GROSS AND SCHMIDT EARN NAIA ALL-AMERICA HONORS
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The National Association of intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced its selections for the Men's Basketball All-America Teams on Thursday morning. The Olivet Nazarene University men's basketball team saw Alex Gross become the third Tiger to garner First Team honors while Tyler Schmidt was honored as an Honorable Mention selection.
Gross, who was an Honorable Mention selection in the 2019-20 season and a Second Team selection in the 2020-21 season, earned his first, First Team accolade. A native of Hope, Ind., Gross had a phenomenal season for the Tigers. The Tiger big man led the NAIA in a variety of categories which includes total points (808), rebounds a game (14.1), total rebounds (480), total defensive rebounds (393), and blocks (110). Gross also was second with 318 made field goals, fifth averaging 23.8 points a game, and seventh with 192 assists. Earlier this season, Gross broke the program record for the most rebounds in a single season with 480 rebounds.
Gross made his mark here at ONU becoming the fifth player to score over 2,000 points in his career as he finished with 2,021 points. Gross is also first in program history with 363 blocks, second with 1,226 rebounds, fourth with 815 made field goals, and is seventh with 379 free throws made. This season, Gross has recorded three triple-doubles and 33 double-doubles. Gross earned seven CCAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week, three NAIA Men's Basketball Player of the Week selections, and was selected to the Bevo Francis Top 25 Watch List.
Schmidt, who earned his first NAIA All-America honor, also had a great season for the Tigers. The Tiger guard was second on the team with 20.3 points a game, 709 points, and 35 threes. His 709 points was good for eighth in the NAIA. Schmidt tallied three 30-point games, 17 20-point efforts, and recorded three double-doubles. Schmidt ranked fifth in the NAIA with 287 made field goals. Tyler's career-high in scoring came when he tossed in 35 points against St. Francis on January 5th. Schmidt also got the nod as the Conference Player of the Week on December 14th and grabbed First Team All-CCAC honors for the first time in his career.
--ONU—
*Contact: Sam Viebrock, Sports Information Director, stviebrock@olivet.edu