Lopez: From JV to NAIA All-American

Ruben Lopez started his collegiate career playing on the Wayland Baptist junior varsity and carrying water for the varsity Pioneers. He ends it as an NAIA All-American.

Lopez was named NAIA Men's Basketball Division I Honorable Mention All-American after leading the Pioneers to one of their most successful seasons in history.

"Ruben doesn't pass the eye test, but he got everything out of himself physically and athletically. There are not a lot of players who can finish their careers saying that," Pioneers coach Ty Harrelson said.

A 5-foot-6 guard from El Paso, Lopez came to Wayland after his older brother, Robert, signed with the Pioneers. While playing on the Pioneer JV, Ruben promptly broke his ankle in his first game.

The following season he suited out for 13 contests, scoring eight points that season, before winning his way onto the roster fulltime under Harrelson.

Lopez continued to work hard and this season wound up as the team's leading scorer averaging 13.9 points a game. He was one of only two Pioneers to start all 34 games and averaged a team-high 32½ minutes.

He finished sixth in the NAIA in total assists with 149, sixth in free throw percentage at almost 89 percent, and 12^th in 3-point percentage at almost 45 percent.

An All-Sooner Athletic Conference Second Team pick, Lopez leaves Wayland having played in 103 games and scored 772 points. For his career he shot 45.6 percent from the field, 46 percent (143-of-311) from 3-point range, and 89.1 percent (179-of-201) from the free-throw line. He averaged twice as many assists (2.6, 263) than turnovers (1.3, 135), came up with 69 steals, and pulled down 147 rebounds.

Lopez and the Pioneers finished their season with a 25-5 record and advanced to the Elite Eight for just the fourth time in program history. The team's 25 wins are the most since 1992 and the sixth-most in team history.

"I've had numerous conference coaches say that two or three years ago they never would have expected him to become the player that he is," Harrelson said of Lopez. "They said he's so good at running our stuff and that he's such a good shooter they can never leave him open. Then at the national tournament a lot of people told me how impressed they were with how he controlled the game."

Lopez wants to pursue a career in coaching, which Harrelson said is awesome.

"He's going to be a great coach," he said.
 

2017-18 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball All-Americans