Four members of the Mount Vernon Nazarene College men's basketball team will be honored prior to the team's final regular-season game on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. against Shawnee State University.
Seniors Chad Vorhis, Lenny Foyer, Andy Gast, and Kenny Chaffin will be recognized for their efforts over the past four years. They have led MVNC to a 90-39 record (.698 winning percentage) during their careers. The Cougars have won two American Mideast Conference Tournament titles and played in two NAIA Division II National Tournaments during that time.
As a group, the seniors have combined to score 3,561 career points, grab 1,364 rebounds, and make 356 three-pointers. They have also posted a 50-10 record on their home court in the friendly confines of the Physical Education Center.
The foursome have also been standouts in the classroom where they have posted possibly the best combined grade point average in the history of the MVNC men's basketball program. The group has a combined GPA of 3.51, and three of the four players will be named to the NAIA Division II All-America Scholar-Athlete Team.
Vorhis, a 5-foot-9 guard from West Alexandria, Ohio, transferred to MVNC for his junior season after playing a year each at the University of Dayton and Alderson-Broaddus (W.Va.) College. In his two seasons with the Cougars, the former Twin Valley South High School standout has compiled 252 assists and 265 points. This season, Vorhis, who has started all 29 games, leads the team with 149 assists and ranks 18th in NAIA Division II, and he is averaging 5.9 points per game. He will also be named to the NAIA Division II All-America Scholar-Athlete Team.
Foyer, a 6-foot-4 forward from Piqua, Ohio, has recorded 638 points and 403 rebounds during his four-year career. The former Piqua High School product has posted career highs in points (240) and rebounds (137) this year, and MVNC is 11-4 in the 15 games that he has started. Earlier this year, Foyer scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Cougars to a 97-92 overtime victory against Roberts Wesleyan (N.Y.) College.
Gast, a 6-foot guard from Prospect, Ohio, needs 75 points to become the 25th player in MVNC men's basketball history to score 1,000 career points. The former Elgin High School star has scored 925 points and nailed 149 three-pointers in his career. This season, Gast, who has started 14 of the team's 29 games, is averaging 7.5 points per game. He was selected to the NAIA Division II All-America Scholar-Athlete Team last year, and will receive that honor again this season.
Chaffin, a 6-foot-6 forward from Marysville, Ohio, has put together one of the best careers in Cougar history. The former All-Ohioan at Marysville High School currently ranks fourth in school history in both career points (1,933) and career rebounds (779), and he is the all-time leader with 182 career blocked shots. Chaffin, who is a two-time NAIA Division II Honorable Mention All-American, is averaging a team-high 18.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game this season to go along with 59 blocked shots. He will also be named to the NAIA Division II All-America Scholar-Athlete Team.
These four seniors have led MVNC to a 19-10 overall record this year that includes a current five-game winning streak. The Cougars are also 11-6 in the AMC and have clinched a home game in the first round of the conference tournament. However, a win over Shawnee State would give MVNC the fourth seed and a first-round bye. The 12-team tournament gets under way on February 19 with the winner receiving an automatic berth in the NAIA Division II National Tournament.
