Blaylock Repeats as First-Teamer, Newman Improves to Second Team

Oskaloosa–Kevion Blaylock (Sr., Houston, Texas, Information Technology) and Karmari Newman (Sr., Detroit, Mich., Digital Communication) closed out their exceptional men’s basketball careers with national hardware as the NAIA announced its All-America teams Thursday.

Blaylock was one of 12 players chosen for the first team, while Newman was part of the 12-person second team.

The award is the third for both players as they become the first cagers in program history to garner three All-America laurels in their careers. Blaylock is also the first Statesmen to earn multiple first-team honors, having claimed the accolade in 2021 as well; it is his fourth A-A award all-time, including one from the NABC last season.

The awards are the 31st and 32nd in William Penn men’s basketball history.

Blaylock, a third-team selection in 2020, averaged a double-double this year with 20.8 points and 10.2 rebounds. He shot 58.2% from the field (32.1% 3-PT) and 76.0% from the free-throw line. The senior also posted 66 assists, 28 steals, and 23 blocks this year.

Blaylock ranked 18th in the NAIA in scoring and 19th in rebounding, including being 10th in defensive rebounding with 7.9 boards per contest. He hit double figures in all 33 games this winter and concludes his time in the navy and gold in seventh place on the career scoring list with 1,463 points.

An honorable-mention pick the previous two campaigns, Newman moved up to the second team with 18.5 points per outing. One of the nation’s biggest perimeter threats, he made 101 of his 286 three-pointers. Newman shot 40.1% from the field (35.3% 3-PT) and 77.5% at the charity stripe, while averaging 3.1 rebounds and posting 69 assists, 18 steals, and eight blocks.

The senior ranked fourth in the country in three-pointers and 47th in scoring. Newman reached double digits 28 times and ends his time at WPU sixth with 1,468 career points. His 281 three-pointers and 774 three-point attempts are both school records.