Ferris State University men's basketball head coach Andy Bronkema has been chosen as the 2018 Basketball Times National Coach of the Year for his efforts in leading the Bulldogs to the most historic season in school history.

 

Along with Bronkema's national recognition, junior center Zach Hankins (Charlevoix) was also named to the Basketball Times All-America Second Team after previously earning first team National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-America kudos.

 

This season, Bronkema guided the Bulldogs to a second consecutive Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Regular-Season Championship, a fourth-straight league tournament title and the school's second-ever regional crown.

 

Basketball Times is the leading, year-round college basketball magazine since launching in 1980. The all-star roster of national writers touches on every aspect of the game from the preps to the pros, featuring all levels of college basketball, including small colleges, women's basketball, junior colleges and the international game.

 

Ferris State has never had a bigger season than the 35-1 record this season under Bronkema, including a 23-game winning streak.

 

Bronkema's route to the Elite Eight started 11 years ago when he began his coaching career as a volunteer coach at Ferris State, followed by assistant coach, interim head coach and then, five years ago, head coach of the Bulldogs.

 

Hankins earned All-America accolades for the second consecutive season this year after being a consensus All-America choice a year ago. He was the only player from a GLIAC member school chosen to the 2018 NABC All-America squad or any of the three Basketball Times All-America listings.

 

This year, Hankins has paced the Bulldogs in scoring and rebounding while also leading the conference in rebounding, field goal percentage and blocked shots. He has compiled 31 double-figure scoring efforts to date this season for the Bulldogs and ranked among the national leaders in several statistical categories.

 

Previously, Hankins was tabbed to the NABC All-Midwest District First Team squad and also chosen as the NABC's Midwest Region Player of the Year. He's currently a finalist for the NABC Player of the Year distinction, which goes to the top D2 player in the country.

 

Ferris State will open play in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight as the nation's #1 seed on Tuesday, March 20, versus Barry (Fla.) in the national quarterfinals at 3:30 p.m. (ET) in Sioux Falls, S.D.