Smith top newcomer, Nelsen and Selway land All-SCIAC honors
ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University men's basketball team had three players recognized on the All-SCIAC teams, announced by the conference office on Friday. Senior Rob Nelsen earned a spot on the All-SCIAC First Team, fellow senior Luke Selway was honored on the Second Team and Reed Smith was recognized as the Newcomer of the Year.
Smith became the first Panther in Chapman's short history in the SCIAC to be honored with the Newcomer of the Year. The forward from Brentwood, Tenn. started every game for the Panthers, averaging 10.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game during the SCIAC season. He shot 53.6 percent over his first SCIAC season to rank fourth in the conference. He had a pair of 20-point nights against Occidental and Cal Lutheran to highlight his freshman season as well as a double-double against Pomona-Pitzer.
Nelsen has been a mainstay in the Panthers starting lineup for three years and earned his first career postseason recognition with the First Team nod. In his final season, the Irvine, Calif. native had his best season yet. He ranked eighth in the conference in scoring with 16.6 points per game and also grabbed 5.1 rebounds per game during the SCIAC season. He had the best shooting season of his career, shooting 49 percent during the conference season and knocking down 44.8 percent of his three-point tries. He scored in double digits in 14 of the 16 SCIAC contests with four 20-point games, including a career-best 28 points against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the final game of the season.
In his first season as a starter, Selway filled up the stat sheet on the way to his first All-SCIAC recognition. He averaged 10.1 points per game but was a constant double-double threat as he ranked sixth in the SCIAC with 7.3 rebounds per game during the SCIAC season. The guard from Villa Park led the SCIAC with 31 steals during the SCIAC season and ranked seventh with 2.9 assists per game. He led Chapman with three double-doubles, including a monster 15-point, 17-rebound game at La Verne.
The Panthers return to the SCIAC Postseason Tournament tonight at 7 p.m. when they visit top-seeded Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the semifinals.
By Steven Olveda
Sports Information Director
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