2021-22 D2CCA All-Midwest Region Team
Another special season for Hillsdale College men's basketball player Patrick Cartier has the junior forward receiving rare honors in the over 120-year history of the Charger program.
Already the 2021-22 G-MAC Player of the Year and a Top 50 finalist for the Bevo Francis Award, on Friday morning Cartier was recognized with another special achievement reflecting his dominance this season, as the Division II Conference Commissioners Association named the Brookfield, Wisconsin native the 2021-22 Midwest Region Player of the Year.
Cartier is just the second player in program history to be named the D2CCA Midwest Region Player of the Year, joining Kyle Cooper in 2015-16. During Hillsdale's time in the NAIA, Eric Allaire also was named the NAIA District 23 Player of the Year twice, in 1987-88 and 1988-89.
While it's an extremely rare and impressive honor, Cartier was an obvious choice for the award after finishing the season as the Midwest Region's most prolific (21.9 points per game) and efficient (65.3% field goal percentage) scorer while leading the Chargers to a 20-win season and a second-straight NCAA DII Tournament berth.
Cartier's numbers not only led the Midwest Region but also rank among the best players in the country. His scoring average is tied for 10th nationally at the NCAA DII level, while his field goal percentage ranks seventh in the nation. He's the only DII player nationally to rank in the top 15 in both categories.
The junior also is averaging the most assists per game (2.4) and blocks per game (0.6) in his career in 2021-22, with a better assist-to-turnover ratio than his 202-21 campaign that saw him earn consensus All-American honors. He has scored in double figures in all 27 of Hillsdale's games this season, including 18 20-plus point games and three 30-plus point games. And while he does most of his work in the post, he's efficient from everywhere on the floor, hitting 46.5 percent of his 3-pointers and 74.5 percent of his free throws this season.
The junior already has earned honors for his play this season, being named G-MAC Player of the Year for the second-straight season, winning a G-MAC best three conference Player of the Week awards, and also being named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team for the second-consecutive year. He's also one of just 20 NCAA DII players to make the top 50 cut for the Bevo Francis Award, handed out annually to the best non-NCAA Division I men's basketball player in the country.
Cartier's historic season has him rapidly moving up the all-time leaderboards at Hillsdale College for his career. His 590 points in 2021-22 are the ninth most all-time in a single season in Hillsdale history, and his 231 made field goals are tied for fourth. For his career, Cartier has 1,533 points, good for eighth all time with at least one more full season to play at Hillsdale, and his 605 made field goals are eighth all-time. Cartier is also the career leader in field goal percentage at Hillsdale at 64.9 percent, nearly four full percentage points higher than second place.
Cartier's selection as both Midwest Player of the Year and a first-team All-Region member by the D2CCA mean that he will receive consideration for D2CCA All-American honors, to be announced on March 21. Cartier was a third-team All-American to the D2CCA last year and will be looking to become the first player in Hillsdale men's basketball history to receive NCAA DII All-American honors in multiple seasons. His selection as Midwest Region Player of the Year means that he also will be one of the eight players nominated for the D2CCA National Player of the Year award, announced at the same time.
The D2CCA men's basketball teams are voted on by Sports Information Directors at NCAA member institutions from across the country, who also nominate players for the award.
Cartier and third-seeded Hillsdale play today in the NCAA Midwest Regional Quarterfinal round, facing off against sixth-seeded Cedarville in an elimination contest at noon, hosted by Walsh at Alumni Hall in North Canton, Ohio.
Photo by Anthony Lupi