SCHMIDT ADVANCES TO TREVOR HUDGINS AWARD TOP 15 WATCH LIST
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – Olivet Nazarene University men's basketball senior guard Tyler Schmidt made the first cut on the Trevor Hudgins Award Watch List, remaining as one of 15 student-athletes from across the nation to stay in contention for the award.
The prestigious award is presented annually to the senior who has had the finest overall four-year (or 5-year) career within Small College Basketball, as voted on by a committee of coaches.
About Tyler Schmidt
Schmidt is in his fourth season with ONU and he has had a remarkable career in the Purple & Yellow Gold. Under the leadership of Head Coach Nick Birkey, Schmidt and the Tigers have won the CCAC regular-season title and qualified for the NAIA National Tournament in three of his four seasons. They also added a CCAC Tournament title at the end of the 2021-22 season, the first tournament crown for ONU in seven years.
At the time of the announcement, Schmidt sits fourth on the ONU all-time scoring list with 2,217 career points. He joined the prestigious 2,000-point club in the team's 78-65 win over St. Francis (Ill.) on Feb 3, becoming just the fifth Tiger in the history of the program to accomplish the feat.
Schmidt's name is scattered across the all-time ONU career records, currently ranking fourth in field goals made (770), fifth in blocks (80), sixth in free throws made (388), ninth in steals (123), 12th in assists (471), and is fourth in career scoring with his 2,217 points.
After being named an NAIA Second Team All-American and the CCAC's Player of the Year a season ago, Schmidt has backed it up with another impressive season thus far. His 23.8 points per game average is the top scoring clip in the conference and ranks sixth in the nation. Schmidt also leads ONU in assists with 5.6 helpers per game while also being second on the squad in rebounds at 5.4 rebounds per game.
In addition to being named the CCAC's Player of the Week three times this season, Schmidt was also awarded the NAIA National Player of the Week accord on Feb. 20 after scoring 40 points to go along with a game-high 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in an 86-73 victory over Trinity Christian College.
Schmidt has also been named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List. The award, also presented by Small College Basketball, is presented to the player who had the finest overall season within small college basketball.
About the Trevor Hudgins Award
In its inaugural season as an award, the Trevor Hudgins Award is presented annually to the senior who has had the finest overall four-year (or 5-year) career within Small College Basketball.
The award is named in honor of Northwest Missouri State's Trevor Hudgins, who had a historic career with the Bearcats. He led the Bearcats to three consecutive NCAA Division II National Championships. During his career, Hudgins started in every game and never missed one. He also never lost an NCAA Tournament game, leading the Bearcats to a remarkable 17-0 record in the NCAA Division II National Tournament. Hudgins was named the NCAA Division II Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons in 2021 and 2022. He holds both the NWMSU scoring and assists records and finished his career with 2,829 points, which ranks first all time in the 110 year history of the MIAA.
Considerations for the Trevor Hudgins Award are overall career statistics and achievements, team achievements, awards, and personal character. The player must have played his entire career at the small college level. This is the highest award given to a four-year (or five-year) player within Small College Basketball. On March 1st, the list will be reduced to 15 players. The video of the finalists will be released on Friday April 5, and the award winner will be announced through a video presentation on Monday April 8, at halftime of the NCAA Division I National Championship Game.
The overall intent of the Trevor Hudgins Award is two-fold: 1) To keep the collegiate legacy of Trevor Hudgins alive and continue to tell his story to the next generation, and 2) To provide a national platform to honor outstanding players – and ultimately one player – within small college basketball on an annual basis. The Trevor Hudgins Award is sponsored by Northwest Missouri State University, Northwest Missouri State Alumni Association, the Scribner Family Foundation Fund, Windmill Benefits and the Kansas State Credit Union.
--ONU—
*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu