NABC Division II All-District Release
For the second consecutive year, a forward from the Hillsdale College men's basketball team has been named Daktronics First-Team All-Region.
After Tim Dezelski did it last year, this year it was junior Kyle Cooper's turn. Cooper was one of just four players from the GLIAC to be named First or Second-Team All-Region. The awards program is sponsored by Daktronics, and players are nominated and voted upon by sports information directors throughout the Midwest Region.
Cooper was also the only junior on the first team. He was joined by regional player of the year Ben Stelzer from Michigan Tech, Ferris State's Drew Lehman, Bellarmines Jake Thelen, and Indianapolis' Joe Lawson.
On March 23, Cooper was named First-Team All-District by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the governing body of college basketball. An NABC First-Team All-District award is equivalent to being named First-Team All-Region by Daktronics.
A 6-foot-7 forward from Northville, Michigan and Detroit Catholic Central High School, Cooper was the only player in the GLIAC to average more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game in the 2014-15 season. He was the conference champion in total rebounds and finished the season second in the GLIAC in scoring average.
He opened the season with a bang, starting out in a game that didn't even count in Hillsdale's final standings. He scored 28 points against the University of Michigan in an exhibition contest Nov. 15, a performance that opened the eyes of everyone, particularly Wolverines coach John Bielien.
He followed that up by scoring 41 and 31 points in the first two games of the regular season, against Cedarville and Salem International. He had three games of 30 or more points during the season, and scored in double figures in 25 of the team's 26 games.
Cooper is now eligible to be named Daktronics All-American.