CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Northwest Missouri State University junior Justin Pitts has beened named to the first team Preseason All-America Team by the Sporting News College Basketball Yearbook. The magazine’s preview included an NCAA Division II top-10 along with a 25-man Preseason All-America list.

Now a two-time first-team All-MIAA performer, Pitts scored in double figures in all 32 games in 2015-16, scoring 20 or more points 21 times, including a career-high 38 points against Minnesota State in the Central Region semifinals, third-most in school history (3/13/16). He was the MIAA’s Player of the Year, reaching 1,000 career points in just 53 games. Through two seasons at Northwest, Pitts is the all-time leader in three point field goal percentage, drilling 49.4 percent of his shots from behind the arc (131-for-265). The Blue Springs, Mo. native led the Bearcats in scoring (21.7), three point percentage (49.4), assists (5.0) and steals (1.5), helping Northwest to an MIAA-record 19 conference victories, an outright MIAA regular season title, an MIAA tournament title and a third-straight trip to the Central Region Championship game during the 2015-16 season.

Northwest will begin the season on Friday, Nov. 11, against Upper Iowa in St. Joseph, Mo.

— Northwest Athletics —