- Posted in All University
- Category: AthleticsCampus News
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PA – The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) announced its postseason superlatives, and the Lincoln University men's basketball team has three representatives, the conference announced today (Monday, March 21, 2022).
Junior Zahrion Blue (Princeton, N.J./Princeton) was named the 2022 Food Lion CIAA Men's Basketball Player of the Year, freshman Bakir Cleveland (Newark, N.J. /University) earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team, and head coach Corey Lowery was named the Coach of the Year.
Blue is the first Lincoln men's basketball player to earn Player of the Year honors from the CIAA, and the fifth LU student-athlete – third this year – to pick up Player of the Year laurels.
In addition to earning Player of the Year honors, Blue earned a spot on the All-CIAA team as a frontcourt member.
"I am extremely proud that Zahrion received the honor of CIAA Player of the Year," said Lowery. "There are a lot of great players in the CIAA and to be named the best is an honor that will last a lifetime. Zahrion has left a legacy that Lincoln University will celebrate, and his name will be amongst the other great players who have earned this award. Zahrion is the type of young man that just puts his head down and works. He doesn't look for applause and he is willing to accept any role the program needs. Players like Zahrion are special to coach and I am thrilled that he received this prestigious recognition."
A preseason all-forward selection, Blue has been pivotal in Lincoln's success this season as the Lions navigated a couple of key injuries and started three freshmen for most of the season.
He leads the CIAA in scoring with 18.9 points per game, but his scoring doesn't fully typify his impact on the game. Blue is fourth in the CIAA in rebounding (7.4 rpg), fifth in field goal percentage (48.4%), fifth in steals (1.5 spg), and ninth in assists (2.7 apg).
Cleveland started all 16 CIAA games, 18 total, finished third on the team with 9.7 points per game. He boosted his scoring slightly in conference games to 10.1 points per game, including a 25-point effort at Shaw late in the season.
"I am very proud that Bakir was named to the CIAA All-Rookie team," said Lowery. "Bakir really stepped into a role we needed him to fulfill early in his career, and he embraced the challenges that came with it. As Bakir continues to grow and mature I fully expect him to develop into a dominant player in this league. This is a first step in fulfilling a legacy that will make Lincoln University proud."
Lowery, who started three freshmen for most of the season, had a team picked to finish fifth in the six-team Northern Division on the cusp of a divisional championship until the last week of the regular season. The Lions finished second, one game behind Virginia Union.
Lincoln earned a four seed for the upcoming CIAA Tournament and will open tournament action 6 p.m. Thursday against the winner of the Johnson C. Smith/Livingston meeting.
