Men's Preseason All-MAC Team Announced
CLEVELAND (Sept. 24) - Three first-team all-Mid-American Conference selections from the 1998-99
season highlight the men's basketball preseason all-MAC team, announced by the league
office. Voting for the team was conducted by members of the MAC News Media Association.
The five members of the team are: Anthony Stacey (6-4, 235, Sr.), Bowling Green; John
Whorton (6-8, 235, Sr.), Kent; Greg Stempin (6-8, 202, Jr.), Toledo; Jami Bosley (6-1, 220,
Sr.), Akron; and T.J. Lux (6-9, 245, Sr.), Northern Illinois. Stacey, Bosley and Stempin were
first-team selections from last year, Whorton was a second-team all-MAC honoree while Lux, who
received a medical redshirt, was a first-team all-league player in 1998.
Stacey, a senior forward from Elyria, Ohio, finished fourth in the MAC in scoring (18.5), sixth in
field goal percentage (.500), ninth in free throw percentage (.763), second in steals (2.26) and 15th
in rebounds (5.6). BG finished 18-10 and won eight of its last 10 games. Stacey was an honorable
mention all-MAC player in 1997.
Bosley, a native of Massillon, Ohio, teamed with Jimmal Ball for the top backcourt tandem in the
MAC. He finished third in the league in scoring (18.6), ninth in field goal percentage (.456), eighth
in assists (3.85), first in free throw percentage (.861), fourth in steals (2.11), second in three-point
percentage (.418), eighth in three-point field goals (1.70) and 12th in assist-turnover ratio (1.13).
Akron compiled an 18-9 record and went 10-2 in its last 12 games.
Stempin, from Macomb, Mich., and the only junior on the preseason all-MAC squad, had a team
leading 15.3 points per game as the Rockets went 18-9 and won the West Division. UT's victims
last year included Final Four participant Ohio State, Xavier and Dayton. Stempin's 15.3 ppg was
the ninth best production in the MAC last year and he also ranked among the leaders in rebounding
(fourth at 7.4) and field goal percentage (fifth at .512).
Whorton, a senior center from Columbus, Ohio, led Kent to a school-record 23 wins last year and
the Golden Flashes' first-ever MAC Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament berth.
Whorton, the MAC Tournament MVP, finished second in the MAC in field goal percentage (.574),
ninth in rebounding (6.2), sixth in blocked shots (1.03) and first in offensive rebounds (3.07). He
averaged a team-best 12.8 points per game.
Lux, a senior from Merrillville, Ind., has been dubbed the King of the Double-Double for his 45
career games with double figures in points and rebounds. A two-time CoSIDA Academic
All-American (1997 and 1998) and a first-team all-MAC selection (1998), Lux received a medical
redshirt after being sidelined with severe shin splints after five games of the 1998-99 season. During
the 1997-98 campaign, Lux averaged 18.6 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. In addition, Lux
finished sixth in the nation in rebounds that season.
The preseason all-MAC team will be available for interviews at the conference's Basketball Media
Day, which is slated for Thursday, Oct. 21 at Gund Arena in Cleveland. The media portion of the
schedule is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. The media registration form can be found on the MAC web
site home page.
