BAY CITY, Mich. - Ferris State sophomore center Zach Hankins was selected the 2016-17 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Men's Basketball Player of the Year in voting conducted by the league's head coaches. Michigan Tech guard Tommy Lucca was named GLIAC Freshman of the Year, while Ferris State's Andy Bronkema earned GLIAC Coach of the Year accolades.
Ferris State sophomore center Zach Hankins becomes the first sophomore ever to win the coveted GLIAC Player of the Year Award. The 6-10 Hankins made the most of his first season as a starter, leading the Bulldogs to the GLIAC Regular-Season Championship and the number one seed for the conference tournament. Hankins set a GLIAC single-season record and presently ranks as the national leader with 116 blocked shots during the regular season. He averaged 15.1 points and 10.0 rebounds in 28 regular-season games as the Bulldogs compiled a 24-4 overall record and a school all-time best 18-3 league mark. Hankins' 14 double-doubles paced the conference and he also ranked as the GLIAC's leading rebounder and shot blocker in addition to shooting a league-best 65.3% from the floor and ranking among the top 10 in scoring. His current 65.6% shooting figure is tops all-time in Bulldog history. His 10 blocked shots in a home win over Wayne State set a new school single-game mark and helped FSU post a league-record with 20 team blocks in the victory.
Michigan Tech guard Tommy Lucca, a guard from Genoa, Ill., is the second leading scorer for the Huskies this season thanks to a 16.3 points per game average. Lucca ranks sixth in the GLIAC in scoring average going into the postseason on Tuesday night. In addition to his point production, Lucca leads the Huskies and is fourth in the GLIAC in assists per game at 4.4. He also hauls down 3.9 rebounds per game and produces 1.2 steals per contest on the defensive end of the floor.
Ferris State's Andy Bronkema led the Ferris State University men's basketball squad to its first GLIAC Regular-Season Championship since 2012 as the Bulldogs compiled a league-best 24-4 overall record during the regular-season. FSU also won a school-record 18 games in the GLIAC while finishing with an 18-3 league mark. Under the 33-year old Bronkema, the Bulldogs have currently won 19 of their last 20 games overall and scored 80-plus points in 18 of the last 20 contests, including 90 or more 12 times this year. The 2016-17 season represents the third consecutive year in which FSU has won either a league regular-season or tournament title under Bronkema's direction.
Below are the complete all-conference teams:
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2016-17 GLIAC Men's Basketball Postseason Awards & All-Conference Teams |
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Player of the Year: |
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Freshman of the Year: |
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Coach of the Year: |
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2016-17 All-GLIAC First Team |
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Name |
School |
Year |
Pos. |
Hometown/Previous School |
|
C.J. Turnage |
Saginaw Valley |
Sr. |
F |
Ypsilanti, Mich. / Milan |
| Akaemji Williams | Lake Superior State | Jr. | G | Pontiac, Mich. / Rochester Adams |
| Martyce Kimbrough | Findlay | Jr. | G | Lima, Ohio / Central Catholic / Indianapolis |
| Zach Hankins | Ferris State | So. | C | Charlevoix, Mich. |
| Kyle Monroe | Michigan Tech | So. | F | Green Bay, Wis. / Ashwaubenon |
| Taren Sullivan | Findlay | Jr. | F | Lima, Ohio / Bath |
| Zac Carter | Walsh | Sr. | G | Ironton, Ohio |
| Trey Fletcher | Walsh | Sr. | F | Ironton, Ohio |
| Chuck Key | Wayne State | Jr. | F | Detroit, Mich. / Cass Tech |
| Drew Cushingberry | Ferris State | Jr. | G | Romeo, Mich. |
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2016-17 All-GLIAC Second Team |
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Name |
School |
Year |
Pos. |
Hometown/Previous School |
| Luke Ryskamp | Grand Valley State | Sr. | G | Schoolcraft, Mich. |
| Adrian Cook | Ashland | Sr. | G | Westerville, Ohio / North |
| Boo Osborne | Ashland | Jr. | G | Columbus, Ohio / Centennial |
| Stedman Lowry | Hillsdale | Jr. | G | West Chester, Ohio |
| Trevin Alexander | Grand Valley State | Sr. | F | Benton Harbor, Mich. / Battle Creek Central |
| Quentin Ruff | Ferris State | Sr. | G | Elgin, Ill. / Larkin / Olive-Harvey |
| Naba Echols | Northern Michigan | So. | G | Memphis, Tenn. / Mitchell |
| Jordan Chartier | Michigan Tech | Sr. | G | Chatham, Mich. / Superior Central |
| Tommy Lucca | Michigan Tech | Fr. | G | Genoa, Ill. / Genoa-Kingston |
| Austin Adams | Tiffin | So. | G | Oregon, Ohio |
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2016-17 GLIAC All-Defensive Team |
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Name |
School |
Year |
Pos. |
Hometown/Previous School |
|
Zach Hankins |
Ferris State |
So. |
C |
Charlevoix, Mich. |
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Akaemji Williams |
Lake Superior State |
Jr. |
G |
Pontiac, Mich. / Rochester Adams |
|
Boo Osborne |
Ashland |
Sr. |
G |
Columbus, Ohio / Centennial |
| Jordan Chartier | Michigan Tech | Sr. | G | Chatham, Mich. / Superior Central |
| Ricardo Smith | Findlay | Sr. | G | Toledo, Ohio / Whitmer |
| Michael Lewis | Wayne State | Gr. | F | Ann Arbor, Mich. / Huron |
| Trevin Alexander | Grand Valley State | Sr. | F | Benton Harbor, Mich. / Battle Creek Central |
| Shemar Waugh | Ohio Dominican | Jr. | G | Columbus, Ohio / Northland |
| Nate Neveau | Hillsdale | So. | G | Oshkosh, Wisc. / North |
| Wade Gelhaus | Saginaw Valley | Sr. | F | Fort Recovery, Ohio |
