Release courtesy of Al King, Assistant Athletic Director, Media Relations, Ashland University

ASHLAND, Ohio - Drury guard Alex Hall is the Daktronics, Inc. Midwest Region player of the year. Hall was selected by a vote of the sports information directors in the region. Hall is one of five seniors on the all-region first team. He is joined by forward Ali Haidar of Michigan Tech, forward Evan Yates of Ashland, Southern Indiana forward-center Keith DeWitt and forward Jeremy Saffold of Wisconsin-Parkside.

Those five players will be included on the national Daktronics All-America ballot.

The D2SIDA All-America men’s basketball team is sponsored by Daktronics, Inc., an acknowledged world leader in scoring, timing and programmable display systems for virtually every sport at every level of competition. The teams are voted on by the members of D2SIDA, NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors Association.

The online nomination and voting processes are powered by Sidearm Sports. Headquartered in Syracuse, N.Y., Sidearm Sports is the official provider of college athletic websites for over 600 sports organizations at all levels of competition. To receive more information on how your institution can partner with Sidearm Sports for a customized website solution, visit www.sidearmsports.com.

Hall will leave Drury as one of the top players in the program’s history. This year, he’s led the Panthers to a 25-4 record, a Great Lakes Valley Conference championship and the top seed in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament. The Panthers take a 17-game winning streak into the regional tournament.

 The 6-2 Hall is averaging 19.6 ppg., and over the last 10 games, has scored at a 25.5 ppg., clip. He established a GLVC Tournament record by scoring 79 points over three games. In the GLVC championship game, he had 34 points and seven, three-point field goals. Hall has scored 2,056 points in his career. That puts him third on Drury’s all-time list. He has a school record 367 three-pointers. In a game this season against Missouri S&T, he fired in a school, single-game record nine three-pointers.

Haidar was named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference player of the year for the second consecutive season. Haidar is third in the nation in scoring (24.9 ppg.) and he’s 16^th in rebounding (9.8 rpg.). He has set four GLIAC records and seven school records. The forward has spearheaded Michigan Tech’s march into the NCAA playoffs with a 20-8 record.

Yates is a first team all-region choice for the second consecutive year. Last season, he became the first Ashland player in 20 years to receive All-America laurels. Yates is second in career rebounds (820) at Ashland and he’s fifth in career points (1,566). Yates averaged 16.8 ppg., 9.0 rpg., and shot 56.5 percent from the floor this season. He scored 30 or more points in a game twice this year, including a career-high 32 points against Walsh.

DeWitt missed four of the first five games this season after knee surgery, but he has returned and made his presence felt inside for the Screaming Eagles. The first team All-GLVC pick is second on the team and 17^th in the GLVC in scoring (14.4 ppg.). He leads the conference in rebounding (9.1 rpg.) and blocked shots (1.7 bpg.). Twice this season DeWitt was honored as the GLVC player of the week. He scored a season-high 27 points against Saint Joseph’s and had a season-best 18 rebounds against Quincy. DeWitt had 10 double-doubles, the most by a USI player since 2005-06. The Screaming Eagles are 22-7 and in the NCAA playoffs.

Saffold is second in the GLVC in scoring (18.8 ppg.). He was named the GLVC player of the year and was a unanimous First Team All-GLVC selection. Saffold was named the GLVC player of the week twice this season. He is one of three players in Wisconsin-Parkside history to score more than 1,500 points and collect 500 rebounds. The Rangers are 20-8 and competing in the eight-team NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament.