McLennan Basketball squads claim all-conference awards

The McLennan men's and women's basketball squads claimed a slew of North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference (NTJCAC) awards for their performances this season.

Highlanders head coach Kevin Gill was named the NTJCAC Coach of the Year after leading the squad to the conference championship with a record of 12-2 and finishing the season with an overall record of 25-5.

Sophomore guard Chris Pryor was named the NTJCAC Player of the Year and Dillon Gooding, also a sophomore guard, was named the Defensive Player of the Year. Pryor, from DeSoto, was the leading scorer for the Highlanders, averaging 12.3 points per game, and also led the squad with 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Gooding, a Killeen native, averaged 9.2 points, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Both Pryor and Gooding were named first-team all-conference and all-region selections.

Freshman guard CJ Hall received second-team all-conference honors. Hall, also a Killeen native, was second on the team with a 9.5 points per game average and 1.6 assists per game. Honorable mention all-conference honors went to sophomore guard Diego Gonzalez, sophomore forward Kirk Smith Jr, freshman forward Nehemiah Nuckolls and sophomore forward Justin Wilson. Gonzalez, from Puerto Rico and a Midway High School graduate, averaged 8.2 points,1.3 assists and 2.6 steals per game. California native Kirk Smith Jr. averaged 6.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and led the team with 0.8 blocks per game. Nuckolls, also from Killeen, averaged 6.2 points and was second on the squad with a 4.7 rebounds per game average. Wilson, from Oklahoma City, was the leading rebounder with 4.9 per game and to go along with 8.2 points and 0.5 blocks.

For the Highlassies, sophomore guard Mersadez Nephew was named first-team all-conference and an all-region selection. Nephew, from Willis, led the team with 14.3 points and 1.9 steals along with 2.1 assists per game.

Sophomore guard Kinley Brown, sophomore forward Brielle Dorsey, sophomore guard Miannah Little and sophomore guard Valisa Millhouse all received honorable mention all-conference honors. Brown, a Duncanville native, averaged 8.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Dorsey, another Killeen native, led the team in rebounding with 6.8 per game along with 9.6 points and 1.0 blocks. Little, a Connally High School graduate, was second on the team 10.8 points and 3.0 assists per game along with 2.7 rebounds. Millhouse, also from California, led the team in assists with 3.1 to go along with 6.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.