WACO, Texas – As part of the Heartland’s 20th Anniversary celebration, the league is honored to announce the 20th Anniversary Heartland Conference Men’s Basketball Team.
Honorees include Heartland record holders, NCAA record holders, All-Americans and Heartland individual award winners. In order to qualify for the team, student-athletes must have been awarded at least one Heartland Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year or Defensive Player of the Year award and one All-American honor or been awarded multiple Heartland Player of the Year awards or multiple All-American honors and have played for a full Heartland Conference member.
UAFS had three former student-athletes on the 20th Anniversary Team while former member Drury had two former student-athletes recognized. Incarnate Word, Oklahoma Christian, St. Edward’s, St. Mary’s and UT Permian Basin each had one student-athlete recognized.
20TH ANNIVERSARY HEARTLAND CONFERENCE
MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM
Pierce Caldwell – Incarnate Word – 2006-2010 – Guard
Caldwell is one of the most decorated men’s basketball players in conference history and is the only three-time Heartland Conference Player of the Year. As a freshman, Caldwell was also named the Heartland Freshman of the Year. The Incarnate Word graduate was also a two-time All-American earning the awards in back-to-back seasons in 2008-09 and 2009-10. Caldwell is the Heartland’s career leader in three-point field goals made with 360 and fourth all-time in career points with 1,873.
Jamal Holden – UT Permian Basin – 2010-2011 – Guard
Holden made the most of his one year in the Heartland Conference winning the Player of the Year award after leading UTPB to its first conference title in the conference. Holden was also named an All-American in the same season.
Kevin Kotzur – St. Mary’s – 2009-2013 – Forward/Center
Kotzur is the Heartland Conference’s all-time scoring leader and one of the best players to play in the conference. Kotzur scored 2004 points and is the only Heartland player to register of 2,000 career points. He was the conference Freshman of the Year in 2009-10 and the Heartland’s Player of the Year in 2012-13. Kotzur was an All-American the same season and is a four-time All-Heartland selection. He is the conference’s all-time leader in field goals made (854), field goal percentage (.662) and rebounds (1039). Kotzur was recently inducted into the Heartland Conference Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2019.
Matt Miller – Drury – 1999-2002 – Guard
Miller was named the Heartland Conference Player of the Year following the 2000-01 season and was named an All-American the same year. Miller was also a three-time All-Heartland First Team selection from 1999-2002. Miller holds the record for single-season three-point field goal percentage (.514) and career three-point field goal percentage (.463).
John Moon – Oklahoma Christian – 2013-2017 – Center
Moon is one of the best defensive players in ever play in the Heartland Conference and is a two-time winner of the Heartland Conference Defensive Player of the Year award. Moon also earned All-American honors in 2015-16. The Oklahoma Christian holds the record for single-game points with 50 and tied a DII record in going a perfect 20-of-20 from the floor in his top-scoring game. Moon is also the career leader in blocks with 237. Moon was inducted into the Heartland Conference Hall of Fame in 2018.
Chris Mortellaro – Drury – 2000-2004 – Forward
Mortellaro earned back-to-back Heartland Conference Player of the Year awards in 2002-03 and 2003-04. The forward was also named an All-American in the same seasons and was a three-time All-Heartland selection. Mortellaro is fifth in career rebounding with 745 and is 10th all-time in conference scoring with 1,582 points.
DaVaunta Thomas – UAFS – 2014-2018 – Guard
DaVaunta Thomas was a two-time All-Heartland selection and was named the Heartland Conference Player of the Year in 2017-18 following his Freshman of the Year campaign in 2014-15. One of the most consistent players in conference history, Thomas finished his four-year career with the Lions with 1,677 points which ranks eighth in Heartland Conference history.
Jake Toupal – UAFS – 2010-2014 – Guard
Toupal is one of two UAFS players on this list who won both the Freshman of the Year honor and Player of the Year honor over their four-year career in the conference. Toupal’s 2010-11 Freshman of the Year award was bookended by his conference MVP honor in his senior season. Toupal was one of the best three-point shooters in conference history hitting the seventh-most career threes in Heartland history with 227.
Shawn Weinstein - St. Edward's - 2005-2008 - Guard
Weinstein was the Heartland Conference Player of the Year in 2006-2007, a two-time All-Heartland First Team member and was named to the DII Bulletin All-America Team in 2006-2007. Weinstein ranks sixth in the conference career steals record book with 157. He hit 196 career three-pointers and shot .382 from deep.
Seth Youngblood – UAFS – 2013-2017 – Guard
Seth Youngblood was a four-year star for UAFS finishing as one of the conference’s all-time leading scorers with 1,912 career points. Youngblood was the Heartland Conference Freshman of the Year in 2013-14 and was an All-American selection in 2016-17. He also finished his career in the conference with 339 three-point field goals made which ranks second all-time in the Heartland, and his .426 three-point percentage is sixth all-time.