BOSTON – Valparaiso senior forward Ryan Broekhoff (Frankston, Victoria, Australia/Australia Institute of Sport) and Detroit junior guard Ray McCallum (Beverly Hills, Mich./Detroit Country Day) were among the 25 finalists for the Lou Henson Award, annually given to the top mid-major player in college basketball.
Broekhoff took home the mid-season Lou Henson Award and has steadily climbed the Horizon League career scoring ledger throughout the season. The Aussie is 51st with 1,523 career points, four shy of Butler’s Shelvin Mack.
The senior currently ranks among the league's top-10 in six different categories, including third in scoring (16.0 ppg) and second in rebounding (7.5 rpg). The four-time Horizon League Player of the Week and reigning HL Player of the Year has helped the Crusaders to the brink of a second consecutive league regular season crown.
Just ahead of Broekhoff on the Horizon League career scoring list is McCallum who sits 49th in League history with 1,534 points in under three years. McCallum currently leads the Titans in three categories this season scoring (19.0 ppg), assists (4.6 apg), and steals (1.9 spg.), while ranking among the top-10 in six different categories in the Horizon League.
McCallum was recently recognized nationally for putting together one of the best single game performances of the last decade when he scored 16 points with 13 rebounds, eight assists and four steals in Titans win over Cleveland State. He was the first player with at least 16 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists and four steals in a regulation game since Connecticut's Ben Gordon recorded 17 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists and five steals vs. Iona in December 2003
For the second straight year CollegeInsider.com is working with Point3 Basketball to promote the Lou Henson award “fan vote,” which will constitute 33 percent of the final vote.
The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the top Mid-Major player in Division I college basketball. The award is named in honor of Lou Henson who retired after a spectacular coaching career that lasted 41 years. When he left the game in 2005 he was sixth all-time in career Division I wins with 779. He is the winningest coach at both Illinois and New Mexico State. He is one of only 12 coaches in the history of the game to take two schools to the Final Four.
The 2013 Award will be presented at the CollegeInsider.com awards banquet in Atlanta, site of the Men's NCAA Basketball Championship.
Lou Henson Award Finalists
Travis Bader 6-5 Jr. Oakland
Billy Baron 6-2 Jr. Canisius
Jerrelle Benimon 6-8 Jr. Towson
Tommy Brenton 6-5 Sr. Stony Brook
Ryan Broekhoff 6-7 Sr. Valparaiso
Isaiah Canaan 6-1 Sr. Murray State
Jackie Carmichael 6-9 Sr. Illinois State
Will Cherry 6-1 Sr. Montana
Ian Clark 6-3 Sr. Belmont
Jake Cohen 6-10 Sr. Davidson
D.J. Cooper 6-0 Sr. Ohio
Matthew Dellavedova 6-4 Sr. Saint Mary's
James Ennis 6-7 Sr. Long Beach
Juan'ya Green 6-3 So. Niagara
Tyler Haws 6-5 So. BYU
Lamont Jones 6-0 Sr. Iona
Jake Odum 6-4 Jr. Indiana State
Jamal Olasewere 6-7 Sr. LIU-Brooklyn
Zeke Marshall 7-0 Sr. Akron
Ray McCallum 6-3 Jr. Detroit
Doug McDermott 6-8 Jr. Creighton
Mike Muscala 6-11 Sr. Bucknell
Augustine Rubit 6-7 Jr. South Alabama
Taylor Smith 6-6 Sr. Stephen F. Austin
Nate Wolters 6-4 Sr. South Dakota State
Tags: Detroit Mercy - Men's Basketball · Horizon League - Men's Basketball · Valparaiso - Men's Basketball
