Meet the Kansas City-based NAIA’s 2020 All-America teams, including a player from Park
There was no NAIA men’s basketball tournament this year for just the second time since 1944, when it was called off because of World War II.
That didn’t stop the Kansas City-based college athletics organization from unveiling its annual All-America men’s basketball teams Thursday, a 2019-20 lineup of NAIA Division I standouts that includes a second-teamer from nearby Park University: junior swingman Cory Reeves.
Chris Coffey of Kentucky powerhouse Georgetown was recognized as the NAIA National Player of the Year and John Moore of Westmont in California as NAIA Coach of the Year.
Second-teamer Reeves, who hails from Rochester, New York, averaged 17.04 points per game this season on 42.9% shooting. He shot 35.6% from three-point range and had a dunk in the early-March American Midwest Conference tournament that made its way to ESPN’s Sportscenter, where it ranked No. 3 on Plays Of The Night.
Three teams of 10 players each comprised the first-, second- and third-team All-America rosters, and 55 additional players earned honorable mention.
Coffey ranked No. 1 in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (9.3), rebounds per game (12.7) and total rebounds (407). He also ranked No. 2 in field-goal percentage (63.9%) and total assists (237).
On Friday, Coffey and Kyle Mangas of Indiana Wesleyan were named Players of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
Moore, meanwhile, led Westmont to a 26-5 record and No. 7 ranking in the final NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. The Warriors won the Golden State Athletic Conference regular-season title in his 27th season as head coach. Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) coach Austin Johnson and Holy Cross College’s Mike McBride were named NABC Coaches of the Year.
The NAIA first team includes: Randy Bell, Dalton State (Ga.), guard; Coffey, Georgetown, forward; Deshawn Munson, Harris-Stowe (Mo.), guard; Traquan Knight, LSU Shreveport (La.), guard, sr.; Ashford Golden, Mid-America Christian (Okla.), forward, sr.; Zaccheus Darko-Kelly, Providence (Mont.), guard, jr.; Nykolas Mason, SAGU (Texas), guard, soph.; Morris Dunnigan, Talladega (Ala.), Joliet, guard, sr.; Abram Carrasco, Westmont (Calif.), guard, jr.; Dexter Hood, William Penn (Iowa), forward, sr.
Second team: Dane Warp, Carroll (Mont.), guard, sr.; Darius Lasley, Clarke (Iowa), guard, sr.; Tevin Olison, Cumberlands (Ky.), guard, jr.; Malik Amos, Dillard (La.), guard, jr.; Milan Skundric, Faulkner (Ala.), forward, sr.; Chris Vickers, LSU Alexandria (La.), forward, sr.; Cory Reeves, Park (Mo.), forward, jr.; Tim Soares, The Master’s (Calif.), center, sr.; JJ Culver, Wayland Baptist (Texas), guard, sr.; William Loyd, Xavier (La.); forward, sr.
Third team: C.J. Williamson, Faulkner (Ala.), forward, soph.; Bryan Battle, Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.), guard, sr.; Eljay Cowherd, Georgetown (Ky.), guard, sr.; Luke Harper, John Brown (Ark.), guard, soph; Damek Mitchell; Lewis-Clark State (Idaho),guard, jr; Reece Brooks, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), guard, sr.; Gilbert Thomas, LSU Shreveport (La.), forward, sr.; John Paine, Menlo (Calif.), forward, sr.; Brock Gardner, The Master’s (Calif.), forward, sr.; Kevion Blaylock, William Penn (Iowa), forward, jr.
KC-area honorable mentions: Jaiden Bristol, Benedictine (Kan.); Justin Shaw, Columbia (Mo.); Cade Coffman, Evangel (Mo.); Virgil Walker, Jr., Graceland (Iowa); Duane Clark, Jr., Harris-Stowe (Mo.); Anthony Brown, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.); Dakota Quinn, MidAmerica Nazarene.
This story was originally published March 26, 2020 at 2:25 PM.