Stevenson Earns NJCAA All-American Honors
Following one of the best freshman seasons in Seward County Basketball history, Saints guard Niem Stevenson capped his 2013-2014 honors on Thursday as he was announced as a 3rd Team NJCAA All-American.
Stevenson was nothing short of incredible during his freshman season with the Saints, leading the team in scoring at 19.3 points per game, more than 7 points more per night than the next closest Seward player. Stevenson continued to get better and better during his first year in green and white this season, taking his game to another level during Jayhawk West Conference play as well as Region VI Tournament play. Stevenson averaged 18 points per game in nine November contests to open the season, then dipped to 11 points per game in four outings in December. After the break though he was unstoppable. Stevenson averaged 20 per game in eight January contests to open conference play and upped that to 21 per game in eight February games and finished the year putting up 27 per game in three Region VI Tournament contests. Stevenson scored 20 or more points in 17 different games and topped the 30 point mark four times including a season high 36 point outburst against Garden City late in the year. Not just a scorer, Stevenson led the Saints with 1.6 steals per game and finished second on the team in rebounding at 5.3 per night. He had 12 games of 7 or more rebounds and had at least 1 steal in 28 of the Saints 32 games this season.
With Stevenson being named All-American, the Saints have now had an NJCAA All-American in four straight seasons, the first time in school history that that has been accomplished. Stevenson is the first Seward freshman to be named All-American since Carlo Walton was in the 1993-1994 season. Stevenson was one of just six freshman named to any of the first three All-American teams this season. He was one of three Jayhawk Conference players honored in Thursday's release, joined by Hutchinson's Kadeem Allen (1st Team) and Independence's Tarik Phillip (Honorable Mention).