Kris Bankston wasn’t named to the preseason All-MEAC team in part because few knew much about him.

Now they know.

The Norfolk State University first-year transfer treated a national ESPN2 audience to his uncanny shooting accuracy at the Boost Mobile HBCU Challenge hosted by Chris Paul in Phoenix Nov. 29 through 30.

In pacing the Spartans to wins over Hampton University 70-61 and Grambling State University 70-63, Bankston hit 14 of 19 shots from the field while piling up 38 points and 15 rebounds.

The games were played at the same Footprint Center that the NBA Suns—with All-Star guard Paul—and the WNBA Mercury call home.

Bankston is a 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward who came to NSU after parts of four seasons at his hometown school, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Playing for Little Rock of the NCAA Division I Sun Belt Conference, Bankston accumulated 457 points, 298 rebounds and 103 dunks in 80 games.

He is no 3-point threat. Bankston’s shooting arsenal is mostly limited to high percentage attempts near and above the hoop.

In helping NSU to a 9-2 record, Bankston is averaging 12 points and seven rebounds per game, while hitting 76 percent from the field (54-for-71). That ranks second nationally in NCAA Division I.

Bankston is listed as a “red-shirt senior” by NSU, but Spartans sports publicist Matt Michalec says he will have another season of eligibility in 2022-23, should he elect to take it.

The 9-1 takeoff was the best NSU start since turning Division I in 1997. The winning streak ended Saturday, Dec. 4, with a 58-57 loss at Hampton.

Coach Robert Jones’ squad will travel to Kansas on Saturday, Dec. 11, to play Wichita State University. The game will be televised on ESPN-Plus.