ELITE FATE: OKWU hoopster joins NAIA All-America First Team
In an elite group dominated by juniors and seniors, Oklahoma Wesleyan University sophomore Jaden Lietzke proved more than his worth in this year’s NAIA Men’s Basketball First-Team All-America list.
The Eagle sophomore was one of just three non-upperclassmen to complete the 12-man group.
His credentials were impeccable — 28.5 minutes per game, 15.7 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game and an incredible 70-percent shooting percentage from the field. Lietzke also blocked nearly 1.5 shots per game.
The Owasso-area product was the lone forward/center player.
He also joined Cevin Clark (Southwestern College) as the only two members of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference on the First Team.
Alex LittleJohn (Kansas Wesleyan) made the All-America Third Team to put another conference player in the spotlight.
Rounding out OKWU’s impact on the NAIA All-America roll call was Kaleb Stokes on the Honorable Mention group.
Stokes played 27.7 points per game, yanked down 7.3 rebounds and handed out 2.4 assists per game. He also scored 13.4 ppg and nailed 33 percent of his three-point shots.
Other conference players that earned Honorable Mention status included Clifford Byrd II (Bethel) and Solomon Clayton (Bethany).
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WOMEN
No OKWU players received NAIA Women’s Basketball All-America recognition.
Following are some of the KCAC players honored on the lists.
Taya Wilson (Sterling, Second Team), Karsen Schultz (Sterling, Third Team), , Emily Weathers (Bethany, Honorable Mention), Nicole Brown (Ottawa, Honorable Mention), Bailey Albright (Sterling, Honorable Mention) and Zoe Rust (Tabor, Honorable Mention).
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: OKWU basketball players receive postseason honors
