Smith, McKnight, Wildermuth earn all-Iowa Conference men’s basketball distinction

Central Dutch Athletics

PELLA— Central College senior Kyle Smith (Grand River, New Hampton HS) was named to the all-Iowa Conference first team Thursday while junior Jamel McKnight (Austin, Texas, Hendrickson HS) and senior Malik Wildermuth (Normal, Ill., University HS) were named to the second team.

Smith averaged 18.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in conference play. He poured in a career-high 34 points Feb. 7 at Simpson College and knocked down seven 3-pointers Jan. 6 against Buena Vista University. Smith scored 20+ points in 10 games as a senior.

The sharpshooting forward leaves Central as the program’s all-time leader in 3-pointers with 79 in a season and 256 in his career. Smith ranks sixth in program history with 1,353 points. He was also an all-Iowa Conference second team performer a year ago.

McKnight scored 15 points per game while shooting 53.5 percent from the field in conference play. McKnight torched the nets for a career-high 31 points in an upset victory over No. 2 seed Loras College in the league tournament semifinals Feb. 22. He led Central with 3.1 assists per game during league play.

Wildermuth was Central’s second leading scorer during conference play, averaging 16.5 points per game. He had a career-high 32 points in a win over Luther College Feb. 10 and set the record for most steals in a game with eight against Faith Baptist University December 14.

The Dutch finished with a 12-16 record after falling to top seed Nebraska Wesleyan in the league tournament championship.