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Jacobs grad Orange delivering again at Augustana

Jacobs alum Chrishawn Orange is living up to the hype and then some.

Heading into the 2017-2018 season, Orange was named to the D3hoops.com preseason All-American second team.

That honor came on the heels of the junior guard helping Augustana to a 24-9 record last year and a Division III national runner-up finish.

During Augustana's tournament run, Orange hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win it in the first round and then in the second round hit a shot with 1 second left to once again send Augustana to victory. He averaged a team-best 14.2 points a contest last year, while shooting .511 from the field and .423 from the 3-point line. In eight postseason games, he averaged 15.3 points and shot .556 from 3-point range.

And Orange continues to churn out significant numbers for Augustana, which was 15-4 overall and 7-3 in conference play through Wednesday. Orange was averaging a team-best 15.5 points per game on a team that has four players averaging in double figures.

He's shooting .468 from the field and .455 from the 3-point line and .716 from the free-throw line. His rebounding numbers are up to 4.4 per game and he has 46 assists against only 23 turnovers.

Orange also has been a model of consistency, delivering double-digit scoring outputs in 16 of the team's first 19 games, highlighted by 23 points against UW-Oshkosh, 21 against Heidelberg and 20 against North Park. He currently has a streak of 12 games in a row with at least one 3-pointer and has only come up empty from the 3-point line in two games this season.

"I'm shooting the ball better," Orange said earlier this week. "I'm shooting it with more confidence, definitely behind the arc and inside. The work I put in with one of my trainers in the summer (Augustana alum Jordan Delp of Moline-based Pure Sweat Basketball) has helped. I got in enough reps to where it has made me confident in games to shoot it."

Orange said he's also excelling in Augustana's transition game. "Transition is kind of the team's identity," he said. "We like to get out and go and score. We like to play fast. It's a little more fun when you do that. The crowd gets into it as well. The key with the transition game is everybody running. Our coaches always talk about the first two steps. Get out there and run and give yourself and your team a chance."

While Augustana did have key players returning from last year's national finalist, Orange said one of the team's biggest strides forward has come in the relationship department.

"I think it's the way we've all come together as a team," he said. "That's always a challenge, but with this group everybody has grown close and we're getting better every day. We've done a very good job of getting better every day."

Orange was asked to assess his thoughts on his three-year college progression thus far. "It looks pretty good to me," he said with a laugh, "but I know I have a ton more work still to do."

Orange was quick to point out his rate of advancement would not be possible without the help and support of his Augustana coaches and teammates.

"I knew I would have a shot in college because of the program I am in," he said. "It's the Augustana way of coming in and working hard. If you do that, you will have success. We follow it to a tee and that's why we've had so much success a team."

Orange, a business management major who also is working on a communications minor and would like to do something in the business and marketing fields after college, said for him it's tough to pick out what is favorite game of this season is.

"I don't think I have one," he said. "Honestly, any game that Augustana wins is my favorite."

Off at College wants your help: Send information and/or statistics on Fox Valley-area athletes playing collegiately to Mike Miazga at mjm890@gmail.com. Winter sports submissions are encouraged.

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