Seward’s Stevenson Picks Texas Tech
KSCB News - April 26, 2016 10:12 am
Seward wing Niem Stevenson signed at Texas Tech Tuesday morning. The NJCAA all American and fourth all time leading scorer in Saints history picked the Red Raiders and coach Chris Beard over Oregon, NC State, and others. Stevenson visited Lubbock this weekend after Seward’s athletic banquet.
Niem signs after leading the Jayhawk Conference in scoring by a wide margin, putting up 24.7 points per game which was also good for 4th in the NJCAA. Stevenson was efficient with the ball in his hands as well, connecting on 51% from the field on the season, the second best mark by any of the nation’s top 10 scorers. A model of consistency, The 6’5" slasher from Ranchview High School in Dallas, Texas scored 20 or more points 24 times last season and went over 30 seven times. His top three scoring games of the season all came against the league’s top two teams as he went for 37 and 35 in the Saints two games against conference champs Hutchinson and 36 against runner-up Pratt.
Stevenson became just the fifth Seward player to ever be named a 1st Team NJCAA All-American at seasons end and the honor put him on a Saints historical pedestal of his own as it marked the first time any Seward player had been named an NJCAA All-American in both seasons in Liberal. Stevenson was runner-up for Jayhawk Conference Most Valuable Player honors for the second time in his career this season, earning 1st Team All-Jayhawk and 1st Team All-Region VI accolades. During the season Stevenson was recognized as the Jayhawk Conference Player of the Week a school record seven times in 2015-2016.
Stevenson finishes his Seward County career as the fourth all-time leading scorer with 1,345 points, trailing only Saints Hall of Famers Tony Slaughter, Kevin Houston, and Carlo Walton in the category. His 767 points this season also ranked fourth on the Saints all-time single season charts.
One of the hottest junior college recruits in the country this season, Stevenson had interest from a number of Power Five Conference programs, choosing Texas Tech over the likes of Kansas, Oregon, Texas A&M, Ohio State, and North Carolina State.
