SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – Lake Superior State (LSSU) men's basketball head coach Steve Hettinga has announced the recipients of the team's awards for the 2023-24 season at their team banquet.
Junior forward Kingsley Perkins (Ypsilanti, Mich.) received the Most Valuable Player award. Perkins was named the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Year after leading his team to finish the regular season as the top defensive unit in the conference, holding opponents to a league-best 68.0 points per game in the regular season. Throughout the season, Perkins proved to be one of the top centers in the conference, and was named to the All-GLIAC First Team as a result. The two-time GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week was a steady force in the paint for the Lakers, finishing the regular season as the league's fourth leading rebounder (6.4), and his 43 blocks ranked second in the GLIAC. Perkins also finished second on his team in scoring with 13.2 points per game, including a career-high 29-point performance at Michigan Tech, and he dished out 63 assists as well. He would then go on to be named to the Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team after LSSU's run to the Sweet 16.
Senior guard Xander Okerlund (Empire, Mich.) received the Bud Cooper Coaches Award. Okerlund helped lead the LSSU men's basketball team on an inspiring run to the Sweet 16 to cap off his Laker career. Okerlund notched 373 points, 117 rebounds, 45 assists, 25 steals, and 6 blocks on the season while shooting over 40% from beyond the arc, and he became the 44th member of the LSSU men's basketball 1,000-point club.
Junior guard Devin Womack (Ypsilanti, Mich.) received the Most Improved Player award. Womack had a career-year after stepping into the role of his teams' starting point guard. After only scoring a combined total of 76 points in his first two years with the program, the junior went off for 411 this season, including 57 in three tournament games at the Midwest Regional that led to him being named to the All-Tournament Team. Womack also dished out 125 assists, grabbed 87 rebounds, and notched 21 steals.
Junior Hunter Soper (Lexington, Mich.) was this year's recipient of the Chris Buell Award. This award is presented to the student-athlete that best exemplifies toughness and a willingness to sacrifice himself for the betterment of the team. Soper had career bests in every statistical category this season, but rather than try to use his talents as the focal point of his team, he excelled in whatever his team needed of him regardless of the situation, whether it was to attack the offensive glass, help create spacing with his league-best 48.8% three-point field goal percentage, or play tough, gritty defense. Countless times throughout the season, Soper was not the focal point of the offense, but he was always ready to make the right play that was needed of him each game.
First-year guard Adam Harakow (Edmonton, Alta.) was the recipient of the Tom Thornton Award which is presented to the student-athlete who persevered, never gave up, and was a great teammate. Harakow scored 103 points and grabbed 39 rebounds off the bench in 26 games for the Lakers, and he posted an 11-point, 10-assist double-double against Algoma on Dec. 14.
Junior guard Tyson Edmondson (Ypsilanti, Mich.) was the recipient of the C.J. Robinson Award which is presented to the team's top defensive player. The First-Team All-GLIAC honoree led the Lakers in scoring with 13.6 points per game, and he was the team's third-leading rebounder (4.2). Edmondson was named the Defensive Player of the week in week 14, and he finished in the top-10 in the GLIAC in steals per game. He was always one of the Lakers most reliable scorers when they needed a basket while shooting over 44% from beyond the arc, highlighted by a 21-point performance at Michigan Tech where he was perfect from the floor, shooting 6-6, 3-3 from three-point range, and 6-6 from the charity stripe. He had three games on the year with four steals, including the Midwest Regional Final.