Men's Basketball Places Three On All-MAC Teams
3/9/2022 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Three players for the Ohio Bobcats earned Mid-American Conference postseason honors, the conference announced today (March 9). Ohio redshirt-senior Ben Vander Plas (Ripon, Wis.) and sophomore Mark Sears (Muscle Shoals, Ala.) have been named to the All-MAC First-Team, while fifth-year senior Jason Carter (Johnstown, Ohio) earned All-MAC Third Team recognition.
Vander Plas has earned MAC postseason honors a total of four times, with this year being his first All-MAC First Team recognition. He earned MAC Freshman of the Year and a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team after the 2018-19 season, and two subsequent All-MAC Third Team honors after the last two seasons. Vander Plas finished the regular season second in the team in scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game, good for second-most in a single season during his career. He averaged 45.6% shooting from the field overall, and continued to be a consistent threat from beyond the arc, shooting 34.1% from deep. He averaged the second-most rebounds in a season this year, grabbing 6.7 boards per contest, and was extremely active on defense, snagging a career best 57 steals this season.
This season, Sears built off of his successful freshman campaign, a year in which he earned a spot on the MAC All-Freshman team. The sophomore point guard started every game for the Bobcats this season and led the team in scoring, averaging 19.4 points per game, on 45.2% shooting from the field overall and 41.6% from beyond the arc. He led the team in free throw percentage, going 165 for 181 from the charity stripe, good for 91.2% on the season, and had the second-most steals on the team with 53. On the board, the sophomore guard made his presence known, grabbing the third-most rebounds on the team with 181 total, good for 5.8 boards per game. He also dished out a team-leading 133 assists during the season. He set a new career-high in scoring in late December, when he poured in 33 points against USC Upstate, and reeled in a career-high 13 rebounds in Ohio's game against Bowling Green in early March.
Carter made his return to Athens this season, and has earned his third All-MAC selection as a Bobcat. He started in every game that he played in and scored the second-most total points in a season during his career, putting up 408 total points, good for 13.6 points per game, on 46.1% shooting overall. His 27 points against Western Michigan in early February of this year was a new career-high for the fifth-year senior. On the defensive end of the floor, Carter recorded season-bests in both blocks (33) and steals (38), while also grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game. His 33 blocks this season led the team, and his 6.3 rebounds per game were second-most on the team.
Ohio starts postseason play on Thursday evening (March 10) as the No. 3 seed in the MAC Tournament. The Bobcats will play No. 6 seed Ball State in the final game of the day inside Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
2021-22 MAC Men's Basketball Postseason Awards
Coach of the Year: Rob Senderoff, Kent State
Player of the Year: Sincere Carry, R-Jr., G, Kent State
Freshman of the Year: Payton Sparks, Fr., C, Ball State
Defensive Player of the Year: Enrique Freeman, So., F, Akron
Sixth Man of the Year: Justyn Hamilton, R-Sr., F, Kent State
All-MAC First Team
Jeenathan Williams, Sr., F, Buffalo
Sincere Carry, R-Jr., G, Kent State
Mark Sears, So., G, Ohio
Ben Vander Plas, R-Sr., F, Ohio
Ryan Rollins, So., G, Toledo
All-MAC Second Team
Ali Ali, So., F, Akron
Enrique Freeman, So., F, Akron
Josh Mballa, Sr., F, Buffalo
Ronaldo Segu, Sr., G, Buffalo
JT Shumate, Jr., F, Toledo
All-MAC Third Team
Payton Sparks, Fr., C, Ball State
Daeqwon Plowden, 5th-Sr., G/F, Bowling Green
Jason Carter, 5th-Sr., F, Ohio
Setric Millner Jr., Jr., F, Toledo
Lamar Norman Jr., Jr., G, Western Michigan
Honorable Mention
Xavier Castaneda, Jr., G, Akron
Kevin Miller, Fr., G, Central Michigan
Malique Jacobs, R-Jr., F, Kent State
Dae Dae Grant, Jr., G, Miami
Keshawn Williams, So., G, Northern Illinois
All-Freshman Team
Payton Sparks, C, Ball State
Jaylin Sellers, G, Ball State
Kevin Miller, G, Central Michigan
Mo Njie, C, Eastern Michigan
Ra'Heim Moss, G, Toledo
All-Defensive Team
Enrique Freeman, So., F, Akron
Daeqwon Plowden, 5th-Sr., G/F, Bowling Green
Josh Mballa, Sr., F, Buffalo
Malique Jacobs, R-Jr., F, Kent State
Sincere Carry, R-Jr., G, Kent State
#OUohyeah
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Three players for the Ohio Bobcats earned Mid-American Conference postseason honors, the conference announced today (March 9). Ohio redshirt-senior Ben Vander Plas (Ripon, Wis.) and sophomore Mark Sears (Muscle Shoals, Ala.) have been named to the All-MAC First-Team, while fifth-year senior Jason Carter (Johnstown, Ohio) earned All-MAC Third Team recognition.
