BLOOMINGTON, MINN. – Gustavus Adolphus men’s basketball players Gary Cooper (Jr., Detroit, Mich.) and Brody Ziegler (Jr., Mankato, Minn.) were named to the MIAC Honorable Mention Team as a part of the league’s postseason awards released Thursday by the league office.
Taking home the honor of Joe Hutton Player-of-the-Year was Bethel’s Kyle Zimmerman after a fantastic senior season that saw him take home MIAC Player-of-the-Week honors four times. Zimmerman’s name was all over the MIAC leader board, as he led the conference in scoring (17.6 points per game), rebounding (9.6 per game), field goal percentage (60.7), was second in free throws (107) and third in steals (44) in 28 overall games. Coach-of-the-Year honors went to St. Thomas head coach John Tauer. This season, Tauer coached four players to All-MIAC honors, two more to All-Conference Honorable Mention accolades and one All-Defensive Team selection, while finishing with a 24-3 mark and earning a 10th straight MIAC title. St Thomas’ Cortez Tillman was honored as the league’s top sixth man, as he averaged 9.9 points, 2.2 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game coming off the bench for the No. 6 Tommies.
In his first full season with Gustavus, Cooper proved to be an offensive strength, especially in key games down the stretch. In ten February games, the Detroit native was a consistent scoring force for the Black and Gold, scoring in double-digits in eight of them, including his team-high 23 points in the team’s MIAC Playoff Semifinal game at St. Thomas. Overall, Cooper led the team in scoring with 11.2 points per game and steals with 1.4 per game and was second in both field-goal percentage (52.8) and assists (2.2 per game). His 52.8 field goal percentage was also good for seventh in the MIAC.
In his junior campaign, Ziegler proved to be one of Gustavus’s most consistent big men, as the 6’6 forward started in all 27 games for the Gusties. The Mankato product was second on the team in points per game (8.6), rebounds (5.2) and blocks (0.8). Ziegler was especially effective on the offensive glass, as he pulled down a whopping 47 offensive boards, good for an average of 1.7 per contest. For the second consecutive season, Ziegler also finished in the top 10 in the MIAC in field goal percentage, as his 52.7 percent was good for No. 8 in the league.
As part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC also announced the ninth annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for men’s basketball. Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition. Representing Gustavus on this season’s All-MIAC Sportsmanship team is junior Chris Narum of Eagan, Minnesota.