ANGOLA, Ind. – Head Coach Brooks Miller of the Trine University men's basketball team has been named Region VII Coach of the Year by D3hoops.com ahead of the team's NCAA Division III National Championship Semifinal game against Trinity (Conn.) College.
Under the direction of Coach Miller in his 13th season at the helm, the program is on an incredible run unlike any the team has seen before. The Thunder qualified for their first ever NCAA Tournament by receiving an at-large bid, hosted both the First and Second Rounds as well as the Sectional Semifinals and Finals to reach Fort Wayne, Indiana where the National Championship will be decided.
Trine is 27-4, which is the most wins in the NCAA DIII era. 27 wins was last accumulated in the 1998-99 season when the team competed in NAIA. The Thunder were also regular season champions of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) for the third time under Miller's tenure.
Key players that won postseason awards for the Thunder are senior guard Cortez Garland (First Team All-MIAA and Second Team All-Region), junior guard Fred Garland (First Team All-MIAA), senior forward Emmanuel Megnanglo (MIAA Defensive Player of the Year), senior forward Brent Cox (Second Team All-MIAA) and junior guard Aidan Smylie (Second Team All-MIAA).
The team squares off with the Trinity Bantams on Thursday, March 14 beginning at 8 p.m. at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Video, live stat and ticket links can all be found on www.trinethunder.com.