APPLETON, Wis. -- Lawrence University's Chris Braier and John Tharp took top honors on the All-Midwest Conference men's basketball team.
Braier, a senior forward from Wauwatosa, was named the Player of the Year, and Tharp earned Coach of the Year honors.
Senior forward Kyle MacGillis joined Braier as a first-team selection, and senior guard Keven Bradley received honorable mention.
Braier, a former star at Wauwatosa East High School, was named the league's
top player for the second time in his career, as he also was chosen in 2004.
A four-time first-team all-conference selection, Braier averaged 15.6 points
and 13.3 rebounds per game while leading Lawrence to its third consecutive conference
championship. Braier, who leads Lawrence in scoring and rebounding, also paces
the Vikings at 4.1 assists per game and is second at 2.0 steals per game.
Braier, who led the conference in rebounding for the fourth consecutive season, became the first player in league history to score 1,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds when he passed the latter plateau back in December. On the season, Braier is averaging 15.7 points and 12.4 rebounds.
Tharp, a Sheboygan native, was named the Coach of the Year for the third consecutive
season and the fourth time in his career. The Vikings posted a perfect 16-0
record in conference play to win a third straight title and are now 24-0 on
the season and ranked No. 1 by D3hoops.com. Tharp, in his 12th season at Lawrence,
improved his career record to 190-97. He has more wins than any coach in Lawrence
men's basketball history, and he has by far the highest winning percentage (.662)
of any coach with more than 25 victories.
MacGillis, a Wauwatosa native who starred at Milwaukee Pius XI High School, earned all-conference honors for the first time. A reserve for the previous three seasons, MacGillis stepped into a starting role and averaged 15.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in conference play. MacGillis shot 54.3 percent (82-151) from the floor in league play and hit 47.1 percent (24-51) of his 3-point attempts.
A superior defender, MacGillis leads the Vikings at 2.1 steals per game and is second at 3.7 assists per contest. On the season, MacGillis is averaging 13.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Bradley, a former star at Omro High School, also became a starter this season.
The Omro native averaged 9.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game while shooting
58.3 percent (49-84), including 36.8 percent (14-38) on 3-pointers.
Bradley, who was named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week earlier this season, had two amazing moments during the conference season. He scored the final 20 points of the game on his way to a career-high 33 in an 83-75 win over Ripon College. Bradley also scored the game-winning layup at the buzzer in a 64-63 win over Carroll College that clinched the conference title for the Vikings.
The Vikings open NCAA Division III Tournament play on Saturday when they host the University of St. Thomas or North Central College at 7:00 p.m.