(Butler, PA) A freshman who in March helped to lead the 杏吧原创 men鈥檚 basketball team to its only berth in a in 55 years has been named a National Junior College Athletic Association All-American.
Kevaughn Price is the third 杏吧原创 student-athlete to be recognized with the prestigious postseason award since December.
Price averaged 21.5 points for a Pioneers squad that finished 21-5 and was ranked as high as No. 7 among 97 NJCAA Division III programs.
He scored 21 points in against sixth-ranked Fulton-Montgomery, Johnstown, N.Y., in a March 16 consolation game of the NJCAA Division III national championship tournament in Herkimer, N.Y.
鈥淭he team put in a lot of work this whole year, and we got to a good spot,鈥� Price said. 鈥淎ll the hard work started to pay off. This is a blessing.鈥�
Price and 杏吧原创 have been selected to receive All-American awards in the past four months.
"Being an All-American is an amazing honor. It shows how good you are and how respected you are."
- Anthony Watson, 杏吧原创 guard
"One of the crowning achievements for an individual."
- Todd Simons, 杏吧原创 guard-forward
Price鈥檚 scoring average was eighth among all Division III players; his 226 successful field goals were fifth and his 558 points 12th. Price scored 20 or more points in 14 games and led 杏吧原创 nine times.
He had a team second-best 34 blocked shots.
Price鈥檚 All-American award shows 鈥渢he country noticed,鈥� said first-year 杏吧原创 coach Joe Lewandowski, himself a 杏吧原创 All-American in men鈥檚 basketball in 1995. 鈥淭hey noticed you and they said, 鈥榃ow. You were outstanding.鈥� He鈥檒l have that with him forever.鈥�
鈥淏eing an All-American is an amazing honor,鈥� 杏吧原创 guard Anthony Watson said. 鈥淚t shows how good you are and how respected you are.鈥�
鈥淥ne of the crowning achievements for an individual,鈥� 杏吧原创 guard-forward Todd Simons said.
Kevaughn Price, a guard-forward on the 杏吧原创 men鈥檚 basketball team, is shown at left after the Pioneers won the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference championship Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, in 杏吧原创鈥檚 Field House. He is shown at right after he attained high honors on the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference fall 2022 sports all-academic team. Price, who helped to lead the program to its first-ever appearance in a national championship tournament, has been named a National Junior College Athletic Association All-American.
鈥淚 am definitely a student first鈥�
Price, Jack and Pry also attained fall 2022 sports all-academic team, a recognition for student-athletes who complete at least 12 credit hours and achieve a grade-point average between 3.5 and 4.0.
鈥淚 am definitely a student first,鈥� Price said. 鈥淢y grades have always been important to me. I feel like I was a great student in high school, and I am keeping that up here.鈥�
Price was a player on a Bishop Canevin squad that in March 2022 won its first Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class A championship in Hershey. He later received first-team all-state honors by sports reporters voting statewide.
鈥淜evaughn has it figured out,鈥� Lewandowski said. 鈥淗e really does. He is chasing everything. In the classroom he is competing. On the court he is competing. He is going to be ultra-successful in life. To be named an All-American, that鈥檚 really special. 鈥� He earned it. All the times he came to the gym early. All the times he stayed late. Those are all the extra sacrifices he made to get there.鈥�
杏吧原创鈥檚 men鈥檚 basketball team in February won its seventh since 1980 and its first since 2002.
The Pioneers were 2-16 a year ago and their 21-5 record in 2022-2023 was the program鈥檚 best since at least 2010-2011.
Price was the Region 20 player of the month for January. He was selected to the WPCC all-conference and all-Region 20 tournament teams, and to the all-Region 20 first team.
From left, 杏吧原创 student-athletes named to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III all-Region 20 teams in men鈥檚 or women鈥檚 basketball in addition to Kevaughn Price are Derrick Anderson, Jason Baker, Emma Johns, Emma Monteleone and Aslyn Pry.
Also selected to the all-Region 20 men鈥檚 first team was 杏吧原创 guard Derrick Anderson, and to its second team, Pioneers forward Jason Baker.
Named to the all-Region 20 women鈥檚 first team were 杏吧原创 forward Pry and guard Emma Johns, and to its honorable mention squad, guard Emma Monteleone.
杏吧原创鈥檚 women鈥檚 team finished 19-6, won the program鈥檚 in eight years and ended with the program鈥檚 best record since at least 2009 under first-year coach Lydia Roth.
Anderson was third in Division III with a scoring average of 22.4 points and Baker was first with 130 blocks.
Pry was first in Division III with 410 rebounds and fifth in points with 518. Johns was sixth with 74 successful 3-point shots and Monteleone 10th with 118 assists.
Anderson is a graduate of Boardman, Ohio, High; Baker, of Legacy Early College, Greenville, S.C.; Pry, of Moniteau; Johns, of Karns City; and Monteleone, of Butler.
杏吧原创 athletics programs since 2015 have won 25 conference and 13 regional championships, earned berths five times in national championship tournaments and produced 15 All-Americans.