CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) announced the 2021 Men's Basketball All-Conference teams and the major award winners.
Lucas Gentry (Mt. Vernon, Ky.) from Transylvania University was named the Player of the Year, in a vote of league coaches. In conference only play, the senior averaged 19.7 points per game behind 54 percent field goal shooting with a 48 percent clip from three-point range. Gentry also pulled down an average of 8.6 boards a contest, while averaging 1.5 assists per contests.
On the other end of the court,
Jacob Back (Harrison, Ohio) of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year. The senior averaged 8.2 points per game behind an impressive 66.7 percent shooting, 3.2 rebounds per contest, and added 10 assists, nine blocks and eight steals over the course of the shortened 2021 season.
Fellow Fightin' Engineer
Dillon Duff (Fort Wayne, Ind.) was picked as the Newcomer of the Year. The first-year averaged 12 points per game, shooting 51.0 percent from the field. Duff averaged four rebounds a game, and added 15 steals, 13 assists, and 10 blocks over the course the 2021 season.
After leading Rose-Hulman to a 10-2 record in 2021,
Rusty Loyd was voted as the 2021 HCAC Coach of the Year.
Player of the Year – Lucas Gentry, Transylvania University
Defensive Player of the Year – Jacob Back, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Newcomer of the Year – Dillon Duff, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Coach of the Year – Rusty Loyd, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
The HCAC also honors an All-Conference First Team, Second Team and Honorable Mention team. The members of those teams are selected by a vote of league coaches.
For more information on HCAC Men's Basketball, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the HCAC's home on the internet at www.heartlandconf.org. Be sure to stay up to date on all of your Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference news by following @HCACDIII on Twitter and by liking the "HCAC DIII" Facebook page.
2021 HCAC All-Conference First Team
| Jameel Cosby |
JR |
G |
Bluffton University |
| Lucas Gentry |
SR |
F |
Transylvania University |
| Zach Larimore |
JR |
F |
Transylvania University |
| Craig McGee |
SR |
G |
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology |
| Payton Mills |
SR |
F |
Franklin College |
| Ronny Williams |
SR |
G |
Anderson University |
2021 HCAC All-Conference Second Team
| Jamel Barnes, Jr. |
SR |
G |
Earlham College |
| Dezman Brown |
SR |
G |
Bluffton University |
| Ty Houtson |
SO |
G |
Hanover College |
| Marell Jordan |
JR |
G |
Defiance College |
| Matt Krause |
JR |
F |
Franklin College |
| Brady Thomas |
JR |
G |
Mount St. Joseph University |
2021 HCAC All-Conference Honorable Mention
| Mark Albers |
SR |
G/F |
Hanover College |
| Jacob Back |
SR |
F |
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology |
| Gavin Dowling |
FR |
F |
Anderson University |
| Cortiz Buckner |
SR |
G |
Manchester University |
| Dillon Duff |
FR |
F |
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology |
| Sam Gutierrez |
SR |
G |
Franklin College |
| CJ Hampton |
FR |
F |
Manchester University |
| Aaron Rich |
SR |
F |
Bluffton University |