MILWAUKEE, Wis. --- A total of five Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) men's basketball players were recognized with All-Region or All-District honors from D3hoops.com and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), the organizations announced today (March 18).
Wisconsin Lutheran College's
Ryan Broeckel led the way after being named selected First Team All-Region VIII by D3hoops.com and First Team All-District VIII by the NABC. Broeckel was also named D3hoops.com Region VIII Player of the Year. Milwaukee School of Engineering junior guard
Mason Dopirak was a second-team pick by both D3hoops.com and the NABC, while St. Norbert College senior guard
Jamison Nickolai joined Dopirak on the NABC second team and received third-team honors from D3hoops.com.
D3hoops.com also named WLC senior
Grayson Goetz to its all-region second team and St. Norbert senior forward
Garrett Grzesk to its all-region third team.
Additionally, WLC head coach
Aaron Aanonsen was named D3hoops.com Region VIII Coach of the Year and NABC District VIII Coach of the Year.
Broeckel, who was honored with his third straight D3hoops.com First Team All-Region and NABC First Team All-District award, was named D3hoops.com Region Player of the Year for the first time. The three-time Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Player of the Year averaged 18.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.7 steals per game. He ranks in the top 25 nationally in blocks (20th/27) and total rebounds (20th/270). Additionally, Broeckel topped all NACC players in field goals (210), field goal attempts (429), and offensive rebounds per game (3.26), and ranked second in blocks, double-doubles (11), points (560), and rebounds.
Dopirak, who received his second straight D3hoops.com all-region honor, led the NACC and ranked 21st
nationally averaging 22.2 points per game, shooting 48.2% from the floor and 42.4% from behind the arc. Averaging 4.3 assists per game and 5.9 rebounds per game, Dopirak recorded double-digit point totals in all 26 games he played in, while recording two double-double performances and three 30-point games.
Nickolai averaged 14.3 points and nine rebounds a game while shooting 44.7 percent from the floor. He had 10 double-double games this season and was named a first-team All-Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference selection.
Goetz, who was named D3hoops.com Second Team All-Region VIII for the first time, averaged 15.4 points, 5.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. The three-time First Team All-NACC selection led the NACC and ranks ninth nationally in minutes per game (36.3), 13th in assists (153), 21st in assists per game (5.5), and 26th in assist/turnover ratio (2.4).
Grzesk averaged 13 points and 3.5 assists a game while shooting 43.2 percent from the floor. He was second in the NACC in assist-to-turnover ratio and was named a first-team All-NACC selection.
Aanonsen, who repeated as D3hoops.com Region VIII and NABC District VIII Coach of the Year, led the Warriors to a 27-4 overall record and a trip to the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. WLC won the NACC title for a third consecutive year and fifth time in six seasons with a 16-2 mark and received the conference's fifth all-time at-large berth to the national tournament. Wisconsin Lutheran was also ranked inside the top 10 of the D3hoops.com poll for much of the season.
The Warriors topped all NACC programs in a variety of categories - scoring offense (82.9 points per game), scoring margin (+14.3), 3-pointers per game (8.5), 3-point percentage defense (28.6), turnover margin (+6.0), while ranking second in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.43), offensive rebounds per game (11.4), steals per game (9.8), 3-point attempts per game (24.5), turnovers forced per game (16.9), and turnovers per game (11.0), and third in assists per game (15.7), field goal percentage defense (44.0), free throw percentage (75.2), free throws made per game (16.4), rebounds per game (36.1), scoring defense (68.6 ppg), and 3-point percentage (35.0).
Of those categories, the Warriors rank in the top 20 in NCAA Division III in turnover margin (eighth), scoring margin (ninth), and 3-point percentage defense (13th).
D3hoops.com All-Region 8 Team
Players were nominated for these awards by the Sports Information Directors at the various schools.
Player of the Year: Ryan Broeckel, F, Wisconsin Lutheran
Coach of the Year: Aaron Aanonsen, Wisconsin Lutheran
Rookie of the Year: Josh Fridman, G, Illinois Wesleyan
| First team |
|
|
| Pos. |
Player |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| G |
Hayden Doyle |
Washington U. |
Sr. |
Brookfield, Wis. |
| G |
Nick Roper |
Illinois Wesleyan |
Sr. |
St. Louis, Mo. |
| W |
Tate Ivanyo |
Anderson |
Sr. |
Valparaiso, Ind. |
| F |
Ryan Broeckel |
Wisconsin Lutheran |
Sr. |
Chilton, Wis. |
| F |
Ryan Johnson |
Carthage |
So. |
Oswego, Ill. |
| Second team |
|
|
| G |
Mason Dopirak |
MSOE |
Jr. |
Manitowoc, Wis. |
| G |
AJ Johnson |
Carthage |
Jr. |
Oswego, Ill. |
| G |
Soren Richardson |
Wheaton (Ill.) |
So. |
Northfield, Minn. |
| G |
Trey Minter |
Berea |
Sr. |
Louisville, Ky. |
| G/F |
Grayson Goetz |
Wisconsin Lutheran |
Sr. |
Aurora, Ill. |
| Third team |
|
|
| G |
Bryce Williams |
Anderson |
So. |
Fishers, Ind. |
| G |
Thomas Kurowski |
Chicago |
Sr. |
Niles, Mich. |
| G |
Hakim Williams |
Illinois Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Round Lake, Ill. |
| G |
Jamison Nickolai |
St. Norbert |
Sr. |
Sheboygan Falls, Wis. |
| F |
Miles McGowen |
Rose-Hulman |
Sr. |
Indianapolis, Ind. |
| F |
Garrett Grzesk |
St. Norbert |
Sr. |
Green Bay, Wis. |
There was a tie for the final backcourt spot.
NABC Division III All-District 8 Teams
First Team
Ryan Broeckel, Wisconsin Lutheran
Hayden Doyle, WashU
Tate Ivanyo, Anderson*
Ryan Johnson, Carthage
Thomas Kurowski, Chicago
Nick Roper, Illinois Wesleyan
Second Team
Anthony Dillard, Spalding
Mason Dopirak, MSOE
AJ Johnson, Carthage
Jamison Nickolai, St. Norbert
Hakim Williams, Illinois Wesleyan
Coach of the Year: Aaron Aanonsen, Wisconsin Lutheran