Two Student Princes Make NABC Honors Court
Andrew Lemmon (Port Clinton, Ohio / Port Clinton) and Jake Hessey (Crestline, Ohio / Colonel Crawford), both members of the 2008 Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Championship-winning Heidelberg College men’s basketball team, have been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court.
To earn a spot on the list, individuals must be a junior or senior level varsity player, with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher, must have attended their current institution for over a year, and the institution must belong to either the NCAA (Divisions I, II, and III) or the NAIA.
Lemmon, a forward, graduated in May with a degree in accounting, and was previously honored this past season with a spot on the All-OAC First Team, the Academic All-OAC First Team, D3hoops.com All-Great Lakes Region Second Team, the NABC Great Lakes Region First Team, and was named the Most Valuable Player of the OAC Tournament. Lemmon led the team in scoring (14.8), rebounding (9.8), blocks (27), three-point shooting percentage (.430), while standing second in made three-pointes (55), steals (38) and field goal percentage (.548). On the year, Lemmon scored in double figures in 21 of Heidelberg’s 29 games and picked up 14 double-doubles, with nine coming in OAC contests. Within the OAC, Lemmon ranked in the top-five in rebounding, three-point field goal percentage, offensive rebounds (3.31) and defensive rebounds (6.86). Lemmon will leave the Berg with 1,149 career points, which stands 15th all-time.
Hessey, a junior chemistry major, also earned a spot on the Academic All-OAC Honorable Mention list this season. He was a major contributor off the bench for Heidelberg in 2007-08, reaching double figures in the scoring column in eight contests, including a career-high 16 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field in a win over Mount Union College Feb. 2. This year marks Hessey’s best season at the Berg as he finished averaging 6.6 points a game. He was second on the team with a .825 (33-of-40) percent clip from the free throw line and a .409 (36-of-88) percent mark from three-point range, while standing fourth on the team with 36 made three-pointers. Aside from his own scoring abilities, Hessey connected with an open teammate on 29 occasions, while pocketing 22 steals on the defensive end of the floor. Within the OAC, Hessey ranked in the top-10 in three-point field goal percentage.
Heidelberg looks forward to future success during the 2008-09 season under new head coach Anthony Gholson. Last year, the Berg concluded its season with an overall record of 23-6, which stands second on the list for wins in a season. It was just the second 20-win season in the history of the Berg. Included in its final record was a 20-5 regular season record, which ties the 1983-84 team for the best regular season mark. Against OAC foes, Heidelberg finished at 14-4, good enough for second place. The Berg went on to upset No. 1 seed Capital University on its home court to claim the team’s first OAC Tournament Title, which earned Heidelberg an automatic bid to the program’s third NCAA Championship.