Three CCIW All-Conference Honors Cap Positive Year for Vikings Basketball
Liz Rehberger and Jordan Robinson earned third-team honors; Juwan Henry named first-team All-Conference
CHICAGO (March 2, 2015) — Three North Park University basketball student-athletes were named to the 2014–2015 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) All-Conference team. The honor caps off a successful season for the women and men’s teams, who both improved on last year’s records, including the men having their best season in five years.
Liz Rehberger, a sophomore guard from Resurrection High School in Chicago, earned third-team honors, finishing in the top-10 in conference in points per game (14.8), steals per game (2.2), and total three-point field goals. A foot injury sidelined her for the final four games of the season, where the team went 1-3 in her absence. Overall, she helped lead the team to a 13-12 record on the season, and a fifth place conference finish.
“You can see how valuable Liz is to our team with those last four games,” said women’s head coach Amada Crocket. “She is someone who leads by example, and with a lot of returning players next year, I see us continuing to improve and make it into the postseason conference tournament.”
A bright future
Two members of the Viking’s men’s basketball team earned CCIW honors, leading the team to within on game of a trip to the postseason.
Jordan Robinson, a freshman forward from Schaumburg, Ill., earned third team honors after playing a key role in North Park’s 6-2 finish to the season. He averaged 16.3 points and nearly 6 rebounds per game over that stretch, which included three wins over nationally ranked opponents.
“The immediate impact Jordan had on our program was a pleasant surprise,” said men’s head coach Tom Slyder. “We expected him to contribute, and now that he has, he will be a marked man going into next year. He’ll have to learn to handle different types of defenses and raise his game. Hopefully we’ll be able to add more pieces to the team, and as guys develop, it will take the pressure off everyone.”
It was the second consecutive year a freshman basketball player earned All-Conference honors. Juwan Henry, a sophomore guard from Bogan High School in Chicago, followed up last year’s third-team honors with a place on the All-Conference first team. A three-time conference Player of the Week, Henry led the team and the conference in scoring, averaging 22.5 points per game. He also ranked in the CCIW top-five in assists (4.0), steals (1.8) and blocked shots (1.3) per game. Twice Henry scored 30 or more points in a game, including a season-high 34 in North Park’s season finale against North Central College.
“The best thing for Juwan this season was that he had quality players around him so he could elevate his game,” said Slyder. “His overall demeanor and maturity really developed this year as well. He’s not a finished product, none of us are, but his development in that area allowed him to excel.”
The men’s team finished 15-10 on the year, its best finish since 2010–2011, and its six conference wins were the most since 2009–2010.
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