WACO, Texas (March 5, 2019) – Former Oklahoma Christian All-American John Moon made the cut for the Heartland Conference's 20th anniversary men's basketball team, announced Tuesday.

The NCAA Division II league is celebrating its final season by naming what essentially are all-time conference teams. Honorees include Heartland record holders, NCAA record holders, All-Americans and Heartland individual award winners.

In order to qualify for the team, student-athletes must have been awarded at least one Heartland player-of-the-year, offensive player-of-the-year or defensive player-of-the-year award and one All-American honor or been awarded multiple Heartland player-of-the-year awards or multiple All-American honors and have played for a full Heartland Conference member. OC has been a Heartland member since the 2012-13 season.

Moon, a 7-foot center from Crescent, starred for OC from 2013 to 2017, recording one of the most impressive careers – both athletically and academically – in Heartland history. He became the first basketball player from the conference ever to be named to the prestigious Academic All-America first-team list by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), earning that honor twice. 

He's one of only six Heartland players ever to make an All-America basketball team, having received honorable mention as a junior on lists produced by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association and Division II Bulletin. At the conference level, he was a three-time All-Heartland selection, receiving first-team honors as a junior and senior – seasons after which he was named the league's defensive player of the year.

On the Heartland's career statistical lists, he finished No. 1 in blocked shots (237), No. 2 in rebounding (812) and No. 3 in scoring (1,881 points).

Moon was named as the Heartland's Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2016-17 academic year – considered the highest honor bestowed by the conference. As a senior in 2017, he was named as Mr. Eagle, the highest honor in OC athletics. Last year, he became the only person connected with OC ever to be named to the Heartland Conference Hall of Fame.

Joining Moon on the Heartland 20th anniversary team were Pierce Caldwell of Incarnate Word (Texas), who played from 2006-10; Jamal Holden of Texas-Permian Basin, who played for UTPB during the 2010-11 season; Kevin Kotzur of St. Mary's (Texas), who played from 2009-13; Matt Miller of Drury (Mo.), who played from 1999-2002; Chris Mortellaro of Drury, who played from 2000-04; DaVaunta Thomas of Arkansas-Fort Smith, who played from 2014-18; Jake Toupal of Arkansas-Fort Smith, who played from 2010-14; Shawn Weinstein of St. Edward's (Texas), who played from 2005-08; and Seth Youngblood of Arkansas-Fort Smith, who played from 2013-17.

Here are bios on each of the honorees:

Pierce Caldwell – Incarnate Word – 2006-2010 – Guard
Caldwell is one of the most decorated men's basketball players in conference history and is the only three-time Heartland Conference player of the year. As a freshman, Caldwell was also named the Heartland freshman of the year. The Incarnate Word graduate was also a two-time All-American, earning the awards in back-to-back seasons in 2008-09 and 2009-10. Caldwell is the Heartland's career leader in 3-point field goals made with 360 and fourth all-time in career points with 1,873.
 
Jamal Holden – UT Permian Basin – 2010-2011 – Guard
Holden made the most of his one year in the Heartland Conference winning the player-of-the-year award after leading UTPB to its first Heartland title. Holden was also named an All-American in the same season.
 
Kevin Kotzur – St. Mary's – 2009-2013 – Forward/Center
Kotzur is the Heartland Conference's all-time scoring leader and one of the best players to play in the conference. Kotzur scored 2,004 points and is the only Heartland men's player to register of 2,000 career points. He was the conference freshman of the year in 2009-10 and the Heartland's player of the year in 2012-13. Kotzur was an All-American the same season and is a four-time All-Heartland selection. He is the conference's all-time leader in field goals made (854), field goal percentage (.662) and rebounds (1039). Kotzur was recently inducted into the Heartland Conference Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2019.
 
Matt Miller – Drury – 1999-2002 – Guard
Miller was named the Heartland Conference player of the year following the 2000-01 season and was named an All-American the same year. Miller was also a three-time All-Heartland first-team selection from 1999-2002. Miller holds the record for single-season 3-point field goal percentage (.514) and career 3-point field goal percentage (.463).
 
John Moon – Oklahoma Christian – 2013-2017 – Center
Moon is one of the best players in ever play in the Heartland Conference and is a two-time winner of the Heartland Conference defensive player of the year award. Moon also earned All-American honors in 2015-16. The Oklahoma Christian star holds the record for single-game points with 50 and tied a NCAA all-divisions record in going a perfect 20 of 20 from the floor in that game against Oklahoma Panhandle State on Feb. 6, 2016. Moon is also the career leader in blocked shots with 237. Moon was inducted into the Heartland Conference Hall of Fame in 2018.
 
Chris Mortellaro – Drury – 2000-2004 – Forward
Mortellaro earned back-to-back Heartland Conference player-of-the-year awards in 2002-03 and 2003-04. The forward was also named an All-American in the same seasons and was a three-time All-Heartland selection. Mortellaro is fifth in career rebounding with 745 and is 10th all-time in conference scoring with 1,582 points.

DaVaunta Thomas – Arkansas-Fort Smith – 2014-2018 – Guard
DaVaunta Thomas was a two-time All-Heartland selection and was named the Heartland Conference player of the year in 2017-18 following his freshman-of-the-year campaign in 2014-15. One of the most consistent players in conference history, Thomas finished his four-year career with the Lions with 1,677 points, which ranks eighth in Heartland Conference history.
 
Jake Toupal – Arkansas-Fort Smith – 2010-2014 – Guard
Toupal is one of two UAFS players on this list who won both the freshman-of-the-year honor and player-of-the-year honor over his four-year career in the conference. Toupal's 2010-11 freshman-of-the-year award was bookended by his conference MVP honor in his senior season. Toupal was one of the best 3-point shooters in conference history hitting the seventh-most career threes in Heartland history with 227.

Shawn Weinstein - St. Edward's - 2005-2008 - Guard
Weinstein was the Heartland Conference player of the year in 2006-2007, a two-time All-Heartland first-team member and was named to the Division II Bulletin All-America Team in 2006-2007. Weinstein ranks sixth in the conference career steals record book with 157. He hit 196 career 3-pointers and shot .382 from deep.
 
Seth Youngblood – Arkansas-Fort Smith – 2013-2017 – Guard
Seth Youngblood was a four-year star for UAFS, finishing as one of the conference's all-time leading scorers with 1,912 career points. Youngblood was the Heartland Conference freshman of the year in 2013-14 and was an All-American selection in 2016-17. He also finished his career in the conference with 339 3-point field goals made which ranks second all-time in the Heartland, and his .426 3-point percentage is sixth all-time.