2021-22 MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team

2021-22: Started all 22 games he played in a season where he missed eight games due to a back injury and two games due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols... Averaged 10.1 points per game, a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game and handed out 49 assists while shooting a team-best 56.5 percent... Named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team at season’s end... Ranked fourth in the league in rebounding (6.6 rpg), sixth in field-goal percentage (.565), fifth in offensive rebounds per game (1.8) and sixth in defensive rebounds per game (4.8)... Finished with Valpo’s highest rebounding average since Alec Peters in 2016-17... Finished with the highest field-goal percentage by a Valpo player since Derrik Smits in 2018-19... Finished the season as one of three players in the MVC and one of 19 players nationally to average in double figures in scoring, average at least 6.5 rebounds per game, dish out 45 or more assists and shoot at least 55 percent from the field... Reached double figures in scoring on nine occasions including each of his final three games of the season... Achieved double figures in rebounding four times... Led the team in scoring in four contests and rebounding in 11 outings... Scored a season-high 28 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the Nov. 13 game vs. UIC as part of a double-double that also featured 11 rebounds. He became just the fourth different player during the Matt Lottich Era with a 25-point double-double... Named the MVC Newcomer of the Week on Nov. 15... Had three double-doubles – Nov. 13 vs. UIC, Jan. 8 vs. Southern Illinois and Jan. 19 vs. UNI... Squeezed a season-high 12 rebounds on Nov. 23 vs. Coastal Carolina in Nassau, The Bahamas... Scored a team-high 17 points, his highest scoring output against an MVC foe all year, in the final game of the season, the March 4 MVC quarterfinal vs. Missouri State... Finished with five or more rebounds in 18 of his 22 games.

2020-21 (Michigan State): Appeared in 26 games and made 14 starts during his final season in East Lansing, bringing his Michigan State career totals to 86 games and 19 starts… Averaged 2.4 points per game and 2.5 rebounds per game… Shot at a 65 percent clip, going 26-of-40 from the floor to register the team’s highest field-goal percentage… Went 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) at the free-throw line… Team reached the NCAA Tournament… Notched a season-high eight points on Dec. 25 vs. Wisconsin… Squeezed a season-high seven boards on Dec. 28 at Minnesota and again on Jan. 5 vs. Rutgers.

2019-20 (Michigan State): Appeared in 29 games, starting five times while helping his team to a share of its second straight Big Ten regular-season crown... Was in the starting lineup the first five games of the season... Finished the season averaging 3.1 points and 3.2 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game... Averaged 2.1 points and 2.6 rebounds in Big Ten Conference play... Made his first career start against Kentucky in the Champions Classic on Nov. 6, finishing with seven points and three rebounds... Played 24 minutes, adding six points, five rebounds and three assists in a win at Seton Hall (Nov. 14)... Scored in double figures once, finishing with 10 points, three rebounds and three assists against Binghamton (Nov. 10)... Had seven rebounds against Charleston Southern (Nov. 18) and Western Michigan (Dec. 29)... Played 23 minutes and had six points and three rebounds against Maryland (Feb. 15).

2018-19 (Michigan State): Appeared in 31 games for a Spartans team that reached the Final Four... Averaged 1.6 points and 1.3 rebounds in 5.8 minutes per game... Saw action in 15 Big Ten games, averaging 2.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 7.3 minutes... Connected on 79.3 percent of his field goals (23-of-29)... Made his first appearance against Kansas (Nov. 6) in the Champions Classic... Scored his first basket against Tennessee Tech (Nov. 18)… Played 11 minutes, scoring two points with one assist, against UCLA (Nov. 22) in the Las Vegas Invitational... Scored six points and grabbed a career-high five rebounds in a win at Iowa (Jan. 24)... Registered a career-high eight points and had three rebounds against Minnesota (Feb. 9)... Played at least 10 minutes in six straight games late in the season, including a career-high 19 minutes against Nebraska (March 5), scoring six points and grabbing three rebounds.

Prep: 2017 Detroit Free Press Class A Second Team selection and Detroit News Class A Third Team honoree… Averaged 21 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three blocks as a prep junior at Macomb Dakota… Led Dakota to a 20-4 record and a district title… 2017 Detroit News All-East Team honoree, 2017 MLive Detroit Dream Team Second Team selection, 2017 Associated Press Class A All-State honorable mention, 2016 Detroit Free Press Class A honorable mention recipient… Transferred to Clarkston High School for his senior year… Played club for the All Ohio Red… Sat out his senior year of high school after transferring schools.

Personal: Son of Karl and Jane Kithier... His mother played college volleyball at Eastern Michigan... Enjoys playing video games... Lists his parents as the most influential people in his life.... Lists “The Simpsons” as his favorite TV show and “The Shawshank Redemption” as his favorite movie... Is an avid Detroit Lions fan and can name every player on the roster... Enjoys bike riding… Finished his undergraduate degree in advertising at Michigan State in only three years and is pursing a master’s in sports administration/media at Valpo.