m proud of our team and thrilled to bring a national title back to Nova Southeastern.”

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half – In a game that lived up to all the expectations and the storylines leading up to the tip-off, the Sharks got off to an early 6-0 lead to take control of the momentum. RJ Sunahara scored 6-of-8 points to open the game and NSU never gave up the lead. Dallas Graziani and Will Yoakum both knocked down jump shots, giving the Sharks an 18-8 lead. The Hilltoppers did not back down easily, hitting a pair of three-pointers to cut the NSU lead to 18-14. Shortly after WLU rallied, Yoakum and Graziani responded with two consecutive three-pointers. West Liberty cut the Sharks lead to just two points, but Yoakum and Sunahara continued to deny the Hilltoppers rally. At the end of the half, Yoakum buried a deep three-pointer to send the Sharks into the break leading 55-48.

Second Half – Nova Southeastern continued to hold onto momentum in the contest, extending the lead to 60-50 in the first minute following a Graziani three-pointer. Despite West Liberty’s best efforts to batter him, Yoakum kept performing at a high-level, scoring 7-of-9 points and extending the Sharks lead to 77-65. After the midway point of the second half, Yoakum converted two free throws and put the score at 86-73. Ryan Davis finished back-to-back tough layups, as Nova Southeastern continued to maintains its lead and put the title in their sights. With under six minutes remaining, Nova Southeastern’s lead reached 17-points following a Kobe Rodgers jump shot. The Hilltoppers cut the NSU lead to 106-101, but Rodgers sealed the title for the Sharks by hitting three consecutive free throws. Nova Southeastern won the program’s first national championship 111-101 and the celebration ensued.

STATS OF THE NIGHT
Nova Southeastern is the sixth team in NCAA Division II history to finish the season as undefeated National Champions.
The Sharks broke the Division II National Championship record for points in the first half (55) and in the game (111).
Will Yoakum broke the single-season record for points, scoring 727 in his lone season as a Shark.
 

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – In a story fit for Hollywood, the No. 1 Nova Southeastern Sharks Men’s Basketball team has reached the final destination in their journey for the program’s first NCAA National Championship. The top-ranked Sharks, led by Head Coach Jim Crutchfield, will take on the NSU’s bench-boss’s former team, the second-seeded West Liberty Hilltoppers in the title game on Saturday afternoon.

Coach Crutchfield – “It’s an interesting matchup, we play the exact same style and philosophy. West Liberty has been playing incredible basketball, both here and leading up to the tournament. I still watch them play. We’re looking forward to the challenge and the opportunity to play for the national title.”

HOW THEY GOT HERE
No. 1 Nova Southeastern (35-0) will play in the NCAA Division II National Championship game for the first time in program history, after defeating fourth-seed Cal. State, San Bernardino 94-87 on Thursday evening in the Final Four. Kobe Rodgers delivered an incredible, gutsy performance, leading NSU with 21 points, two steals and the game-sealing block. All five starters for the top-ranked Sharks scored in double figures.

The Hilltoppers (33-3) are coached by Ben Howlett, a former player at West Liberty, who starred under Jim Crutchfield. Howlett has continued the winning tradition of WLU Basketball, leading the program to its 14^th consecutive NCAA tournament. The Hilltoppers, winners of 18 straight contests, defeated Black Hills 87-82 in the Final Four.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
No. 1 Nova Southeastern currently leads NCAA Men’s Basketball in wins with 35.

The top-ranked Sharks enter the national championship game leading Division II in points-per-game (102.5). This is the second time in NCAA Division II history where the nation’s top scoring team will play in the championship game (2014, West Liberty).

RJ Sunahara and Bryce Butler, two Bevo Francis finalists, will face-off in the national championship game. Sunahara, the Sunshine State Conference and South Region Player of the Year, leads the Sharks, while Butler – the Mountain East Conference and Atlantic Region Player of the Year – headlines the Hilltoppers.

