Mike McKinney became the third underclassman in NIU history to gain All-MAC recognition Monday.

The sophomore guard was named to the 2005 All-MAC Honorable Mention Team on Wednesday after leading the Huskies in scoring and rebounding.

“We are pleased with the development of Mike’s consistency throughout the season,” NIU men’s basketball coach Rob Judson said. “He made some great strides during his sophomore year and we are looking forward to his continued development.”

McKinney ranked 17th in MAC scoring with 12.6 points and ninth with 6.1 rebounds.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard ended the year with 10 straight double-figure scoring games. McKinney reached double figures in 22 of the 28 games he played this season.

McKinney became the first sophomore to lead the Huskies in scoring since Stacy Arrington in 1988-89.

The first-team All-MAC squad, as voted on by the league’s coaches, were: Buffalo guard Turner Battle, Bowling Green forward Josh Almanson, Western Michigan guard Ben Reed and Miami-Ohio forwards Chet Mason and Danny Horace.

Battle received the conference player of the year award. A 6-foot-3 senior guard, he helped the Bulls to a 20-8 overall record and second place in the MAC East.

Battle finished No. 8 in the MAC with 15.4 points a game, third with a .469 field-goal percentage, fifth with 4.46 assists and 11th with 1.57 steals.

Miami-Ohio coach Charlie Coles was named the MAC Coach of the Year. He led the RedHawks to the best conference record and they face off against Bowling Green tonight in Cleveland for the MAC tournament quarterfinals.