HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – On Wednesday afternoon, the Horizon League announced that
Drew McDonald,
Lavone Holland II and
Jalen Tate were among the honorees for the league's regular-season awards.
McDonald earned All-Horizon League First Team status for the second-straight season. He was one of only two players in the league to average a double-double in league play, pouring in 17.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. On the season, McDonald averaged 16.7 points and 9.4 rebounds. The junior posted 16 double-doubles in 30 games, leading the Horizon League and ranking 11
th in the nation in the category. In addition to his first team nod last year, McDonald was also honored on the all-tournament and all-academic teams.
Holland repeated his preseason all-league second team accolade with a nod on the second team at season's end. He finished the regular season averaging 13.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, making him the only player in the league to average at least 10 points, four rebounds and four assists. Holland is also the reigning Horizon League Tournament MVP, which he earned after leading NKU to the championship last season.
Tate, a redshirt freshman, was honored on both the all-freshman and all-defensive teams. The native of Pickerington, Ohio (Pickerington Central), drew the defensive assignment of opposing team's top perimeter players through the year, keying NKU's nationally-ranked defense. With Tate's length, athleticism and disruptiveness, Northern Kentucky boasts the nation's 25
th-best scoring defense, allowing 65.2 ppg. The Norse also rank in the top-50 in 3-point field goal defense (9
th), field-goal percentage defense (23
rd), total steals (33
rd) and steals per game (39
th). Tate averaged 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
The trio of Norse helped lead Northern Kentucky to the Horizon League regular season championship. While NKU has only had active Division I status for two years, McDonald, Holland and Tate have ushered in a new era of Norse basketball, already winning both Horizon League tourney and regular-season crowns while also guiding the Norse to the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance last year.
Northern Kentucky is the No. 1 seed in the upcoming 2018 Little Caesars Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship in Detroit, where NKU awaits the winner between No. 8 Cleveland State and No. 9 Youngstown State. The Norse will face either the Vikings or Penguins on Saturday, March 3 at 8:00 p.m.
Player of the Year: Kendrick Nunn, Oakland
Coach of the Year: Scott Nagy, Wright State
Freshman of the Year: Loudon Love, Wright State
Sixth Man of the Year: Godwin Boahen, UIC
Defensive Player of the Year: Tai Odiase, UIC
All-League First Team (alphabetical by school)
Khalil Small, Green Bay
Drew McDonald, Northern Kentucky
Jalen Hayes, Oakland
Kendrick Nunn, Oakland
Grant Benzinger, Wright State
All-League Second Team (alphabetical by school)
Kameron Chatman, Detroit Mercy
Jeremiah Bell, Milwaukee
Lavone Holland II, Northern Kentucky
Loudon Love, Wright State
Cameron Morse, Youngstown State
All-Freshman Team (alphabetical by school)
Tyree Appleby, Cleveland State
Jermaine Jackson Jr., Detroit Mercy
Jalen Tate, Northern Kentucky
Loudon Love, Wright State
Naz Bohannon, Youngstown State
All-Defensive Team (alphabetical by school)
Khalil Small, Green Bay
Jalen Tate, Northern Kentucky
Martez Walker, Oakland
Tai Odiase, UIC
Mark Hughes, Wright State
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