North Platte Community College men’s basketball coach Kevin O’Connor and three players have received all-conference honors and a pair of players top the All-Region IX south team.
Courtney Murrell and Jakub Karwowski received All-South Region IX first-team honors, joining Western Nebraska’s Jervay Green. O’Connor was named Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference Coach of the year with three Knights named to the team as well.
ALL REGION IX TEAM: In winning first-team All-Region south honors, Courtney Murrell, a 6-0 freshman guard from Plano, Texas, averaged 15.1 points per game – sixth best in the south region. He shot 48.5 percent from the field, averaged 5.3 rebounds per game and 3.2 assists. Defensively he led all south players with 57 steals on the season.
Jahub Karwowsk, a 7-1 sophomore center from Warsaw, Poland, averaged 9.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. He shot 70.6 percent from the field, tops among all players in the region. He was second in the south in rebounds per game and topped the south with 66 blocked shots this season.
Jervay Green rounds out the three players named to the first team. He led all scorers in the Region IX south with 23.6 points per game. He shot 54.7 percent from the floor, averaged 5.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. He was second in the south with 55 steals and third in assists with 98.
The second team is led by a pair of Western Nebraska players in Dru Kuxhausen, who was second in the south in scoring averaging 19.1 points per game and Martin Roub, who was third in scoring with 16.8 points per game. Isaac Essein, Trinidad State, is the other second-teamer. He averaged 10.7 and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Third team members included: Jubrile Belo, Lamar Community College, Wesley Harris, Otero Junior College, and Nyk Lange, Northeastern Junior College. Players receiving honorable mention included: Brevin Brimble, Lamar Community College; Ian Kelly, Trinidad State; Sam Mack, Otero Junior College; Peanut Cunningham, McCook.
NCCAC: Coach Kevin O’Connor, was named Nebraska Community College Coach of the Year and three of his players were named to the team in Murrell, Karwowski and Tim Johnson.
Johnson, a 6-3 freshman from Arlington, Texas was fourth in south sub-region in scoring, averaging 15.9 points per game along with 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He shot 52.1 percent from the field, 34.7 percent from the 3-point line and 86.2 percent from the free-throw line – second among all south region players.
Others named to the team were (from McCook CC) Tyrek Battle-Holley, Peanut Cunningham, and Mardrez McBride; (from Central CC), Latrell Talley, Tre Crawford; (from Southeast CC), Ray Harding and Ben Moss. Kenan Gray, received honorable mention.