After an outstanding freshmancampaign, Longwood men’s basketballforward Michael Kessens was awarded the Virginia Sports Information Directors Association (VaSID) Rookie of the Year award last Tuesday, April 9.
Kessens averaged 13.7 points and 8.8 rebounds on the year, and was the Big South Conference’s Freshman of the Week four times.
In the team’s 90-86 quarterfinal loss in last month’s Big South Tournament, Kessens had a tournament-record 36 points to go along with 16 boards. “I’m happy for myself and the school,” the Switzerland native said at the time, adding, “I’d rather score zero points and win the game.”
It has been a hectic month for the team’s 12 projected returners, as the squad continues to deal with the departure of longtime head coach Mike Gillian and the arrival of Jayson Gee. Kessens said on Monday that, “It’s been a tough few weeks with Coach Gillian getting fired.We[the team]didn’t really know what to do. We had no plans, we had no coach, [and] we were a team without a coach. We couldn’t even consider ourselves a team anymore, so that was kind of tough."
He also mentioned that he’s talked to family, friends and coaches about the next step in his basketball journey, saying that the conversations have been about “what’s best for me, what are my goals and what’s best for me to achieve those goals ... considering the year I had.”
He said that his goal is to go to the next level, but doesn’t yet know how best to achieve that, and that he has yet to make a decision as to his status for next season.
“I’m lucky that I had such a good year that I don’t have to decide right now. I think about it every day,” he said. “I just don’t want to rush it ... I know either decision I make, I’m going to lose things and I'm going to win things."
THe soft spoken 22-year-old took the Big South
He also mentioned that he’s talked to family, friends and coaches about the next step in his basketball journey, saying that the conversations have been about “what’s best for me, what are my goals and what’s best for me to achieve those goals ... considering the year I had.”
He said that his goal is to go to the next level, but doesn’t yet know how best to achieve that, and that he has yet to make a decision as to his status for next season.
“I’m lucky that I had such a good year that I don’t have to decide right now. I think about it every day,” he said. “I just don’t want to rush it ... I know either decision I make, I’m going to lose things and I'm going to win things."
The soft spoken 22-year-old took the Big South by storm at the outset of the season, especially considering that the 6-foot-9 forward only started playing at the age of 16.
He averaged 13 points over Longwood’s first 10 games and averaged a double-double through the team’s first 13 matchups.
On winning the award, he said, “I came here on August 16 and I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t even know what the prize was at first, and then I read all the stuff about it and realized how big of a prize it was and that’s why I’m really honored to get the prize — not only for me, but it’s a team thing. In the end, I’m happy for my team and I’m happy for Longwood, too.”
Kessens was also named to the Big South’s All- Freshman Team, coming in second to High Point’s John Brown in the Freshman of the Year race.
Michael Kessens (14) goes for a layup against Radford University to assist in Longwood's 76-61 win on Feb.16 in Willett Hall.
