KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Twelve Horizon League men's basketball players were recognized as members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court, the organization announced today. The NABC Honors Court recognizes the talents and gifts of the student-athletes both on and off the court.
2011 Horizon League Player of the Year Ryan Broekhoff led four selections from Valparaiso University. The junior led the League and team in rebounding this season, averaging 8.5 rebounds per game, and also paced the Crusaders with 14.9 points per game, good for fourth in the league. He also ranked among the league’s top-10 in free throw percentage (.795, 4th), 3-pointers/game (1.9, 6th), steals (1.3, 9th) and 3-point percentage (.391, 10th). Off the court, Broekhoff achieved a 3.366 GPA with a major in exercise science.
Broekhoff was joined by three of his teammates, including 2011 First Team All-League pick Kevin Van Wijk, a Spanish major who achieved a 3.339 GPA. Last season, Van Wijk paced the Horizon with a 62.6-percent shooting percentage, averaging 14.4 ppg.
Van Wijk and Broekhoff will be two of the five First Team All-League selections returning to the conference in 2012-13.
2011 Second Team All-League selections Ben Averkamp of Loyola and Butler’s Ronald Nored were also recognized. Nored, Butler’s male student-athlete of the year, earned Defensive Player of the Year accolades before moving on to become the head boys’ basketball coach at Brownsburg (Ind.) High School.
Averkamp had a remarkable season both on and off the court in 2011-12, becoming the first Rambler since 2007 to earn all-conference honors when he was named Second Team All-Horizon League after producing 15.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per outing, all career-high marks for the 6-foot-8 forward. He will enter the 2012-13 season needing only 11 points to reach the 1,000 plateau for his career. The recognition adds to Averkamp’s decorated academic career, in which the biology major was named to the Capital One Academic All-District V First Team, the I-AAA Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete Team, the Horizon League Men’s Basketball All-Academic Team, the National Jesuit Men’s Basketball All-Academic Team and was also a part of the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll.
Preseason All-League selections Andrew Smith of Butler and Milwaukee’s Tony Meier each earned Honor Roll recognition; for Meier, it was the second straight year the Wildwood, Mo.-native was so recognized.
Meier, who earned a bachelor's degree with a 3.638 grade-point average as a business major, played in over 100 games in his Panther career, scoring better than 1,000 points while grabbing nearly 500 rebounds. He also was a two-time NACDA Division I-AAA Scholar-Athlete and claimed a spot this past season on the 2012 Capital One Academic All-Region team.
The 2012 Coleman Award winner in the Horizon, Walt Gibler returned to the Honors Court for the second straight year, presented annually to the League’s top male and female student-athletes who best exemplify the dignity and high purpose of the League and its membership. He also is one of only 18 players in Loyola history to rack up over 1,000 points and 500 rebounds for his career.
The 6-foot-7 forward graduated in May with a degree in psychology and has plans to attend medical school. On the hardwood, Gibler notched his best season, pitching in 12.4 ppg and 5.8 rpg, both career-best averages. In addition to grabbing Horizon League Men’s Basketball All-Academic Team honors, was also named to the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll, the National Jesuit Men’s Basketball All-Academic Team and the I-AAA Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete Team.
Joining Broekhoff and Van Wijk from Valparaiso were Ben Boggs and Nick Shelton; John Benkoske rounded out Loyola’s trio of selections, while Christian Wolk gave Milwaukee its second Honors Court selection. Hayden Humes, who averaged 8.2 ppg to go along with 5.6 rebounds per game in his first season with UIC, was the lone Flames selection to the Honors Court.
In order to be named to the Honors Court, an athlete must meet the following standard of academic criteria:
