Although his basketball playing career is over, awards season is in full swing for Hillsdale College's Kyle Cooper.
Monday afternoon, Cooper was named the Midwest Region Player of the Year by the Division II Collegiate Commissioner's Association. The D2CCA awards are nominated by, and voted upon, by sports information directors across all Division II institutions.
His player of the year distinction automatically puts Cooper up for National Player of the Year honors via the same organization. He is the first Charger men's basketball player to ever be named Midwest Region Player of the Year at the Division II level.
Cooper, the 2015-16 GLIAC Player of the Year, had an extraordinary campaign for the Chargers. He finished the regular season as the only player in the country to rank in Division II's top 40 in scoring, rebounding and free throw percentage. He averaged 22.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game while shooting 44 percent from 3-point land, 56 percent overall from the field and nearly 87 percent from the line.
He had six games of 30 or more points and an unprecedented two 40-point games. He recorded 17 double-doubles and was a remarkably consistent scorer, tallying 27 double-digit scoring games out of 28 played.
Cooper has also been highly honored for his academic skill, having been named the Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year. That award recognized both Cooper's athletic and academic accomplishments.