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Four Cougars Earn NCCAA East Region Basketball Honors
written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio - Four members of the Mount Vernon Nazarene University men’s basketball team were honored for their performances this season when the National Christian College Athletic Association East Region awards were announced on Thursday.


Mark Hess	Andrew Thompson

Benji Hall	Alan Bock

Headlining the list for the Cougars was sophomore center Mark Hess, who was named to the five-player NCCAA East Region First Team. Hess, who is a native of Ashland, Ohio, leads MVNU in scoring (17.5 points per game) and rebounding (7.8 rebounds per game). The former Ashland High School standout is shooting 55.0 percent from the field (225-for-409) and 68.2 percent from the free throw line (90-for-132). He has also recorded 58 assists, 16 blocked shots, and 26 steals.

Andrew Thompson, a junior guard from Mount Vernon, Ohio, was named to the NCCAA East Region Second Team. The former Mount Vernon High School star is averaging a career-high 14.5 points per game this season and leads the Cougars with 89 three-pointers made. Thompson is shooting 42.5 percent from the field (154-for-362), 38.5 percent from three-point range (89-for-231), and 73.0 percent at the free throw line (54-for-74). He has also compiled 66 assists and 15 steals.

Benji Hall, a senior wing from Mansfield, Ohio, was an NCCAA East Region Honorable Mention pick. The former Ontario High School product is averaging 11.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, and he ranks second on the team in three-pointers made (45), assists (73), and blocked shots (19). Hall is shooting 43.4 percent from the field (119-for-274), 38.1 percent from three-point range (45-for-118), and 62.5 percent at the free throw line (60-for-96).

Alan Bock, a junior point guard from Tallmadge, Ohio, was also an NCCAA East Region Honorable Mention selection. The former Tallmadge High School standout is among the nation’s leaders in assists per game (6.8) and steals per game (2.8), and he averages 7.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Bock is just three steals shy of the school’s single-season record of 84 that was set in 1983-1984 by Jerry Hawes.

MVNU is currently 21-10 overall and is awaiting word on who the team’s opponent in the NCCAA East Region Tournament will be. The winner of the NCCAA East Region Tournament receives an automatic berth in the NCCAA National Tournament in Frankfort, Kentucky, on March 17-19.