Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference

DENVER, Colo. – Black Hills State’s Joel Scott headlined a list of five Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference student-athletes named to the 2022-23 Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) South Central All-Region rosters. Scott was tabbed the region’s Player of the Year and earned a first-team nod alongside Colorado Mesa’s Blaise Threatt and Fort Lewis’ Akuel Kot. Colorado School of Mines’ Brendan Sullivan and Adam Thistlewood rounded out the RMAC honorees as second-team selections.
 
Scott claimed his latest honor after boosting the Yellow Jackets to their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance as the No. 6 seed at the 2023 South Central Championship. Behind the big man, Black Hills State closed out the regional championship with a 68-67 win over West Texas A&M on Tuesday, securing its second consecutive regional title. Scott enters the Elite Eight averaging 22.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. The senior has pulled down 15 double-doubles throughout the 2022-23 campaign and holds a stellar 60.9-percent field goal average.
 
Threatt stamps his spot on the first team after pushing the Mavericks to a share of the RMAC regular-season title, the No. 1 seed at the RMAC Tournament and the No. 5 seed at the NCAA South Central Championship. As a sophomore, Threatt averaged 18.9 points per game while shooting 52.8 percent from the field and 45.2 percent from three-point range. He also ripped 51 steals and dished out 106 assists for the Mavs while shooting 73.4 percent from the free-throw line.
 
Kot earned a first-team accolade as one of the most prolific scorers in the nation after averaging 24.3 points per game, a mark that ranks fourth in the nation. The junior was a weapon on the offensive side of the ball for the Skyhawks, who tabbed a program-best 29 wins, after concluding the season with a 51.7 percent field-goal average. Behind Kot, Fort Lewis finished the season ranked 18th in NCAA DII for scoring offense after averaging 84 points per game.
 
Sullivan and Thistlewood round out the RMAC all-region honorees as second-team honorees after boosting the Orediggers to a 26-2 overall record, an 18-4 record in conference play, a berth in the RMAC Tournament championship game and the No. 3 seed at the NCAA South Central Championship. Sullivan led Mines with 2.0 three-pointers per game, helping him average 13.4 points for the season. The Highlands Ranch, Colo., native was lights out from the field with a 51.0-percent field goal average.
 
Thistlewood led the Orediggers with 15.9 points per game and a 51.8-percent field goal average throughout his senior season. In addition to knocking down 41 triples throughout the 2022-23 campaign, he led Mines with 211 rebounds. Over 32 appearances, Thistlewood racked up 510 points, 69 assists, 22 steals and 13 blocks. The Golden, Colo., native started in every game for the Orediggers this season and accounted for two double-double performances.
 
The D2CCA South Central men’s basketball teams are selected by sports information directors from around the South Central region.
 
The process concludes with All-American selections announced later in March. The D2CCA encourages and promotes Division II athletics and high standards of sportsmanship as important elements of higher education. The CCA is a key communications link among the conferences as they discuss views, policies and regulations that impact Division II intercollegiate athletics and works closely with the NCAA as a communications channel to NCAA Division II member colleges and universities.