KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two Warrior seniors can add the title of All-American to their resumes once again. Damek Mitchell was voted a First-Team All-American, and Trystan Bradley a Third-Team All-American, announced by the NAIA on Thursday. Both earned All-American honors last season, and Mitchell does so for the third time in his career. Both were the only two four-year seniors on the team.
"I'm so happy to see both Damek and Trystan recognized at such a high level nationally," Head Coach Austin Johnson said. It's a testament to each of them and years of hard work put in. It's also a great reflection of our program and the buy-in of our players. Damek and Trystan have been a joy to coach and I can't thank them enough for giving their all to this program and being such great teammates."
Mitchell leaves LC State as one of, if not the most, decorated Warrior in program history. This is the senior's third All-American nod, and first as a member of the first team. He was a Third-Team All-American last season and Honorable Mention as a sophomore. The Cascade Conference Player of Year was also named to the All-National Tournament Team after Tuesday's national title game.
Mitchell led LC State in assists (111) and steals (35) this season while averaging 15 points per game. The guard grabbed six rebounds per game and shot 44.9 percent from the floor and 40.1 percent from 3 and made 81.8 percent of his free throws. He will leave his mark in the record books as the all-time leader in assists (595) and 3-pointer made (206). He is second in free throws made (309) and wins (104), third in scoring (1,395), tied for fifth in games played (123), sixth in rebounds (546), eighth in steals (141) and ninth in 3-point field goal percentage (.420).
"Damek has had an unbelievable career here at LC," Johnson said. "It started right away his freshman year and he continued to get better each year. He has been the ultimate competitor and has done so much single-handedly to raise the bar of our program's expectations in regards to work ethic and culture."
Bradley earned his second All-American honor with a third-team selection this year. He was named All-American Honorable Mention last season. The senior led his hometown team in scoring, averaging 15.9 points per game during the historic season, and in rebounding with 6.3 boards per game. He also led the Warriors in blocks with 14. Bradley maintained a .471 shooting percentage from the field and was sold from 3 at 36.3 percent.
Bradley also etched his name throughout the record books for LC State Men's Basketball. The Lewiston native is second all-time in blocks at 103, having passed standout Jacob Wiley during the national tournament. He is seventh in field goals made (455) and eighth all-time in scoring (1,175).
"Trystan has had phenomenal growth as a player over the past few seasons," Johnson said. "He's displayed a unique skill set and really worked to develop his versatility on both the offensive and defensive end. His increased toughness, however, is what has helped set himself and this program apart."
The pair, along with Hodges Bailey, were also named to the NAIA All-National Tournament Team.