 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
Four members of the Mount Vernon Nazarene College men's basketball team were honored recently when the American Mideast Conference awards were announced at the annual coaches' meeting.
Adam Stevens, a 6-foot-6 senior forward from Mount Vernon, Ohio, grabbed the top honor as he was chosen as the AMC Player of the Year and named to the AMC First Team. The former Mount Vernon High School standout leads the Cougars in scoring (18.3 points per game) and rebounding (8.8 rebounds per game). He has also dished out 113 assists and blocked 30 shots, and he ranks in the top ten in the conference in eight categories.
Stevens, who has started all 129 games during his career at MVNC and led the team to a 101-28 overall record during that span, is the Cougars' career rebounding leader with 1,084 rebounds. He also ranks third in school history with 1,947 career points. In addition, he is in the top ten in career field goals made, career three-pointers made, career blocked shots, career assists, and career steals.
Kyle Gerhart, a 5-foot-10 senior point guard from Bucyrus, Ohio, was named to the AMC Second Team. The former All-Ohioan at Wynford High School is averaging 8.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game to go along with a team-high 164 assists and 47 steals.
Gerhart, who ranks second on MVNC's career assists list with 607, has finished either first or second in the AMC in assists per game the last three seasons. He currently leads the conference this year by averaging 5.5 assists per game.
Kenny Chaffin, a 6-foot-6 sophomore forward from Marysville, Ohio, joined Gerhart on the AMC Second Team. The former All-Ohioan at Marysville High School is second on the Cougars' squad in scoring (15.6 points per game) and rebounding (6.9 boards per game). He leads the team by shooting 56.5 percent from the field (173-of-306), and he has blocked 34 shots.
After just two seasons, Chaffin already ranks ninth in career blocked shots with 54. He has also scored 585 points and grabbed 262 rebounds in 61 career games.
Phil Argento, a 6-foot-2 freshman guard from Grafton, Ohio, was chosen as the AMC Freshman of the Year after leading all freshmen in the conference with a 12.7 points per game average. The former Division III Player of the Year at Lutheran West High School has also nailed 70-of-172 three-point attempts (40.7 percent) to lead MVNC.
The Cougars are currently 23-7 and ranked #14 in the final NAIA Division II national poll. MVNC is the top seed in the AMC Tournament that starts with quarterfinal games on Thursday. The Cougars have a bye and will host either fourth-seeded Ohio Dominican College or fifth-seeded Malone College at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
