Pitt-Johnstown senor forward
John Paul Kromka, already a two-time second-team all-region selection, earned a spot on the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) All-Atlantic Region First Team when the 2022-23 accolades were released on Friday.
West Liberty's Bryce Butler was named the 2022-23 D2CCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year. Butler, a junior guard from Latrobe, Pa., repeats as the D2CCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year in 2022-23 after leading the Hilltoppers to the MEC regular season and tournament championships for the second-consecutive year. Butler enters this weekend's regional averaging 22.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game for the Hilltoppers. In 31 games this season, Butler is shooting 58.9 percent from the floor and 43.6 percent from behind the arc. Butler's postseason accolades this season also include MEC Player of the Year, first team All-MEC and MEC Tournament MVP.
Butler is joined on the D2CCA All-Atlantic Region First Team by Shippensburg's Carlos Carter, Indiana's Shawndale Jones, Pitt-Johnstown's Kromka and Virginia Union's Robert Osborne. First team selections advance to the D2CCA All-America ballot.
Kromka, a five-time PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week in 2022-23 and the PSAC West Athlete of the Week on Jan. 30, earned his fourth straight PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year honor and his third straight First-Team All-PSAC West honor. The 2018-19 PSAC West Freshman of the Year and 2021-22 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-American leads Pitt-Johnstown in scoring (17.3 ppg), rebounding (7.1 rpg.), field goal percentage (68.4%), blocks (72), and steals (37) and his 65 assists are fourth on the team.
Kromka leads the PSAC and ranks second in NCAA Division II in field goal percentage, while his 72 blocks and 2.57 blocks per game both lead the conference and rank fifth nationally. He is also sixth in the conference and 62
nd nationally in field goals made and fourth in the conference and 88
th in the nation in scoring.
He enters Saturday's 2023 NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Tournament as Pitt-Johnstown's all-time leader in blocked shots with 314. Kromka also stands in third-place on the Mountain Cats' All-time Scoring (1,928 points) and Rebounding Lists (932 rebounds), and 13
th on the all-time assists list (303 assists).
2022-23 D2CCA All-Atlantic Region Men's Basketball Teams
FIRST TEAM
Name School Pos. Ht. Cl. Hometown
**Bryce Butler + West Liberty G 6-5 Jr. Latrobe, Pa.
Carlos Carter Shippensburg F 6-5 Sr. Indiana, Pa.
Shawndale Jones Indiana (PA) G 6-3 Gr. Pittsburgh, Pa.
John Paul Kromka +Pitt-Johnstown F 6-7 Sr. Monroeville, Pa.
Robert Osborne Virginia Union F 6-5 Sr. Richmond, Va.
** 2022-23 Atlantic Region Player of the Year
SECOND TEAM
Name School Pos. Ht. Cl. Hometown
Carlos Pepin + East Stroudsburg F 6-7 R-Sr. Lodi, N.J.
Daniel Rahama Concord F 6-5 Gr. Newport News, Va.
Sam Rolle IV Davis & Elkins G 5-11 Jr. Riviera Beach, Fla.
Isaiah Sanders + Fairmont State G/F 6-5 Gr. Sicklerville, N.J.
Dom Sleva Shippensburg F 6-6 Gr. McKees Rocks, Pa.
+ 2021-22 D2CCA All-Atlantic Region selection
Sports information directors from NCAA Division II Atlantic Region schools and conferences selected the two all-region teams. The process concludes with All-American selections announced later in the month. The Atlantic Region consists of schools from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the Mountain East Conference (MEC) and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), along with independents Bluefield State and Salem.
The team is sponsored by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association encourages and promotes Division II athletics and high standards of sportsmanship as important elements of higher education. The CCA is a key communications link among the conferences as they discuss views, policies and regulations that impact Division II intercollegiate athletics and works closely with the NCAA as a communications channel to NCAA Division II member colleges and universities.
