Yaakema Rose Jr. Named NJCAA All-American
Sophomore guard led Cobras to a 24-4 record, conference title
Parkland Men's Basketball sophomore guard Yaakema Rose Jr. was named a 2018-19 NJCAA Division II All-American on Monday, as announced by the national office.
Averaging 16.1 points per game on the season, Rose was selected as a Third Team All-American after leading the Cobras to a 24-4 overall record and Mid-West Athletic Conference Championship.
"Yaak is so deserving of all his accolades," said Head Coach Anthony Figueroa. "He's loved by his teammates, is an extremely hard worker and only cares about winning. Yaak was our most consistent guy all year."
A native of Springfield, Ill., Rose led the Cobras with 16.1 points per game with a 43.9 shooting percentage, while also grabbing 4.1 rebounds per game and 2.5 assists per game. Twice named the Parkland Men's Athlete of the Month (November and February), Rose scored in double figures in 23 of the Cobras' 28 games, including seven 20-point performances with three coming in the final two weeks of the season. Sharing the Player of the Year honors with John Wood's Cory Miller Jr., Rose finished his career at Parkland by averaging 20.5 points across the two Region 24 Tournament games.
Rose becomes the ninth All-American in Parkland Men's Basketball history and the first under Figueroa. Prior to Rose, D.J. Hoskins was the last Cobra to earn All-American status, doing so in 2010-11. The Cobras' list of All-Americans dates back to Russ Oliver, who was the first in 1975-76, and also Parkland Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2018 Lennox Forrester.
One of two Region 24 players to earn All-American status, Rose is joined by fellow Co-Region 24 and M-WAC Player of the Year Cory Miller Jr. of John Wood, who was named to the First Team.
Parkland Men's Basketball All-Americans:
1975-76: Russ Oliver – First Team All-American
1978-88: P.J. Bowman – First Team All-American
1980-81: Dana Dunson – Honorable Mention
1985-86: Dave Stein – Honorable Mention
1988-89: Lennox Forrester – Second Team All-American
1992-93: Antiwan Easley – Second Team All-American
2005-06: Matt Neaville – Third Team All-American
2010-11: D.J. Hoskins – Third Team All-American
2018-19: Yaakema Rose Jr. – Third Team All-American