BOURBONNAIS, IL. – Olivet Nazarene University men’s basketball senior guard Tyler Schmidt was one of 25 student-athletes from across the nation named to the Trevor Hudgins Award presented by Small College Basketball on Thursday afternoon.
The prestigious award is presented to 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 every year of his career. 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 11 points shy of joining the exclusive 2000-point club with 1,989 career points. Only five players in ONU men’s basketball history have accomplished the impressive feat, with the most recent being his former teammate Alex Gross in 2022.
Schmidt’s name is scattered across the all-time ONU career records, currently ranking fifth in blocks (73), seventh in field goals made (770), 13th in free throws made (332), tied for 13th in assists (423), 14th in steals (123) and is sixth in career scoring with his 1,989 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 23.1 points per game average is the second-best scoring clip in the conference and ranks ninth in the nation. Schmidt also leads ONU in assists with 5.5 helpers per game while also being second on the squad in rebounds at 5. Rebounds per game.
In addition to being named the CCAC’s Player of the Week twice so far this season, Schmidt has also been named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 100 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.
For more information about the athletics program, contact Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu.
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— Republished 02/03/2024 —