Will Yoakum, one of the most decorated West Liberty players, has had an exceptional season for the Sharks and has Nova Southeastern on the brink of a national title. He’ll have to go through his former team, but Yoakum has been exceptional throughout the Sharks playoff run. The guard is averaging 24.9 points and 4.9 rebounds, while shooting 54% from the field and 55% from beyond the arc.

Crutchfield is the 3^rd coach to take two different schools to the championship. (Ron Shumate, SEMO and Chattanooga; Bill Jones, Jacksonville St. and North Alabama)

HOW TO WATCH
The No. 1 Nova Southeastern Sharks take on No. 2 West Liberty in the NCAA Division II National Championship from the Ford Center at 3 p.m. ET. The title game will be broadcasted live on CBS.
 

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – For the first-time in program history, the No. 1 Nova Southeastern Sharks Men’s Basketball team will play for the NCAA Division II National Championship. NSU defeated fourth-seed Cal. State San Bernardino 94-87 on Thursday evening from the Ford Center. All five starters for the Sharks scored in double-digits, including Kobe Rodgers led the Sharks to the victory scoring 21 points.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Records – No. 1 Nova Southeastern 35-0 |No. 4 Cal. State San Bernardino 31-4
Score – No. 1 Nova Southeastern 94 | No. 4 Cal. State San Bernardino 87
Location – Ford Center | Evansville, Ind.
Get Social – Instagram & Twitter – NSU_MBasketball | Facebook – NSU Men’s Basketball

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half – The Sharks faced a slight deficit but Kobe Rodgers tied the game at 5-5, finishing a tough lay-up and converting an and-one opportunity. Jake Maranville knocked down a three-pointer, putting NSU in front 8-7 over the Yotes. Maranville’s three started a 17-2 run for NSU, putting the Sharks ahead 22-9, and featured five-points from Jonathan Pierre. Later in the half, Pierre and Yoakum each knocked down a three-pointer, extending NSU’s advantage to 33-19. CSUSB, despite facing a double-digit deficit, continued to battle back and sent the game into halftime break with the Sharks leading 48-43.

Second Half – Pierre and Yoakum combined to hit three-three-pointers to open the second half, extending the Nova Southeastern lead to 57-43. A few moments later, a steal by Yoakum set up a scoring opportunity for Ryan Davis. The freshman finished the layup, giving Nova Southeastern a 61-48 lead. The Yotes cut the Sharks lead to just three points, 63-60, with 13 minutes remaining in the contest. Rodgers, in an extremely gutsy performance, recorded six consecutive points for NSU, extending the Sharks lead to 77-69. The next five minutes of the contest saw both teams taking free throws, including RJ Sunahara putting NSU ahead 84-79 with just over a minute remaining. Rodgers found Sunahara, who threw down an emphatic dunk, putting the finishing touches on the Sharks victory. Nova Southeastern closed out the win with Lukas Speidel hitting a pair of free throws, as NSU advanced to the National Championship with a 94-87 victory.

STATS OF THE NIGHT
– This is the first time in Division II history that the top two scoring teams in the nation will face off in a championship game.
– This will be just the second time in Division II history that the top scoring team will play in the championship game (West Liberty in 2014 was the other).
– It will be the sixth time in seven tournaments since the reseeding began that the #1 seed will be in the championship game. 
– Crutchfield is the 3^rd coach to take two different schools to the championship. (Ron Shumate, SEMO and Chattanooga; Bill Jones, Jacksonville St. and North Alabama)
 
UPCOMING
No. 1 Nova Southeastern, in a storybook fashion, will take on No. 2 West Liberty in the NCAA Division II National Championship game on Saturday, March 25. Tip-off of the title tilt will be at 3 p.m. ET on CBS.
 

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The road to the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship continues for No. 1 Nova Southeastern. The top-ranked Sharks will take on fourth-seeded Cal. State San Bernardino on Thursday evening from the Ford Center. The matchup features the two programs that traveled the furthest to compete for the title – NSU (1,072 miles) and Cal. State San Bernardino (1,998 miles) and two of the most dominant programs in NCAA Division II. 

HOW THEY GOT HERE
No. 1 Nova Southeastern advanced to the Final Four for the first time in program history, defeating eighth-seed Missouri-St. Louis (82-75) in the Elite Eight. Will Yoakum continues to play exceptionally well, scoring a career-best 34 points in the victory.

