Lakers Place Four On All-CCAC Squads, Brown Named Coach of Year

CHICAGO – Roosevelt had a program-record four players named to the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference's all-league teams, the conference announced Wednesday.

The honorees were led by Maurice Commander, who became just the third player in school history to be named to the first-team All-CCAC squad. The graduate student from Chicago was an instrumental part of the Lakers capturing the program's first CCAC title this season by averaging 14.3 points per game this year. He shot 44 percent from the floor and 41 percent from 3-point range to boost Roosevelt to a 25-4 record this year and its second trip to the NAIA Men' Basketball Championships.

Commander was a second-team selection last season after arriving at semester break in January and leading the Lakers to within a game of a CCAC title. In a full season at the helm, Commander was again asked to take the big shots for Roosevelt in clutch moments. His career high 31 points came in January against Calumet St. Joseph and he was also named CCAC Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 27 after averaging nearly 25 points per game.

"Reese brought the veteran leadership and the foundation for what this program is all about," Roosevelt head coach Dee Brown said. "His ability to make shots and lead a bunch of new guys coming in was vital to our success this season. He's been steady and consistent the entire year and was asked to take a lot of big shots for us."

The CCAC champions also had two second-team honorees with the other two members of Roosevelt's dangerous backcourt: Julio Montes II and Forte Prater. Montes was an honorable mention selection last season as a freshman and he blossomed into a leader for the Lakers in his sophomore campaign. He finished the year as the leading scorer at 15 points per game, including dropping 38 on Lawrence Tech on Nov. 3 for the second-highest point total in program history.

Prater arrived this season as a junior college transfer and gave the Lakers yet another deep threat option on the perimeter. The Mississippi native averaged 13.6 points per game this season while shooting at a 46-percent clip from the field. He enters the NAIA Tournament with a seven-game streak in double figures, which doesn't include the career-high 24 points he scored on Jan. 6 at Saint Xavier in a two-point victory.

"For them to be able to score the ball consistently was a major asset to our offense," Brown said. "They provided a big splash as far as scoring the ball and helping keep our offense balanced. Julio really matured in his second year in our program and Forte was an important spark plug for us at both ends of the floor."

Cody Mitchell was named to the honorable mention team after finishing second in the league in rebounding this season. The big man from St. Charles averaged 8.4 rebounds per game, outpacing his 7.7 points per game, but his vocal leadership and sacrifice helped make the Lakers a stronger team at both ends.

"Cody was our rebounding machine and so steady on the glass for us," Brown said. "Our weakness as a team is controlling the glass, so when you have a guy that can control the glass like that and sacrifice by taking less shots, it really improves our team. It was a service we needed and we were fortunate to have someone be willing to sacrifice for the greater good."

Brown himself was also honored by the conference as Coach of the Year, marking the first time in program history the Lakers head man has won the award. The University of Illinois legend has remade the Roosevelt program in his image of hard-nosed defenders who can shoot the ball well. After leading Roosevelt to its first conference championship and its highest ranking in program history at No. 11, Brown is now 44-14 in two seasons at the helm.

Roosevelt ranks third nationally in 3-point percentage at 40.8 percent while ranking seventh in 3-pointers made. The Lakers were also the national leaders in turnovers per game with a measly 8.4 per contest. On the other side of the ball, the Lakers rank seventh in points allowed per game with just 64.4 points per game.

"The hard work paid off," Brown said. "I have to give all the credit to my staff and our incredible players. We try to put them in the best possible position to succeed, but we have hard-working student-athletes who go out and perform. It's always about: We. Us. Together. We all work as one. So it's a great honor but it's more of a program builder for what we can accomplish here at Roosevelt."