OIT’s Fink Named CCC Player of the Year for Third-Straight Year
CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Cascade Collegiate Conference announced the 2019-20 Men’s Basketball All-Conference teams Wednesday morning, showcasing the conference’s top performers during the regular season.
Oregon Tech’s Mitchell Fink grabbed the top honor, being named the Player of the Year after leading the Hustlin’ Owls to the CCC Tournament Championship game, presented by U.S. Bank. Regular-season and tournament champion College of Idaho saw Talon Pinckney earn Defensive Player of the Year and Colby Blaine grab Coach of the Year, while Walla Walla University’s KiAndre Gaddy picked up Newcomer of the Year. Corban University was awarded the Team Sportsmanship Award.
Fink led the eighth-ranked Owls to the championship game, averaging over 19 points per game to earn his third Player of the Year honor – the first time in CCC history a player has won it three times in a row. The senior guard from Clackamas, Ore., ranks in multiple NAIA DII statistical categories, including: first in total assists (225), second in assists per game (7.258), 16th in free throw percentage (85.3), 29th in total scoring (599) and 37th in points per game (19.323).
Pinckney has been a key factor in top-ranked College of Idaho’s success and repeated as Defensive Player of the Year. The Coyotes are the top defensive team in the Cascade Conference and the NAIA, holding opponents to a 39.2 shooting percentage on average per night. The senior guard from Boise, Idaho, leads the CCC and ranks 13th in NAIA DII in steals per game with 2.250. He also sits 11th in the NAIA in total steals (63), 27th in assists per game (4.429) and 28th in total assists (124).
Gaddy had a stellar collegiate debut, finishing the year averaging 20.1 points per game, which ranks second in the CCC. The freshman forward from Dallas scored a career-high 42 points against Oregon Tech and grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds against Multnomah University. Gaddy ranks in multiple statistical categories in NAIA DII, including: fifth with 3.414 offensive rebounds per game, 12
th with 9.897 total rebounds per game and 287 total rebounds, 22
nd with 43 blocks and 24
th with 6.483 defensive rebounds per game.
Blaine led College of Idaho to the first-ever perfect 20-0 CCC season to win the regular-season title and clinch the top seed of the conference tournament. The Yotes went on to beat OIT 82-77 in the title game and win the Danny Miles Trophy, extending their win streak to 24-straight games. The 24-straight wins is the longest current win streak in the NAIA and the fourth longest in college basketball – trailing only NCAA Division II Lincoln Memorial (29), NCAA Division III Yeshiva (27) and NCAA Division III St. Joseph (25).
Here is the complete list of 2019-20 award winners and all-conference honorees. Honorable mention was awarded to players who had at least two votes from the CCC Men’s Basketball Head Coaches.