OKLAHOMA CITY – The Sooner Athletic Conference unveiled its 2023-24 All-Conference Teams on Thursday afternoon as five members of the MACU men's basketball team earned a distinguished honor.
Senior forward Seth Hurd was selected as a First Team honoree, senior guard Mikel Henderson took home All-SAC Second Team accolades, Eddie Smith was named the Sixth Man of the Year and was an All-SAC Honorable Mention, DeAngelo Adkins also garnered Honorable Mention and was Selected to the All-SAC Defensive Team and Jasiah Lewis rounded out the selections as an Honorable Mention recipient.
In his second season with the Evangels, Hurd has been one of the most prolific players in the paint in the league this season. MACU's leading scorer with 335 points (12.4 ppg), the Tulsa, Oklahoma native ranks second in the SAC in field goal percentage, shooting 145-of-254 (57.1 percent) and is one three Evangels to eclipse triple-digit rebounds at 113 (4.2 rpg).
Overall, Hurd has scored in double-digits 18 times this season, including 13 of his 14 games and scored a season-high 23 points in a 105-71 win over Kansas Christian on Dec. 16.
In his lone season at MACU, Henderson has been a major impact player in MACU's backcourt. The Independence, Missouri product is the squad's second-leading scorer, tallying 324 points (11.6 ppg) while shooting 105-for-269 (39.0 percent) and is the team's top three-point shooting, going 60-of-161 (37.3 percent) from behind the arc as well as the team's best free throw shooter at 54-for-66 (81.8 percent).
On-top of his scoring, Henderson has been one part of a dynamic backcourt trio with a positive assist-turnover ratio, tallying the third-most assists on the team with 67 (2.4 apg) and committing only 54 turnovers for a 1.2 A/TO ratio to go with 27 steals. On the whole, Henderson has scored in double-digits 16 times while pouring in a career-high 22 points in an 84-62 win over UNT Dallas on Senior Day inside the Gaulke Activity Center on Feb. 17.
Being selected as the league's Sixth Man of the Year as well as an All-SAC Honorable Mention, Smith has provided a dynamic midrange and three-point scoring threat off the Evangels bench. Overall, the Birmingham, Alabama native wrapped up the regular season with 286 points (11.0 ppg) on 98-of-233 (42.1 percent) shooting, going 40-of-102 (39.2 percent) from behind the arc while ranking second on the team in assists (69) and third in steals (29).
A double-digit scorer 15 times in 2023-24, Smith's best game in his lone season as an Evangel came in a 72-65 road win at UNT Dallas when he notched a season-high 22 points, including knocking down a huge three in the final minute to help propel the Evangels to victory. Smith also knocked down some clutch free throws for MACU in the final minute of its season-finale at John Brown, helping guide MACU to an 84-79 road win.
An All-SAC Defensive Team and Honorable Mention selection, Adkins has been a spark plug for the Evangels on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball in his only season with the program. Offensively, Adkins has scored 230 points (8.2 ppg) on a solid 87-for-193 (45.1 percent) shooting, going 28-for-90 (31.1 percent) from three.
On-top of the team's leading rebounder with 187 boards (6.7 rpg), the Oklahoma City product is also leading the team in steals (45) and is second on the squad in blocked shots (22). Adkins has turned in a pair of double-doubles this season, including a 10-point, 13-rebound performance in a 78-68 win over No. 25 Southwestern Assemblies of God on Jan. 18 as well as 11 points and 12 boards in the Senior Day victory over UNT Dallas.
Earning Honorable Mention acclaim for the second time in his MACU career, Lewis has been one of the most dynamic point guards in the SAC this season. Overall, Lewis has dished out a career-high 125 assists, averaging 4.5 assists per game and owns an excellent 2-to-1 assist-turnover ratio.
His 125 dimes this season rank as the seventh-most of any MACU player in the NAIA Era (2007-present), needing only 18 more to break into the top five. The Brooklyn, New York native also recently broke into the program's NAIA Era career assists list in 10th with 206, needing only 12 more dishes to match Reggie Davis (2011-15) for eighth in the book.
Lewis' game stems far beyond his passing ability as he has also scored 268 points (9.6 ppg) on a 93-of-216 (43.0 percent) clip and is also team's second-best thief with 34 steals on the season. Offensively, Lewis' best game of the season came on the road at Science & Arts on Feb. 3 when he scored a season-high 19 points and dished out six assists. However, Lewis played a pivotal role in MACU's 84-82 victory over Wayland Baptist inside the Gaulke on Jan. 25 when he narrowly missed a double-double with eight points and a career-high nine assists.
As a team, Mid-America Christian is putting together one of its best seasons since becoming an NAIA program in 2007. The Evangels enter SAC Tournament play as the No. 2 seed in the conference after going 17-5 in league play while posting a 21-7 overall record. It marked the seventh time in the last 10 years the Evangels have recorded 20 or more wins in a season while 17 conference victories are the second-most MACU has notched since joining the league.
The Evangels begin SAC Tournament competition tonight as MACU hosts No. 7 seed Texas Wesleyan in the SAC Quarterfinal for an 8 p.m. tip-off inside the Gaulke Activity Center.
