BAY CITY, Mich. - Hillsdale senior forward Kyle Cooper was selected the 2015-16 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Men's Basketball Player of the Year in voting conducted by the league's head coaches. Michigan Tech forward Kyle Monroe was named GLIAC Freshman of the Year, while Saginaw Valley's Randy Baruth earned GLIAC Coach of the Year accolades after guiding the Cardinals to a share of their first conference title in 30 seasons.

Hillsdale senior forward Kyle Cooper is the first Hillsdale College men's basketball player to be named GLIAC Player of the Year since Dave Springer won the award following the 1983-84 season. Cooper fulfilled his label as GLIAC Preseason Player of the Year, an honor he achieved in October, by turning in an outstanding all-around season in 2015-16. He finished the regular season leading the conference in both scoring (22.8 points per game) and 3-point shooting percentage (.453). He was the GLIAC's second-leading rebounder at 9.7 boards per game, a statistical combination rarely seen in the sport. He had six games of 30 or more points and two 40-point games, a feat unmatched in school history. Cooper also led the GLIAC in field goals made (174) and defensive rebounds (177), while ranking second in minutes played (797) and third in free throws made (107).

Michigan Tech forward Kyle Monroe led all GLIAC freshman and ranked sixth in the GLIAC in scoring in 2015-16 with an 18.7 average. He notched nine 20-point games this season as well as two 30-point outings while shooting 51.2 percent from the floor on the year. The 6-5 forward finished ninth in the league in rebounding at 6.9 per game and eighth in steals (1.4 per game). He was Tech's high scorer in 15 of 26 games and finished nearly halfway to 1,000 points (485) after his rookie campaign.

Saginaw Valley head coach Randy Baruth led the Cardinals to the program's first GLIAC championship since the 1984-85 season, posting a 22-6 overall record and 18-4 mark in league play. The 2015-16 campaign was the most successful since the team made the jump to the NCAA Division II level and the back-to-back 20-win seasons has not happened since the 85-85 and 85-86 campaigns. SVSU defeated two ranked teams this season and rattled-off separate winning streaks of eight and nine games en route to the league title.

#GLIACMBB