INDIANAPOLIS – Ashland’s Maceo Williams earned Great Midwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors to highlight this year’s men’s basketball all-conference award list for the second consecutive season. 

Williams led the league in rebounding, averaging 8.4 rebounds per game, and ranked second in scoring at 18.6 points per game. During the regular season, Williams was tabbed athlete of the week a conference-high three times and earned national player of the week once. Williams and the Eagles earned the No. 3 seed in the conference championship and are ranked ninth in the latest regional rankings. 

Walsh’s Brayden Gross was voted the Great Midwest’s top freshman by the league’s coaches. Gross averaged 13.5 points per game while appearing in 28 games for the Cavaliers.
Jeff Young, who guided the Cavaliers to a regular-season title and a No. 14 national ranking with a 24-3 overall record, was named Great Midwest Coach of the Year.
Student-athletes from 10 different schools were represented on the first- and second-team all-conference lists.
Walsh and Ohio Dominican placed a league-high two student-athletes on the first team, followed by Ashland, Cedarville, Kentucky Wesleyan, Lake Erie, Northwood and Thomas More with one selection each.

The Cavaliers earned the No. 1 seed in the conference championship with a 17-3 G-MAC record. Walsh defeated No. 8 seed Hillsdale in the first round and will face No. 5 seed Findlay in the semifinals. Quintero Barnett and Brayden Gross were both named first-team selections. Barnett leads the conference with 48 total steals, averaging 1.7 per game, and ranks seventh in scoring at 15.3 points per contest.

Derek Goodman and Elijah Hinton were the first-team selections from Ohio Dominican. The duo led the Panthers to a 13-7 conference record. Goodman leads Ohio Dominican in scoring and minutes played, averaging 15.8 points and 33.8 minutes per game. Hinton, a redshirt senior center, averaged 14.9 points per game and totaled 183 rebounds this season.
From Ashland, Maceo Williams represents the Eagles as a first-team honoree. The G-MAC Player of the Year leads Ashland in scoring at 18.6 points per game while shooting 60 percent from the field. Williams helped guide the Eagles to the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament, where they will face No. 2 seed Lake Erie in the semifinals.

Cedarville’s Sam Johnson earned first-team recognition. Johnson leads the Yellow Jackets in rebounds and blocks, averaging 5.9 rebounds per game with 22 total blocks this season. He helped Cedarville to a 13-15 overall record, falling one game short of qualifying for the conference tournament.

From Kentucky Wesleyan, Fatih Huyuk earned first-team honors. Huyuk leads the Panthers with 13.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Kentucky Wesleyan secured the No. 7 seed and saw its season end against No. 2 seed Lake Erie in the opening round of the conference tournament.

Amari Williams was Lake Erie’s first-team selection. The junior guard helped lead the Storm to a 22-7 overall record and the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. Williams is averaging 14.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game as Lake Erie looks to make a deep postseason run.

Northwood’s Will Young II represents the Timberwolves as a first-team selection. Young is averaging 17.3 points per game, ranking third in the G-MAC. He helped Northwood earn the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament, where the Timberwolves fell to No. 3 seed Ashland in the first round.

Kai Simpson of Thomas More rounds out the first-team honorees. Simpson and the Saints finished the season with a 12-15 overall record. He led the conference in scoring at 18.8 points per game and averaged 4.9 rebounds per contest.

Hillsdale's Jacob Meyer won the Elite 26 Award for academic excellence. Meyer is a senior majorijng in financial management.

The complete all-conference award winners list can be found HERE.

Tickets and additional championship information for this weekend’s tournament can be found on the championship central page.