South Suburban's Lewis, Waubonsee's McAuley earn Players of the Year honors in Region IV Division II

South Suburban's Lewis, Waubonsee's McAuley earn Players of the Year honors in Region IV Division II

A guard and a forward/center took home top billing as sophomores Rhyss Lewis of South Suburban College and Josh McAuley of Waubonsee Community College were selected District 3 & 4 Players of the Year, respectively, to headline the two NJCAA Region IV Division II Men's Basketball All-Region Teams. The duo were joined by Lewis' teammate Chris Johnson, as well as Shannon Sanford of Milwaukee Area Technical College and Tyrone Rhivers of Morton College, as the region's All-American nominees. The Panthers, who won the District 4 Championship, led all teams with three postseason honorees, while fellow District 3 champion MATC-Milwaukee, South Suburban College, Bryant & Stratton College, and Waubonsee Community College each received two selections.

Lewis, 6'2" guard from Chesterton, Indiana, led the region in scoring and finished second in the country at 26.6 points per game, to go along with 4.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He shot 44% on the season, 43% outside the arc, and 83% at the charity stripe.

McAuley, a 6'8" forward/center from Aurora, Illinois, averaged 26.4 points per game, which finished as the third-highest mark in the country. He also averaged 11.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists, while shooting 57% from the field, 45% from long range, and 79% at the free throw line. 

2019 Region IV Division II District 3 All-Region Team

First Team
*Rhyss Lewis - South Suburban College (Player of the Year)
*Shannon Sanford - Milwaukee Area Technical College
*Chris Johnson - South Suburban College
Deandrey Robinson - Carl Sandburg College
D'Angelo Young-Prior - Milwaukee Area Technical College

*All-American Nominee

Second Team
Justin Brookens - Bryant & Stratton College
Luke Davis - Kishwaukee College
Joe Duty - Bryant & Stratton College
David Jasson - Wilbur Wright College
Jacob Pauley - Black Hawk College

2019 Region IV Division II District 4 All-Region Team

First Team
*Josh McAuley - Waubonsee Community College (Player of the Year)
*Tyrone Rhivers - Morton College
Jataryan Dejareaux - Prairie State College
Jordan Irving - Oakton Community College
Cortez King - Moraine Valley Community College

*All-American nominations

Second Team
Edward Clary - Morton College
Kris Dixon - Waubonsee Community College
Tyric Edwards - Morton College
Elijah Wychers - College of Lake County