BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The West Virginia State men's basketball team placed three of its players on the 2023 All-Mountain East Conference teams. Junior forward Malik Whitaker and sophomore guard Samier Kinsler both were named to the All-MEC Second Team while junior forward Anthony Pittman received an All-MEC Honorable Mention.

Whitaker earned All-MEC Second Team honors after averaging 14.1 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game. He was sixth-best in the league in rebounding and led the conference with an 89.3 free throw percentage. He reached 1,000 points in his career, including two junior college stints, in the final game of the regular season.

Kinsler was named to the All-MEC Second Team after a season in which he was one of the league's best three-point shooters and scorer. His 16.6 points per game was the best average on the team and the ninth-highest average in the MEC. His 43.6 three-point field goal percentage ranked second in the conference and his 82 three-point buckets ranked third.

Pittman gained all-conference recognition for the fourth consecutive year. He was an All-MEC First Team selection in the past two seasons and an All-MEC Second Team honoree in his freshman year. He averaged 11.3 points per game and a team-leading 7.6 rebounds per game this season after returning to action in early December.

The Yellow Jackets will enter the MEC Tournament in the quarterfinals after earning the No. 4 seed. They will play Notre Dame College at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, March 3 inside the WesBanco Arena.