CHICAGO – Ten City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) basketball players were selected to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Region IV Team after a vote by the Region coaches.
Each of the six City Colleges that participates in basketball had at least one All-Region IV performer. The 10 CCC recipients are the most since 2014-15 (12 selections).
Malcolm X College accounted for three of the picks as sophomores Rochelle Davis-Scott (Hyde Park Academy) and Damaris Green (Proviso East H.S.) claimed spots on the 10-player Division I women’s team, while freshman Oliver McCall (Thornridge H.S.) was chosen to the Division I men’s second team.
Joining Davis-Scott and Green on the Division I women's team were sophomore Lamichael Dean (Dunbar H.S.) of Kennedy-King College and Richard J. Daley College freshman Polet Torbellia (Pachuca, Mexico).
Also on the women’s side, sophomore Sierra Sanders (Al Raby H.S.) of Wilbur Wright College garnered Division II first-team honors.
Olive-Harvey College sophomore Kendrick Robinson (Harper H.S.) was voted to the Division I men’s first team. Freshman Clavone Hillard (North Lawndale Community Prep) of Daley and Harry S Truman College sophomore Keishun Thomas (St. Patrick H.S.) made the Division I men’s second team.
Wright sophomore David Jasson (Uplift Community H.S.) earned Division II second-team recognition.
As a result of being among the top-three vote getters on their respective teams, Dean, Sanders and Robinson have been nominated for NJCAA All-America accolades.
A 5-foot, 6-inch guard/forward, Davis-Scott averaged 12.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.3 steals and 3.8 assists per game this season. She ranked first on Malcolm X in steals and assists and second in scoring and rebounding. Among NJCAA Division I players, Davis-Scott was fifth in the country with 111 steals.
Davis-Scott produced career highs of 26 points against Daley on February 12 and 12 assists in the Truman game January 22. Her 12 rebounds versus Wright in the season opener November 8 tied her all-time best, while her nine steals against Joliet Junior College on December 6 were her top total of the year.
Davis-Scott is pursuing an Associate in Arts degree at Malcolm X.
Green led Malcolm X with a 13.4 points-per-game average. The 5-foot, 7-inch forward also contributed 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
One of three MXC players to start all 24 games in 2018-19, Green scored a personal-best 30 points against Kennedy-King on January 12. In all, she scored 27 or more points four times.
Green’s 10 rebounds versus Harper College on December 11 and Sauk Valley Community College on February 22 equaled her career best, while her four steals against Wright and Truman were her season highs.
Green’s performance in the win over Harper helped her get named Region IV Division I Player of the Week for the seven-day period ending December 16 as she averaged 21.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in two Malcolm X victories.
Green is seeking an Associate in General Studies degree at Malcolm X.
Dean topped Kennedy-King with averages of 18.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.9 steals and 0.9 blocks per game. She placed seventh in Division I in rebounding and 19th in scoring.
Dean scored a career-high 37 points against Glen Oaks Community College (Mich.) in the second game of the season November 3. Her nine steals in the Daley game February 26 and four blocks versus Malcolm X on January 12 were personal bests as well.
Dean, a 6-foot, 1-inch guard/forward, grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds against Sauk Valley Community College on February 2.
A 20-point scorer once as a freshman in 2016-17, Dean surpassed that mark six times this campaign. In addition, she received Region IV Division I Player of the Week plaudits January 28 after averaging 11.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 2.0 assists in two games.
Dean is in the process of earning an Associate in Arts degree at Kennedy-King.
Torbellia’s 11.8 points and 1.9 steals per-game averages led Daley. The 5-foot, 7-inch forward was second among the Bulldogs with a 6.8 rebounds-per-game clip.
Torbellia’ 20 points in the Kennedy-King game January 26 and 16 rebounds versus Truman on January 8 were her season highs. Along with the rebounds, Torbellia also scored 10 points against Truman to publish her first collegiate double-double. She recorded four steals in the contest to equal her personal best (also had four steals in two additional games).
Torbellia is pursuing an Associate in Arts degree at Daley.
Among Wright’s players, Sanders was first with averages of 21.3 points, 13.7 rebounds, 4.0 steals and 2.9 blocks per game. Her 2.6 assists-per-game average was good for second among the Rams.
