Kenny Chaffin, a member of the Mount Vernon Nazarene College men's basketball team, has been selected as the NAIA Division II National Player of the Week for his efforts during the week of February 12-18.
Chaffin, a 6-foot-6 junior forward from Marysville, Ohio, averaged 33.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game as the Cougars (17-13) went 2-0 for the week to close the regular season on a five-game winning streak. The former All-Ohioan at Marysville High School shot 62.5 percent from the field (25-of-40), 69.2 percent from three-point land (9-of-13), and 70.0 percent at the free throw line (7-of-10). He also recorded one assist and two blocked shots.
Chaffin, who was also selected as the American Mideast Conference and National Christian College Athletic Association Player of the Week, began the week with a career-high 36 points and seven rebounds in a 112-106 victory at Shawnee State University. He was 3-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc and 14-of-24 from the field overall.
Against Urbana University, Chaffin led MVNC to a 101-91 win with 30 points and 11 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the year and his ninth 30-point performance of the season. He nailed a career-high six treys in eight attempts, and he was 11-of-16 from the field overall. He also broke the Cougars' single-season record for field goals made with 255 to pass the previous mark of 251 set by Brad Hostasa in 1997-1998 when he was the conference Player of the Year and an NAIA Division II Second Team All-American.
For the season, Chaffin leads MVNC in scoring (21.8 points per game), rebounding (7.3 boards per game), blocked shots (50), and steals (42). He is shooting 55.9 percent from the field (255-of-456), 42.9 percent from three-point range (36-of-84), and 75.7 percent from the free throw line (109-of-144). He has also moved into 15th place on the Cougars' career scoring list with 1,326 points.
MVNC will begin postseason play on Thursday when the fifth-seeded Cougars will travel to fourth-seeded Geneva (Pa.) College for a first round game in the AMC Tournament. The winner of the eight-team tournament will advance to the NAIA Division II National Tournament in Point Lookout, Missouri.
