OKLAHOMA CITY – The Sooner Athletic Conference announced its 2024-25 Men's Basketball All-Conference Team on Wednesday afternoon as six members from Mid-America Christian earned accolades with Josiah Fulcher being tabbed the league's Newcomer of the Year and Tarrence Gaines being selected as the Defensive Player of the Year.
Fulcher was also named to the All-SAC First Team while Gaines was an Honorable Mention selection. Juwan White was tabbed to the Second Team while Magok Manyang and Keeshawn Mason garnered Honorable Mention acclaim. Zander Baker rounded out the MACU honorees by receiving an All-Freshman Team nod.
In his lone season at MACU, Fulcher spearhead MACU's offensive attack. In SAC play, the Lima, Ohio native averaged 16.0 points per game on a highly efficient 47.2 percent shooting clip while also going 36.8 percent from three-point range and 82.2 percent from the free throw line. Fulcher was also one of the team's top rebounders, yanking down 135 to average 5.6 boards per contest while also dishing out 2.5 assists per game.
One of the most tenured players in program history, Gaines saved his best for last in his five-year Evangels career. Over 24 conference games, the Denison, Texas product recorded 21 steals and 21 blocked shots to go along with 126 rebounds, averaging 5.6 per game. Gaines was also highly productive on the offensive end as well, averaging 10.5 points on 41 percent shooting while knocking down a team-high 43-of-126 (34.1 percent) from three.
Gaines will be wrapping up his MACU career as one of the most prolific rebounders in program history as his 524 boards are the second-most in the NAIA Era (2007-present) as he needs only 16 more to match the 2010s MACU Player of the Decade, Charlie Shorter (2008-13).
Another Evangel in his only season with the program, White was an incredible player on both ends of the court while running point for MACU. In league play, the Dacula, Georgia native scored 339 points (14.1 ppg) on a solid 42.0 percent from the field, converting on 31.3 percent of his three-point attempts and 83.3 percent from the charity stripe.
Not only was White a great shooter, but was also phenomenal in distribution, dishing out the fifth-most assists in the SAC at 90 assists (3.8 apg) and posted a solid 1.5 assist/turnover ratio. The standout guard was a leader for MACU on the defensive end as well, turning a team-high 41 steals (1.7 spg).
One of the senior leaders for the Evangels, Manyang was a big that could stretch the court for the Evangels. During league play, Manyang averaged 8.8 ppg on a 39.3 percent shooting rate while also being one of the team's best three-point shooters by going 41-for-110 (37.3 percent). The Adelaide, Australia product was the team's leading rebounder in conference play, pulling down 143 boards (6.0 rpg) and continued to be a stellar shot blocking presence for MACU by notching 18 rejections.
Overall, Manyang will go down as one of the best shot blockers in program history as a two-year member of the Evangels has swatted 72 shots, the fourth-most in MACU's NAIA Era record book.
Mason garnered his Honorable Mention nod after being an offensive enforcer on the low block. The Shawnee, Kansas native was one of the team's best shooters as he averaged 10.8 ppg on a 48.6 percent clip while also recording 112 rebounds (4.7 rpg) as well as tallied 16 blocked shots.
Rounding out MACU's honorees, Baker earned All-Freshman Team acclaim coming off the bench for the Evangels, seeing action in all 24 SAC games and ended up scoring 69 points (2.9 ppg) on 43.4 percent from the floor, including 41.7 percent from three-point range to go with 45 rebounds, 20 assists and 16 steals.
Overall, Mid-America Christian put together another strong season in Sooner Athletic Conference play, finishing tied for second (17-7) while advancing to the SAC Semifinal game before being eliminated by the eventual champion Langston on Monday night.
The Evangels will be keeping an eye out to see where their postseason journey will take them. The NAIA Tournament Selection Show is scheduled to air on Thursday at 7 p.m. on the NAIA Network.
