McLean County Times

Senior Duo Earn All-CCIW Status for Men’s Hoops

Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball seniors Cody Mitchell (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles East) and Lucas Heflen (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North) were named to the All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin squads Monday afternoon, Feb. 20, as the league office announced its postseason accolades. Mitchell was voted a unanimous first team selection, while Heflen garnered second team status. Junior Ryan Sroka (Lake in the Hills, Ill.-Huntley) was named IWU's recipient of the RESPECT Award.

Mitchell emerged as one of the top players in the conference over the course of the year, finishing the regular season ranked atop the CCIW in rebounding and tied for fourth in scoring. Mitchell grabbed a league-best 10.2 rebounds per game to go along with 15.4 points per contest as he averaged a double-double for the Green and White. Amid a career year, Mitchell sits tied for seventh in CCIW games with a field goal percentage of 50.3 percent. He is also fifth in blocks (13) and 10th in free throw percentage (67.9). The St. Charles, Ill. native recorded a double-double in 9-of-16 CCIW games.

A co-captain alongside Mitchell and Sroka, Heflen put up 14.6 points per game over the 16-game CCIW slate, good for a tie for eighth-best in the conference. His 2.1 three-pointers made per game rank tied for second in the league, while his 1.2 steals a contest tied for 15th-best. Heflen was one of IWU's most utilized players throughout the regular season, finishing ranked fourth in minutes per game at 35.8. Illinois Wesleyan's recipient of the RESPECT Award a season ago, Heflen posted five 20-point games in conference play this year.

Illinois Wesleyan, the No. 6 seed in this week's CCIW Tournament, travels to Kenosha, Wis. for a rematch with Carthage College Tuesday night, Feb. 21. Tipoff of the quarterfinal battle is slated for 7 p.m. inside Tarble Arena.

Fred Young Most Outstanding Student-Athlete
Tyson Cruickshank, Wheaton

First-Year Student-Athlete of the Year
Julian Campbell, Carthage

Coach of the Year
Mike Schauer, Wheaton

All-CCIW First Team
*Fillip Bulatovic, Carthage
Jonathan Zapinski, Elmhurst
*Cody Mitchell, Illinois Wesleyan
*Matthew Helwig, North Central
Shemar Pumphrey, North Park
*Kolden Vanlandingham, North Park
*TJ Askew, Wheaton
*Tyson Cruickshank, Wheaton

* -- Unanimous selections

All-CCIW Second Team
Daniel Carr, Augustana
AJ Johnson, Carthage
Antuan Nesbitt, Carthage
John Ittounas, Elmhurst
Lucas Heflen, Illinois Wesleyan
Mitch Lewis, North Central
Marquise Jackson, North Park
Nick Schiavello, Wheaton

CCIW RESPECT Award Winners
Matt Hanushewsky, Augustana
Justin Gruber, Carroll
Luke Barach, Carthage
Matt Wolock, Elmhurst
Ryan Sroka, Illinois Wesleyan
Cole Laurence, Millikin
Shea Cupples, North Central
Jalen Boyd, North Park
Eddie Scott, Wheaton

Original source can be found here