NJCAA Announces Men’s Basketball All-Americans, Five Region 12 Student-Athletes Recognized
The NJCAA announced the 2023-24 Men's Basketball All-America Teams on Tuesday (April 9) and five Region 12 student-athletes earned their way onto the list.
Mott Community College's Mehki Ellison led a group of three Region 12 student-athletes on the NJCAA Division II Second Team All-America Team after a stellar second season in Flint. A multiple time Conference and National Player of the Week, Ellison was a top three scorer in the country the entire season and finished the campaign averaging 27.5 points per game and was second nationally in total points scored with 797. Ellison was top five nationally in free throws made (2nd, 231), free throw percentage (5th, 87.5%) and field goals made (5th, 260) and went on to average 4.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Ellison also earned All-Region, All-MCCAA and First Team MCCAA Eastern Conference honors this season.
A member of the National Championship All-Tournament Team, Juwan Maxey earned Second Team All-American honors after helping lead Macomb Community College back to the national tournament scene following a historic three championship season (MCCAA Eastern Conference, MCCAA and Great Lakes District B). Maxey shot 42.2% from 3-point land and made 106 3-pointers in total, a number good for fourth nationally. The sophomore guard also earned All-Region, All-MCCAA and First Team MCCAA Eastern Conference honors after averaging 16.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game this season.
Kalamazoo Valley Community College's Joe Liedel was the third and final NJCAA Division II Second Tema All-American for Region 12 and earned the distinction following a heralded first year at the junior college level. Liedel averaged 21.6 points per game, an average good for 21st nationally, while shooting 43.9% from the field and 38.5% from 3-point territory on the most made 3-pointers in NJCAA Division II (124). The freshman guard also averaged 6.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game to help earn All-Region, All-MCCAA, First Team All-Western Conference and MCCAA Western Conference Freshman of the Year honors while leading the Cougars to the Great Lakes District B Championship Game and a MCAAA Western Conference Championship.
Jareon Mayo of Lakeland Community College was named a NJCAA Division II Third All-American to cap off a season that saw the OCCAC Player of the Year also take home All-Region and Great Lakes District C All-Tournament Team honors. Mayo earned the national recognition after helping lead Lakeland to the Great Lakes District C title game while averaging 18.6 points per game on 42.1% shooting to accompany 6.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Jareon was a top 50 scorer and free throw shooter (%) in NJCAA Division II and helped lead a Lakeland team that was ranked inside the top 15 most of the season.
The lone NJCAA Division III honoree from Region 12 was Deonte Benejan of Lorain County Community College. Following a season that resulted in an OCCAC Division III Player of the Year nod, Benejan earned NJCAA Division III All-American honors. Benejan's 2023-24 campaign was one for the record books as he was second in the nation (NJCAA DIII) in scoring at 26.4 points per game, an average that also led the entire OCCAC (DII or DIII). The First Team All-Region and All-OCCAC performer was tough to stop all season and got to the line often where he made a NJCAA Division III best 191 free throws while making 85.3% of his attempts from the charity stripe (good for fifth nationally).