Vander Plas has earned MAC postseason honors a total of four times, with this year being his first All-MAC First Team recognition. He earned MAC Freshman of the Year and a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team after the 2018-19 season, and two subsequent All-MAC Third Team honors after the last two seasons. Vander Plas finished the regular season second in the team in scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game, good for second-most in a single season during his career. He averaged 45.6% shooting from the field overall, and continued to be a consistent threat from beyond the arc, shooting 34.1% from deep. He averaged the second-most rebounds in a season this year, grabbing 6.7 boards per contest, and was extremely active on defense, snagging a career best 57 steals this season.
This season, Sears built off of his successful freshman campaign, a year in which he earned a spot on the MAC All-Freshman team. The sophomore point guard started every game for the Bobcats this season and led the team in scoring, averaging 19.4 points per game, on 45.2% shooting from the field overall and 41.6% from beyond the arc. He led the team in free throw percentage, going 165 for 181 from the charity stripe, good for 91.2% on the season, and had the second-most steals on the team with 53. On the board, the sophomore guard made his presence known, grabbing the third-most rebounds on the team with 181 total, good for 5.8 boards per game. He also dished out a team-leading 133 assists during the season. He set a new career-high in scoring in late December, when he poured in 33 points against USC Upstate, and reeled in a career-high 13 rebounds in Ohio's game against Bowling Green in early March.
Carter made his return to Athens this season, and has earned his third All-MAC selection as a Bobcat. He started in every game that he played in and scored the second-most total points in a season during his career, putting up 408 total points, good for 13.6 points per game, on 46.1% shooting overall. His 27 points against Western Michigan in early February of this year was a new career-high for the fifth-year senior. On the defensive end of the floor, Carter recorded season-bests in both blocks (33) and steals (38), while also grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game. His 33 blocks this season led the team, and his 6.3 rebounds per game were second-most on the team.
Ohio starts postseason play on Thursday evening (March 10) as the No. 3 seed in the MAC Tournament. The Bobcats will play No. 6 seed Ball State in the final game of the day inside Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
2021-22 MAC Men's Basketball Postseason Awards
Coach of the Year: Rob Senderoff, Kent State
Player of the Year: Sincere Carry, R-Jr., G, Kent State
Freshman of the Year: Payton Sparks, Fr., C, Ball State
Defensive Player of the Year: Enrique Freeman, So., F, Akron
Sixth Man of the Year: Justyn Hamilton, R-Sr., F, Kent State
All-MAC First Team
Jeenathan Williams, Sr., F, Buffalo
Sincere Carry, R-Jr., G, Kent State
Mark Sears, So., G, Ohio
Ben Vander Plas, R-Sr., F, Ohio
Ryan Rollins, So., G, Toledo
All-MAC Second Team
Ali Ali, So., F, Akron
Enrique Freeman, So., F, Akron
Josh Mballa, Sr., F, Buffalo
Ronaldo Segu, Sr., G, Buffalo
JT Shumate, Jr., F, Toledo
All-MAC Third Team
Payton Sparks, Fr., C, Ball State
Daeqwon Plowden, 5th-Sr., G/F, Bowling Green
Jason Carter, 5th-Sr., F, Ohio
Setric Millner Jr., Jr., F, Toledo
Lamar Norman Jr., Jr., G, Western Michigan
Honorable Mention
Xavier Castaneda, Jr., G, Akron
Kevin Miller, Fr., G, Central Michigan
Malique Jacobs, R-Jr., F, Kent State
Dae Dae Grant, Jr., G, Miami
Keshawn Williams, So., G, Northern Illinois
All-Freshman Team
Payton Sparks, C, Ball State
Jaylin Sellers, G, Ball State
Kevin Miller, G, Central Michigan
Mo Njie, C, Eastern Michigan
Ra'Heim Moss, G, Toledo
All-Defensive Team
Enrique Freeman, So., F, Akron
Daeqwon Plowden, 5th-Sr., G/F, Bowling Green
Josh Mballa, Sr., F, Buffalo
Malique Jacobs, R-Jr., F, Kent State
Sincere Carry, R-Jr., G, Kent State
#OUohyeah
Players Mentioned
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