Click here for a printer-friendly (PDF) version of this release

Mar. 8, 2013 - For immediate release

GLIAC Honors: Malone’s Graves Named Freshman of the Year; Wayne State’s Greer Tabbed Coach of the Year

BAY CITY, Mich. - Michigan Technological University senior forward Ali Haidar (Windsor, Ontario/Forster) was named the 2013 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC)  men’s basketball “Player of the Year” in voting conducted by the league’s head coaches. Malone University guard Christian Graves (Westerville, OH/Westerville Central) was tabbed “Freshman of the Year” while Wayne State’s David Greer was named “Coach of the Year” by his peers.

Haidar was named GLIAC “Player of the Year” for the second straight year. He has broken four GLIAC records and seven school records this season. The Windsor, Ontario, native broke the league record for points (541) and field goals made (188) in a season. He also established season records for free throws made (158) and attempted (209). His school records include rebounds in a career (860), most 20+ point games in a season (22) and free throws made (18) and attempted (20) in a game. Haidar, who ranks fifth in career scoring (1,885) at Michigan Tech, ranks second in the nation in scoring (25.2 ppg) and tied for 16th in rebounding (9.7 rpg).

Graves, a freshman guard, closed out the 2012-13 season for Malone University as its third-leader scorer at 8.9 points per outing, despite having only started in eight of the Pioneers’ 26 contests.  When starting point guard Isiah Elliott suffered a season-ending injury with seven games remaining in the year, Graves stepped into that starting role and averaged 15.3 points per game during that seven-game stretch.  He had a season-high game of 27 points in a 90-66 home win over Ohio Dominican University on Feb. 16th.  In addition, his 43.6% (65-159) three-point percentage currently ranks 10th in the GLIAC and his 65 made three-pointers was a team-best on the year.

  
Greer has earned his first GLIAC “Coach of the Year” award after leading his Warriors to a share of the GLIAC regular-season title, the first for the WSU program since the 1998-99 campaign.  The 16 league wins was the most since the 1998-99 Tartar squad also won 16 conference contests.  With only two seniors on the squad, Greer’s team finished second in the league in both scoring and fewest turnovers, while ranking fourth in field goal percentage, steals, and opponent field goal percentage.  Earlier this season he became WSU’s all-time leader in GLIAC victories and is presently two wins shy of second-place Hall of Fame coach Joel Mason in overall wins.  This was WSU’s third straight year with at least 14 league wins.

A complete list of the 2013 All-GLIAC Basketball teams can be found below: