Arkansas basketball signee Akol Mawein will be watching Arkansas' NCAA Tournament opener against Colgate on Friday with the future on his mind.
“Seeing Arkansas in the Big Dance motivates me to do whatever I need to do next year to help us return to the NCAA Tournament,” Mawein said.
Mawein (6-10, 240 pounds) of Navarro (Texas) College is coming off a 20-point effort Wednesday night in his team’s 78-60 win over Kilgore College. It was the fourth straight win for the Bulldogs (10-5).
Navarro has shot better than 55% from the field in each of its last five games and is playing its best basketball with five regular-season games remaining. Navarro will also play in the Region XIV tournament, and the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament is in Hutchinson, Kan.
“As I prep for conference tourney here, I would love to make it to Hutch as well,” Mawein said. “I believe we have a really good chance, just gotta play together and compete on the big stage.”
Mawein is averaging 12.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this season. He is shooting 50.8% (64 of 126) from the field overall, 31.9% (15 of 47) from three-point range and 71.9% (46 of 64) from the free throw line.
The Australia native has season highs of 22 points and 13 rebounds. He has scored in double figures 10 times and has two double-doubles.
Mawein had a pair of two-point games earlier this month. He has been the target by opposing teams' defenses.
“Been up and down, trying to find consistency within my game to help my team win,” Mawein said. “I have a lot of opponents after me whether it's players from last year’s battles to this year’s new players trying to challenge me.
“I just have to embrace the challenges and take it head on while doing what the team needs me to do. Got a lot of improvement for sure, but every day is a learning lesson.”