LC Men’s Basketball Ranked in Hoops Report Preseason top 25

[October 18, 2019] 

The online publication NAIA Hoops Report Blog has placed the Lincoln College Men’s Basketball team at #14 on their annual Preseason DII Top 25 Men’s Basketball preview. The positive attention from a national publication only adds to the excitement building around Head Coach Pat Lepper’s team as they prepare to begin their second season as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

Coach Lepper, who is set to enter his eighth season at Lincoln, says he is looking forward to seeing how his squad will handle the pressure of high expectations. “We are coming off a strong first season in the NAIA and that has gotten us a lot of attention,” said Lepper. “I believe we have added a lot of talent to our roster, and I’ve seen the kind of commitment so far that we will need to be successful this year.”

The Lynx went 22-8 in their inaugural season in the NAIA and will kick-off their 2019-2020 campaign on October 25th at Graceland University.

Lincoln’s roster will include several familiar faces as well as a number of high-impact additions who will be looking to make their mark. At the top of the list of returning stars is senior guard Trayvon Tyler (Rockford). Tyler averaged 19 points per game last season and figures to bring strong leadership skills to the team in his final season as a Lynx.

Coach Lepper is proud of what Tyler has accomplished as a member of his program. “Trayvon has been a four-year starter for me and is an exceptional leader in addition to being as elite competitor,” said Lepper.

Another key returner for LC is junior Darnell Latham Jr. Latham is a 6’2” forward who averaged 14.8 points per game for Lincoln in the 2018-2019 season. According to Coach Lepper, he is “a talented scorer with an extremely high skill set who is a very smart player.”

Among the newcomers to the team for this season are NCAA DI transfers Laytwan Porter (Northern Illinois), Christian Romaine (Illinois State) and high-scoring JUCO wingman Winslow Martin II (Southeastern Illinois CC). Porter is a 5’10” guard from Rockford, Illinois who has the potential to be one of the team’s most productive players. At 6’9”, senior Christian Romaine (Mahomet) has the size and athleticism to be a factor on both ends of the floor for the Lynx, while Martin figures to be a threat to score from anywhere on the offensive side of the court.

“All of our new guys bring high basketball IQ’s to the team and a great feel for our style of basketball,” said Coach Lepper. “They should all be big factors in any success we have this season.”

LC’s schedule is packed with strong opponents, several of which are also ranked in preseason polls. The team’s home debut will be on November 9th against Gracelend University. For a complete 2019-2020 schedule, please visit www.lincolnlynxsports.com.

[Mark Tippett
Lincoln College
Sports Information]