No. 6 Cal. State San Bernardino, the fourth seed in the Elite Eight, handled Lincoln Memorial, defeating LMU 88-70, advancing to the Final Four for the second time in program history. The Yotes enter their matchup with the Sharks on a 16-game winning streak.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
The top-four seeds in the Elite Eight all won their first round matchup, marking the fourth time in tournament history since the reseeding of quarterfinal teams began in 2016.

No. 1 Nova Southeastern leads NCAA Division II in points-per-game (102.5), while Cal. State San Bernardino ranks seventh (88.5)

Brandon Knapper and Dontrell Shuler lead the Yotes, averaging 19.1 and 16.5 points, respectively.

Both the Sharks (34 consecutive wins) and the Yotes (16) enter the matchup riding lengthy winning streaks.

HOW TO WATCH
The Final Four matchup featuring the No. 1 Sharks and No. 6 Yotes will be streamed via CBS Sports Network. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET
 

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The No. 1 Nova Southeastern Sharks Men’s Basketball team continued their chase of the program’s first NCAA National Championship, advancing to the Final Four for the first-time in program history, defeating Missouri-St. Louis in a battle from the tip-off until the final whistle. The top-ranked Sharks were led by 34 points from Will Yoakum.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Score – No. 1 Nova Southeastern 82 | Missouri-St. Louis 75
Records – No. 1 Nova Southeastern 34-0 | No. 8 Missouri-St. Louis 24-11
Location – Evansville, Ind. | Ford Center
Get Social – Instagram & Twitter – NSU_MBasketball | Facebook – NSU Men’s Basketball

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half – A steal from RJ Sunahara set up a Dallas Graziani bucket, giving the Sharks the first bucket of the game and an early lead. A few moments later, Graziani recorded his first steal of the game and set up a Yoakum three-pointer in transition to put NSU back in front 9-7. The Tritons did not back down, as the defenses for both teams battled back-and-forth, as neither team scored for nearly three minutes. USML took a three-point lead following two consecutive three-pointers, before Yoakum followed with a pair of buckets and reclaimed the lead for the Sharks at 19-18. With less than four minutes remaining in the first half, the Tritons took their largest advantage (30-25) in the opening frame. Kobe Rodgers beat the buzzer and sent the Sharks into the halftime break with momentum, but the score tied at 36-36.

Second Half – Nearly two minutes passed in the second half before either team got on the scoreboard, USML took control with two dunks from Drew Cisse, taking a 41-38 lead. Needing a spark on the offensive side of the ball, Yoakum took charge, driving into the paint and made the layup while being fouled for an and-one opportunity. Yoakum converted the three-point play the old fashioned way and cut the Tritons lead to 46-45. Midway through the second half, Jake Maranville stepped up and knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game at 51-51. The Sharks finally seized momentum as both Maranville and Yoakum hit three-pointers, giving NSU a 71-63 advantage with three-minutes remaining. Graziani hit a clutch jumper with less than a minute remaining and the Sharks sealed the 82-75 win from the free throw line.

STATS OF THE NIGHT
Will Yoakum has played his best basketball when the light’s have shined brightest. The Delaware, Ohio-native entered tonight’s matchup off a performance where he scored 33-points and hit tied the program record with nine three-pointers. Yoakum scored a new career-high 34 points, shooting 64% from the field.

The difference in the game came at the charity stripe. USML shot 43.8% as a team, while NSU shot 83.8% (31-37). Yoakum was 14-15 from the free throw line.

No. 1 Nova Southeastern advances to the Final Four for the first time in program history with the victory.

UPCOMING
No. 1 Nova Southeastern will take on the winner of fourth-seeded Cal. State Bernadino and fifth-seed Lincoln Memorial in the Final Four on Thursday, March 23. The game will be streamed live on the CBS Sports Network beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
 

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The No. 1 ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks (33-0) punched the program’s third ticket to the NCAA National Tournament Elite Eight by defeating Alabama-Huntsville 87-62 in the NCAA South Region Finals. The Sharks are set to match up against the eighth-seeded Tritons of Missouri-St. Louis on Tuesday evening in the Elite Eight.