Sanders, a 6-foot forward, was seventh nationally in NJCAA Division II in rebounding, ninth in steals, 10th in blocks and 14th in scoring.
The All-Region IV recognition marks the fourth honor bestowed upon Sanders this season as she was named Division II Player of the Week by the NJCAA as well as Region IV for the seven-day period ending February 17 in addition to being voted to the All-North Central Community College Conference first team.
In 26 games this season, Sanders had 18 double-doubles. She had career highs of 31 points against Truman on November 13, seven blocks at Harper on January 16 and six assists in the Triton game February 16. Also in the Triton contest, Sanders grabbed a season-best 26 rebounds. Her eight steals against Morton College in the season opener November 1 were her top total of the campaign.
Sanders, who is being heavily recruited by NCAA Division I and Division II as well as NAIA colleges, is seeking an Associate in Arts degree at Wright.
McCall was Malcolm X’s leading scorer, averaging 18.7 points in each of his 28 games this season. The 6-foot, 3-inch forward/center also averaged 8.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals and compiled 27 blocks to finish second among the Hawks in all three categories.
McCall eclipsed the 30-point plateau four times with his best showing coming against Daley on January 19 when he netted 40 points. He coupled that with 15 rebounds to post one of his 12 double-doubles for the season.
The 15 boards versus Daley were one shy of McCall’s season high of 16, which he collected in the Truman game on February 9. His other personal bests were six steals against Harper on December 11 and three blocks in a game (twice).
McCall is enrolled in Malcolm X’s Associate in Arts program.
Robinson ranked first on Olive-Harvey with per-game averages of 20.7 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.9 steals. He finished 19th in NJCAA Division I in scoring.
The owner of 13 double-doubles and one triple-double in 30 games, Robinson scored 30 or more points four times, including the Morton game December 11 when he recorded a career-high 41 points. In his lone triple-double in his two-year stint at Olive-Harvey, Robinson had 12 points, 17 rebounds and an all-time-best 10 assists in the Truman game February 12.
A 6-foot, 5-inch guard/forward, Robinson's 18 rebounds against Malcolm X on January 8 and four blocks versus Wright on November 17 marked his career bests. He had four steals in a game on five occasions this season.
Robinson is on track to earn an Associate in General Studies degree in May.
Hillard ranked first on Daley in scoring and rebounding, averaging 19.0 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. The 6-foot, 4-inch guard/forward, who was ninth in the country among NJCAA Division I players in rebounding, placed second on the team with a 2.4 assists-per-game clip.
Hillard claimed the final NJCAA Division I Player of the Week award of the regular season on February 24 after averaging 30.0 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals in each of the Bulldogs’ three games during the week. He converted 50.8 percent (33 of 65) of his field goals, including 50 percent (6 of 12) from three-point range.
In the regular-season finale, Hillard produced career highs of 41 points and 22 rebounds in addition to contributing four assists and two steals in a victory over Olive-Harvey on February 23. That was one of 13 double-doubles he authored in 27 games.
Hillard is in the process of obtaining an Associate in Arts degree at Daley.
Thomas, who started 58 of Truman’s 60 games the last two years, including all 31 contests in 2018-19, averaged team highs of 15.7 points, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game this season. He also connected on a team-best 85.5 percent of his free throws.
A 5-foot, 11-inch guard, Thomas tallied his first two collegiate double-doubles this winter, registering 14 points and 11 rebounds against Malcolm X on February 9 and 20 points along with 10 assists versus Kishwaukee College on February 23. His rebounding and assist totals in those games marked his career highs, while his 28 points in the Lincoln Land Community College game December 20 were a season best.
Thomas is on course to graduate with an Associate in Arts degree in May.
Jasson was added to Wright’s roster in January and averaged 24.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in the Rams’ final 13 games of the season. He also made 83.8 percent of his free throws.
In his fourth and final double-double, Jasson scored a personal-best 43 points and tied his season high of 15 rebounds in the Milwaukee Area Technical College (Wis.) game February 13. Other highlights included his 40 points in the first meeting with Milwaukee Area on January 19 and 15 rebounds versus Madison College (Wis.) on January 12.
Jasson is pursuing an Associate in Arts degree at Wright.
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