After finishing the best season in school history, three members of the Mount Vernon Nazarene College men's basketball team were honored on Wednesday when the NAIA Division II All-American teams were announced.
Brad Hostasa, a 6-foot-2 junior forward from Newark, Ohio, was selected as a Second Team All-American. Hostasa, who was the Mid-Ohio Conference Player of the Year, led the Cougars in scoring (19.9 points per game) and set a new school record for field goals made in a season (251).
Besides his scoring numbers, Hostasa led the team in steals with 71 and averaged 6.0 rebounds per game. He connected on 56.7 percent of his shots from the field (251-443) and drilled 40 three-pointers.
Adam Stevens, a 6-foot-6 sophomore forward from Mount Vernon, Ohio, was named a Third Team All-American. Stevens averaged 18.1 points per game and led MVNC in rebounding (9.5 boards per contest). He also set a new single-season school record for total rebounds by grabbing 324 caroms.
Despite only being in his second collegiate season, Stevens stepped up his performance and showed that he could play with anyone. He was second on the team in assists (117) and blocked shots (47), and was third in steals (48).
Todd Sands, a 6-foot-7 junior center from Centerburg, Ohio, was tabbed an Honorable Mention All-American for his efforts during the 1997-98 campaign. Sands averaged 16.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
Sands finished the regular season as the NAIA Division II national leader in field goal shooting accuracy. He shot an incredible 73.7 percent from the field (247-for-335). He also led the Cougars with 54 blocked shots.
"It is a tribute to our program to have three players recognized as All-Americans," said MVNC head coach Scott Flemming. "Those that have seen us play would probably agree that I could make a case for four of our players to be considered which would include Ehren (Hull). All of these players are very team-oriented, yet it is nice to see them honored."
The Cougars finished the season with a school-best 27-7 overall mark. MVNC won its first MOC regular-season title and made its second-ever trip to the NAIA Division II national tournament. At the national tournament, the Cougars won two games to advance to the quarterfinals before being eliminated.
With no seniors on this year's roster and these three All-Americans returning, the future looks bright for Flemming and his MVNC squad.