KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- University of Providence junior Zaccheus Darko-Kelly was name an all-American by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) on Thursday.
Darko-Kelly, a 6-foot-6 guard, was in the midst of a monster season for the Argos before the NAIA canceled its national basketball tournament in response to the coronavirus pandemic. For the season, the Great Falls native led the Argos in every statistical category, averaging 22.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 52.4 percent from the field, 42.5 percent from 3-point range and 79.1 percent from the free throw line. He led the Frontier Conference in scoring, steals and blocks per game, and ranked second in assists, third in rebounds, fifth in field goal percentage, seventh in 3-point percentage and sixth in free throw percentage. Darko-Kelly broke Providence's single-season scoring record with 701 points.
During a blistering stretch of the 2019-20 campaign, Darko-Kelly was named the NAIA national player of the week in three consecutive weeks, becoming the first player to achieve the milestone in NAIA history. He earned the first of those three awards after a week that saw him nearly average a triple-double. He recorded a triple-double of 21 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in a Feb. 8 win over Montana Western, two days after posting a line of 31 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists against Rocky Mountain College.
The next week Darko-Kelly had consecutive games of 36 and 37 points. He continued his hot streak with a 40-point game against Montana Western on Feb. 21 and another triple-double, this timing going for 20 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists against Rocky Mountain College the next night.
Darko-Kelly was recently named to the Top 25 Bevo Francis Award Watch List.
Darko-Kelly's teammate, Jaxen Hashley, was also recognized by the NAIA. The former Kalispell Glacier High School standout was included as an honorable mention all-American after averaging 12.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game for the Argos. Hashley, a 6-7 sophomore center, led the Frontier Conference in field goal percentage, making 62.6 percent of his attempts from the field.
