KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Three members of the Lincoln men's basketball team received all-conference honors, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced on Tuesday (Feb. 28).
Artese Stapleton was named to the All-MIAA first team, and
Sai Witt was selected as an All-MIAA honorable mention.
Kevin Kone was recognized twice, as he was named to the All-MIAA second team and was selected for the MIAA's All-Defensive Team.
Stapleton averaged 16.9 points, reaching double figures in 24 of his 25 games. That average was the fourth-best in the MIAA this season, while his 150 total field goals were the seventh-most in the league. Stapleton also finished the year fourth in the league in minutes played (34.2), eighth in field goal percentage (.455) and eighth in assists per game (3.3). He additionally led LU with 32 steals and averaged 4.8 rebounds per game.
Kone led NCAA Division II in rebounds per game (12.8), offensive boards per contest (4.9) and total rebounds (320), and tied for the national lead with 16 double-doubles this regular season. Kone, who averaged 13.1 points per night, also led the MIAA and was fifth in the country in defensive rebounding with 7.9 per night. Kone finished with 28 blocks on the year, the sixth-most in the conference, and tallied 21 assists and 14 steals. He also posted the MIAA's fifth-best field goal percentage (.515).
Witt finished the regular season with 14.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, with the latter number being the fourth-most in the MIAA. Witt, who was 14th in the league in scoring, also finished second in the MIAA in offensive rebounding (2.7) and fifth in defensive rebounding (5.1). On the season, Witt shot .462 from the field, dished 24 assists, registered 18 steals and blocked 13 shots. This is the second time that the MIAA has honored Witt, as he was named to the all-conference second team in 2020-21.
The Blue Tigers will be in Kansas City on Friday (March 3) to play Emporia State in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Men's Basketball Championship. Tip-off in Municipal Auditorium is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CST.
