For Immediate Release: April 15, 2003
Contact: Dave Geringer, UTPA Sports Information Director, (956) 381-2240

MITCHELL HONORED, INDEPENDENT AWARDS ANNOUNCED

EDINBURG, TX-Senior guard Kevin Mitchell (Copperas Cove, TX/Copperas Cove HS/McLennan CC) of The University of Texas-Pan American was named first team All-Independent as the 2002-2003 awards were announced. The awards were voted on by the head men's basketball coaches and sports information directors at independent schools.

A repeat winner after being named second team All-Independent last year, Mitchell led the Broncs in scoring this season, averaging 14.7 points per game, was tied for the team lead with 48 steals, and was second with 97 assists. One of two players to start every game, he had a career-high 34 points against Central Baptist February 8th, and scored 26 points on three occasions: against Concordia November 26th, against Saint Louis December 7th, and against Centenary February 24th. Mitchell scored 20 points or more in a game eight times, and was in double figures in scoring 22 times, including a stretch of 12 consecutive games between December 7th and January 13th, a stretch that included only two home games. He twice had seven assists: against Rice January 8th, and against Centenary January 11th. He broke the UTPA all-time single-season record by playing 1,072 minutes, and ranks fourth on the all-time single-season list with 79 three-point field goals and 222 three-point attempts during the 2002-2003 season. He also is tied for fourth on the all-time career list at UTPA with 134 three-point field goals, and is fifth on the all-time career list with 351 three-point attempts.

"Kevin has had a great career here," said UTPA Head Coach Bob Hoffman. "He is most deserving of any award he is afforded. He was very good about playing out of position, and he did anything he could to try to help us win."

2002-2003 MEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-INDEPENDENT AWARDS

PLAYER OF THE YEAR-Andrew Wisniewski, Centenary
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR-Corey Lamkin, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR-David Simon, Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR-James Poindexter, Lipscomb
COACH OF THE YEAR-Duane Reboul, Birmingham Southern

ALL-INDEPENDENT FIRST TEAM

Brian Evans, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Josiah James, Birmingham Southern
Corey Lamkin, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Kevin Mitchell, Texas-Pan American
Andrew Wisniewski, Centenary

ALL-INDEPENDENT SECOND TEAM

Travis Bailey, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Michael Gale, Centenary
Ryan Roller, Lipscomb
Corey Watkins, Birmingham Southern
Ric Wyand, Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne

Members of the first and second All-Independent Teams are listed alphabetically.

MBB-56-03 041503

GENERIC RELEASE