BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The No. 2-ranked West Liberty University men's basketball team nabbed two of the five first-team spots on Friday when the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) announced the 2021-22 All-Atlantic Region Team.
    Sophomore guard Bryce Butler and junior guard Pat Robinson III were first-team selections for Coach Ben Howlett's perennial NCAA Division II power with Butler also being honored as the 2021-22 Atlantic Region Player of the Year in the annual voting conducted by sports information directors and administrators from the Atlantic Region.
    A first-team NCAA Division II Academic All-District pick and the MEC Player of the Year, Butler is a 6-5 sophomore guard from Latrobe, Pa. Named to the Top 50 Watch List for the prestigious Bevo Francis Award, he averaged 18.1 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds per contest in helping lead West Liberty to a sweep of the MEC's regular season and tournament titles. With 29 double-figure scoring games and a team-high 10 double-doubles, he ranks among the Top 10 nationally with 239 made field goals and is 13th in Division II field-goal percentage (239-382, .636). The 1.000-point scorer notched season- and career-highs of 30 points at Fairmont State, 13 rebounds vs. W.Va. State and 9 assists at Glenville State.
    Robinson, a silky-smooth 6-3 southpaw guard from Chesterfield, N.J., is the leading scorer (20.0 ppg.) on the nation's highest-scoring team. He also leads the team and ranks among the Top 20 nationally with 63 steals while shooting better than 50 percent (224-441, .508) from the floor and nearly 80 percent (136-176, .773) from the foul line. Also named to the Bevo Francis Top 50 Watch List, the Holy Family (Pa.) transfer has scored 2,152 points in his collegiate career with 1,648 of them coming at West Liberty. Voted Most Valuable Player at the MEC Tournament, Robinson has hit double-figures 30 times this season with 17 games of 20 or more points. He has season highs of 30 points against East Stroudsburg, 8 rebounds at Concord and 7 assists against Alderson Broaddus.
    Joining Butler and Robinson on the 5-man first-team unit are Philip Alston (California, Pa.), Zahrion Blue (Lincoln, Pa.), and Armoni Foster (Indiana, Pa.). The second team consists of John Paul Kromka (Pitt-Johnstown), Carlos Pepin (East Stroudsburg), Ethan Porterfield (Indiana, Pa.), Isaiah Sanders (Fairmont State), and John Williams (Glenville State).
    Butler, Robinson and the other first-team selections advance to the national ballot for the 2021-22 D2CCA All-America Team, which will be announced later this month.
    The Hilltoppers open defense of their Atlantic Region championship on Saturday when they take on West Virginia State in a 2:30 p.m. regional quarterfinal at Indiana (Pa.).
  Name                                      School                                     Pos.        Ht.        Wt.         Cl.                                                  Hometown
Philip Alston                           California (Pa.)                       F              6-6        225         So.                                                  Columbus, Ohio
Zahrion Blue                           Lincoln (Pa.)                           G             6-4        200         Jr.                                                  Princeton, N.J.
BRYCE BUTLER**                  WEST LIBERTY                       G             6-5        200         SO.                                                  LATROBE, PA.
Armoni Foster                        Indiana (Pa.)                           G             6-4        170         Jr.                                                  Meadville, Pa.
PAT ROBINSON III                WEST LIBERTY                       G             6-3        195         JR.                                                  CHESTERFIELD, N.J.
      ** Atlantic Region Player of the Year Name                                      School                                     Pos         Ht.        Wt.         Cl.                                                  Hometown
John Paul Kromka                 Pitt-Johnstown                      F              6-7        210         Jr.                                                  Monroeville, Pa.
Carlos Pepin                           East Stroudsburg                   F              6-7        220         Jr.              Lodi, N.J.
Ethan Porterfield                   Indiana (Pa.)                           F              6-8        220         So.            Sharon, Pa.
Isaiah Sanders                        Fairmont State                      G/F         6-5        190         Sr.                                                  Sicklerville, N.J.
John Williams                         Glenville State                       G             6-4        190         Sr.                                                  Augusta, Ga.