North Park has continued to produce a historic season in the 2016-17 campaign and they added a little more to it Wednesday.
After clinching their first CCIW regular season championship for the first time since the 1986-87 season and their seventh overall, NP was recognized with three outstanding CCIW All-Conference selections, its first Fred Young Most Outstanding Player Award since 1988 and the Tri-Coach of the Year recognition.
Seniors Juwan Henry and T.J. Cobbs earned All-CCIW First and Second Team honors, respectively, while junior Jordan Robinson earned a First Team selection and the honor of being the conference's top player. What's more is fifth-year head coach Tom Slyder was also selected as the Coach of the Year.
As the Vikings' leading scorer, Robinson garnered a 22.8 points per game average and 9.4 rebounds. He recorded 12 double-doubles, including three to start the season and poured in a season-high 34 points in a 74-72 win over Elmhurst College Jan. 14. His numbers were top-two in the conference as he ranked second in scoring and led the league in rebounding. In addition, Robinson posed a triple threat as his three-point field goal percentage was top-five in the conference (.431) as he made a league third-best 59 three-pointers while ranking top-five and leading the conference-only games in assists (71) for a 4.4 assists per game average. As a defender, the Schaumburg native was also solid as he turned away 33 blocked shots at a 1.3 blocks clip.
One of only three players in North Park history to score 2,000 points in his career (2,016) Henry earned his second-straight First Team All-CCIW selection and his third overall as his 18.5 points per game average ranked second on the team. Despite sustaining an injury and having to sit out four games, Henry managed to maintain a 41.2 field goal percentage and he buried 19 three-pointers while swiping 28 steals. He scored a season-high 31 points in an 81-77 win over the University of Dubuque which was part of a six-game winning streak for the Vikings to start the season.
As North Park's fastest and scrappiest defender, Cobbs made a name for himself on the defensive end as he led the team and was second in the CCIW with 45 steals for a 1.8 steals per game average. Although his blue collar style stymied opposing team's offenses, Cobbs came on strong in the latter half of the season as a scoring machine. He went for a career-high 20 points against Carthage College Feb. 8 which was part of a string of nine-straight games where he scored in double figures.
Taking a team from a 4-21 record four seasons ago to a conference champion is no easy task, but Coach Slyder made things work with grit, determination and belief. His teams continue to improve each season and it's exemplified in their play. In the last two years, the Vikings have combined for more wins (32) than they did in the previous four seasons.
North Park (18-7, 11-5) continues its historic season Friday when the Vikings, as the No. 2 seed in the CCIW tournament – their first-ever appearance – take on Augustana College at 5 p.m. at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
