Ishimeal Nance and Dequan Jackson
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Penn State Altoona men’s basketball’s senior guard/forward Ishimeal Nance (Muscle Shoals, AL/Muscle Shoals) was voted the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference’s Player of the Year, headlining the league’s postseason awards that were released on Tuesday.
In addition to taking the Player of the Year honor, Nance was also selected to the first team of the All-AMCC squad. Meanwhile, senior forward Dequan Jackson (Philadelphia, PA/Murrell Dobbins) was a second team All-Conference pick.
Nance becomes the first player in Penn State Altoona men’s basketball history to earn the AMCC’s Player of the Year recognition. The senior had a huge season for the Lions, leading the team to a 17-9 overall record that included a 13-5 mark in the AMCC.
Nance started all 26 games for Penn State Altoona and finished as the AMCC’s leading scorer, averaging 19.0 points per game and totaling 495 points scored. The senior was also first in the conference in free throws made (121) and defensive rebounds (162), second in minutes per game (32.3), field goals made (170), total rebounds (206), and rebounds per game (7.9), fourth in points per 40 minutes (23.5), sixth in steals (44), eighth in field goal percentage (51.4%), 10th in three-point percentage (37.4%) and free throw percentage (77.1%), 12th in assists (70), 14th in offensive rebounds (44), 15th in blocks (19), and 16th in three-pointers made (34).
This year, Nance set a Penn State Altoona men’s basketball program record for the most points scored in a single season with 495. He also set team single season records for free throws made, free throws attempted (157), and defensive rebounds. Nance’s single game career-high point total came during the 2017-18 season, when he scored 34 points against Saint Mary’s College on November 21 to tie for the eighth-most points scored in a game by a Lions player in team history.
Nance was picked the AMCC’s Player of the Week once during the season.
Jackson started all 26 games and had a banner year for the Lions in his first season with the team after transferring to Penn State Altoona for his senior campaign. The forward ranked nationally in steals, finishing sixth among all NCAA Division III men’s basketball players in both total steals (74) and steals per game (2.85). Jackson was the AMCC’s second-leading scorer behind his teammate Nance, averaging 16.8 points per game and scoring a total of 436 points. He also ranked first in the AMCC in field goals made (174), steals, and steals per game, seventh in points per 40 minutes (23.0), eighth in free throws made (70), 10th in minutes (759) and minutes per game (29.2), 11th in blocks (23), 13th in field goal percentage (50.1%), 19th in offensive rebounds (37) and assists (57), 20th in free throw percentage (61.9%) and defensive rebounds (100), and 22nd in total rebounds (137) and rebounds per game (5.3).
Jackson set a Penn State Altoona men’s basketball all-time record and single season record for steals per game, and his total of 74 steals was also a team single season record. His seven steals against D’Youville College on January 28 tied a Lions single game record.
Jackson took one AMCC Player of the Week award during the season.
Penn State Altoona men’s basketball set a program record for overall wins (17) during the 2017-18 season and placed fourth in the AMCC, earning its second consecutive conference postseason tournament berth.
