Martin Luther's Caleb Free highlights UMAC men's basketball all-conference awards
3/4/2009 12:19:53 PM
ST. PAUL – After a thrilling finish to the 2008-09 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) men’s basketball season, the league released its all-conference award lists on Wednesday. The College of St. Scholastica and Martin Luther College, who were UMAC co-champions, each had two players on the all-conference first team. Bethany Lutheran College and Northwestern College were also awarded two all-conference first team players each.
Martin Luther’s Caleb Free received the most votes, earning him UMAC Player of the Year honors. Free, a junior, led the conference in scoring and rebounding, averaging 18.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Free also recorded Top 10 finishes in the league in assists, free throw percentage, three-point field goal percentage and blocked shots. Free was joined on the all-conference first team by teammate Greg Holzhueter, who averaged 4.6 assists per game. After leading the Knights to an 11-3 record in UMAC play, Martin Luther head coach Jim Unke was selected by his colleagues as the men's basketball Coach of the Year.
Danny Schmitz and Troy Miller represented St. Scholastica on the first team as they held the UMAC’s top two places for three-point field goal percentage. Both players made over half of their attempts from behind the three-point arc.
Stephon Sese from Presentation College was named the UMAC Newcomer of the Year. Sese averaged 13.1 points per game while leading the league in field goal percentage, making 54.4 percent of his attempts.
In all, only two of the ten players named to the all-conference first team are seniors, which will make for exciting UMAC basketball in years to come. Bethany Lutheran’s Andy Wills and Tommy Saffert and Northwestern’s Stephen Hanson, who were all named to the 2009 first team, are repeat winners, having been named to the same squad in 2008.
University of Minnesota, Morris sophomore Dan Fragodt and St. Scholastica’s Miller were both selected to the UMAC’s All-Defensive Team. Fragodt and Miller were joined by Bethany Lutheran’s Shimi Colbert, Martin Luther’s Brian Gephart and Northwestern’s Eric Garst on the all-defensive team.
|
1st Team All-Conference
|
|
Name
|
Institution
|
Year
|
Position
|
|
Andy Wills
|
Bethany Lutheran College
|
Senior
|
Forward
|
|
Tommy Saffert
|
Bethany Lutheran College
|
Junior
|
Guard
|
|
Troy Miller
|
College of St. Scholastica
|
Senior
|
Guard
|
|
Danny Schmitz
|
College of St. Scholastica
|
Sophomore
|
Guard
|
|
Caleb Free
|
Martin Luther College
|
Junior
|
Forward
|
|
Greg Holzhueter
|
Martin Luther College
|
Sophomore
|
Guard
|
|
Stephen Hanson
|
Northwestern College
|
Junior
|
Forward
|
|
Reid Berens
|
Northwestern College
|
Junior
|
Forward
|
|
Stephon Sese
|
Presentation College
|
Junior
|
Center
|
|
Dan Fragodt
|
University of Minnesota-Morris
|
Sophomore
|
Forward
|
|
Honorable Mention All-Conference
|
|
Name
|
Institution
|
Year
|
Position
|
|
Jesse Taylor
|
College of St. Scholastica
|
Senior
|
Forward
|
|
Brian Gephart
|
Martin Luther College
|
Senior
|
Forward
|
|
Aaron Schultz
|
Martin Luther College
|
Senior
|
Center
|
|
Ryan Cannata
|
Northland College
|
Junior
|
Guard
|
|
Richie Ward
|
Presentation College
|
Junior
|
Forward
|
|
Kendall Proell
|
University of Minnesota-Morris
|
Junior
|
Guard
|
|
Zach Meyer
|
University of Minnesota-Morris
|
Freshman
|
Forward
|
|
All-Defensive Team
|
|
Name
|
Institution
|
Year
|
Position
|
|
Shimi Colbert
|
Bethany Lutheran College
|
Freshman
|
Guard
|
|
Troy Miller
|
College of St. Scholastica
|
Senior
|
Guard
|
|
Brian Gephart
|
Martin Luther College
|
Senior
|
Forward
|
|
Eric Garst
|
Northwestern College
|
Junior
|
Guard
|
|
Dan Fragodt
|
University of Minnesota-Morris
|
Sophomore
|
Forward
|
Player of the Year Award - Caleb Free (Martin Luther College)
Newcomer of the Year Award - Stephon Sese (Presentation College)
Coach of the Year Award - Jim Unke (Martin Luther College)