HUDSONVILLE, Mich. – Senior guard Cortez Garland of the Trine University men's basketball team has been named the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Athlete of the Week after securing a pair of non-conference victories at the St. Andrews Products Classic last weekend. It is the first time that the men's basketball team has had a representative as MIAA Athlete of the Week.
The Detroit, Michigan native led the Thunder in scoring in wins against Berry College and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, the 24th-ranked team in NCAA DIII. Garland netted 22 points in the 88-76 triumph over the Berry Vikings and defeated the Pioneers of Wisconsin-Platteville 80-68 with a team-high 15 points.
He averaged 34.5 minutes per game and shot 8-of-16 in the victory over Berry. He was productive from the charity stripe in both games for 12 points in total. Garland brought down four rebounds in each game and had seven assists in the pair of wins. He was credited with two steals in each contest.
Garland leads Trine in scoring this season at 17.4 points per game this season on a team-high 31.6 minutes per game. He also averages 2.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game. As the team's starting point guard, he has led the Thunder to the eighth-best turnover margin in the country at +6.3.
Trine opens MIAA play against Kalamazoo College on Thursday, January 4 in a road game beginning at 7:30 p.m.