Players Mitch McCarron and Nicholas Kay are happy to be the Australian connection for the Metro State basketball team.
They are the senior workhorses for a team that once again has national championship aspirations.
In the classroom, they are also workhorses. On Wednesday, they were named to the first-team all-academic team for the 294-member NCAA Division II. They are only the second and third players from Metro State to earn first-team honors. On the basketball floor, they are six victories from reaching 118 career victories and tying the school record.
“We want to win all of the rest of our games,but the academics are important,” Kay said. “Anything can happen in basketball. Injuries can end a career, and there’s a need for something to fall back on.”
McCarron, who is majoring in sports industry operations, is a 6-foot-3 guard. Kay is a 6-9 forward/center who majors in biology. Their play on the floor also is of All-America caliber.
McCarron, who came to Metro State from Brisbane, leads the Roadrunners in scoring (20.9) and assists (4.1) per game. He’s second in rebounding at 6.0 per game. Kay, who hails from Tamworth, leads the team in rebounding (6.8) and steals (1.4). He’s second in scoring at 19.8.
“They have been our leaders all year,” Metro State coach Derrick Clark said. “They go out and get the job done night in and night out. They know how to follow a game plan. We don’t have to worry about that.”
When his two seniors first arrived in Denver, Clark remembers that Kay had to develop strength while McCarron had to accept the role of being a leader and recognize his ability to take over a game.
McCarron and Kay have convinced opposing coaches.
“Both of Metropolitan State’s players from Australia could play in Division I,” said Colorado Mines coach Pryor Orser. “And they could play at the top end of Division I. Metropolitan State has an unbelievable development program for its players.”
Orser said he believes McCarron and Kay benefited from their upbringing in Australia.
“The summer programs for high school players here schedule way too many games,” Orser said. “They don’t spend nearly enough time on skill development.”
Both McCarron and Kay hope to continue playing basketball when they leave college. They credit their time at Metro State for preparing them for the future.
“I enjoyed having to take accountability of my time to meet my schedule,” Kay said. “I’m looking forward to having a degree in my hand and figuring things out from there.”
McCarron credits coaches and teammates with helping him make the transition to Denver.
“I learned that if you put in the work, you get the results,” McCar- ron said. “I’ve gotten used to being here. It’s like a second home right now. I almost got hit a couple of times because I was looking the wrong way (they drive on the left side of the road in Australia) before crossing the street. But I made it.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296, imoss@denverpost.com or twitter.com/irvmoss