HOW THEY GOT HERE
NSU (33-0) defended its titles as the Sharks repeated as Sunshine State Conference regular season, tournament, and NCAA South Region Champions. No. 1 Nova Southeastern features a pair of D2CCA All-Americans, RJ Sunahara and Will Yoakum. This is the third time in program history that the Sharks have made the Elite Eight, all coming under Head Coach Jim Crutchfield.

Missouri-St. Louis (24-10) enters the Elite Eight as the eighth-seed after defeating Parkside, Ferris State and McKendree in the NCAA Tournament Regional round. The Tritons make their return to the Elite Eight for the first-time since 1971-72.

WHAT TO WATCH
No. 1 Nova Southeastern has reached a new level during the NCAA tournament, having an average margin of victory of 32.6 in the NCAA South Region Tournament, which is seven-points higher than the Sharks average during the regular season.

Will Yoakum, a second-team D2CCA All-American, has been scorching hot during the Sharks postseason run. The Delaware, Ohio-native is averaging 24.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 58% from the field and 55% from beyond the arc.

NSU is top-10 in NCAA Division II in several categories, including scoring average (103.1), steals-per-game (12.3), second in assists-per-game (21.9), fourth in field goal percentage (51.4), and sixth in three-point percentage (40.1).

Missouri-St. Louis has three players averaging double-digit points, Isaiah Fuller (15.9), Victor Nwagbaraocha (11.2) and Bown Sandquist (11.0)

WATCH
STATS

UPCOMING
No. 1 Nova Southeastern tips-off against Missouri-St. Louis at 7 p.m. (ET) with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
 

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WEST HAVEN, CT. – The Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association (D2CCA) released its Ron Lentz National Player of the Year award and All-American honors for the 2022-23 season on Monday morning. RJ Sunahara (First-Team) and Will Yoakum (Second-Team) were the two representatives from the No. 1 Nova Southeastern Sharks Men’s Basketball team. 

Sunahara, the Sunshine State and D2CCA South Region Player of the Year, has had an incredible campaign for the top-ranked Sharks. The redshirt-junior has led the top-ranked Sharks to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season. In 31 games, Sunahara is averaging 18.9 points and 5.3 rebounds, while leading the Sharks in blocks (51) and field goal percentage (60%).

Yoakum, in his first season with the Sharks, is one of two Nova Southeastern players to start in all 33 games during the 2022-23 season. Yoakum leads NSU in points-per-game (19.5), and is shooting 58% from the field and 52% from beyond the arc. The Delaware, Ohio-native has elevated his game during the postseason for NSU, averaging 24.5 points and shooting 58% from the field. Yoakum tied the program record for three-pointers (9) in the NCAA South Region Championship game against Alabama-Huntsville.

Sports Information Directors from NCAA Division II East Region schools and conferences selected the two All-Region teams. The process concludes with All-American selections announced in later this month. This is the second year the Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association has sponsored the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball All-Region and All-American teams.

The Division II CCA encourages and promotes Division II athletics and high standards of sportsmanship as important elements of higher education. The CCA is a key communications link among the conferences as they discuss views, policies and regulations that impact Division II intercollegiate athletics and works closely with the NCAA as a communications channel to NCAA Division II member colleges and universities.

FULL RELEASE HERE
FIRST TEAM
Joel Scott*            F        Sr.         Black Hills State
RJ Sunahara        F        R-Jr.      Nova Southeastern
Kaden Anderson  F        Sr.          Point Loma Nazarene
Bryce Butler         G        Jr.          West Liberty
Frank Champion   F        So.         North Georgia

SECOND TEAM
Diego Bernard       G        Sr.         NW Missouri State
Akuel Kot               G        Jr.          Fort Lewis
KJ Jones II            G        Jr.           Emmanuel College
Zach Laput            G        Jr.           Bentley
Will Yoakum          G        Gr.          Nova Southeastern
  

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