MARION – The incredible freshman season for Indiana Wesleyan University guard Kyle Mangas culminated with an NAIA All-America First Team selection.
Former Warsaw Community High School standout Mangas and teammate Evan Maxwell, who received honorable mention honors, scored a combined 1,483 points this season, which is the most of any duo in Wildcat history by more than 100 points.
Earlier this season, Mangas was named Crossroads League Player of the Year, the first freshman to ever win the award. He averaged 21.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. Mangas poured in 818 points this season, which is the most in a single season in IWU history. He was the only freshman named to any of the three All-American teams.
IWU finished the season with a 31-7 record after beating league rival St. Francis 84-71 in the NAIA DII national championship game in Sioux Falls, S.D.
In five tournament games, Mangas scored 100 points.
“We couldn’t be more proud of Kyle for this accomplishment,” said Indiana Wesleyan head coach Greg Tonagel. “Our team started the year hoping to grow in ‘hunger, habits, and humility’ and from his first day on campus, Kyle embodied those traits. He showed a hunger to be great and developed habits that would allow him to have success. As a coach, it was amazing to watch as this success came because the humility he lives with allowed him to be embraced by everyone on the team and at IWU.”
Mangas’ WCHS teammate Paul Marandet, a sophomore at Crossroads League school Spring Arbor University, received Third-Team All-America honors.
Marandet, who joined Mangas on the Crossroads League First Team, averaged 18.8 points, 5.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds for the Cougars, who finished the season 20-11.
Marandet scored a career-high 34 points against Goshen College on Jan. 2, and dished out a career-high 10 assists in a game this season.
In his two seasons at Spring Arbor – 59 games – Marandet has 923 points, 304 assists and 192 rebounds.
Mangas and Marandet led the Warsaw Tigers to a 25-2 record and a Class 4A regional title in 2016.
Other players from the Crossroads League to receive honors were St. Francis’ Bryce Lienhoop (first team) and Derek Hinen (honorable mention), Bethel’s Gage Ott (second team), Marian’s Wes Stowers (second team) and Huntington’s Mike Bush (honorable mention).
