2021-22 ACAC Men’s Basketball Rookies of the Year
Edmonton, AB (March 10, 2022)
North Rookie of The Year:
The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) is pleased to announce Omeechi Williams of the Keyano College Huskies has been selected as the 2021-22 ACAC Men’s Basketball North Division Rookie of the Year.
Williams played an essential role in the Huskies accomplishing their first perfect regular season in team history, averaging 14.8 points per game, along with 7.8 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.4 assists on a per-game basis over the team’s 16 wins.
Making 82-of-138 (59.4 per cent) shots from the field, Williams ranked second in the entire ACAC for field goal percentage, finishing behind teammate Mazin Tiea. Williams was particularly effective from three-point range, making 43.5 per cent (30-of-69) of the shots he attempted from beyond the arc to rank third in the conference in percentage.
In 12 of the team’s 16 games, Williams earned double-digit points for the Huskies. He finished the 2021-22 ACAC Regular Season with four double-doubles, including three in his team’s final five regular season games. On February 11, 2022, Williams posted season-highs in points (28) and rebounds (14) to guide the Huskies to victory.
“He’s a do-it-all guy for us,” Head Coach Jeremy Wielenga said of Williams. “He guards multiple positions, he plays multiple positions. He’s effective at both ends of the floor, one of the most efficient scorers in the league.
“He really can do it all and he’s leader on the floor and off the floor. He’s a really big part of why we’ve been so successful.”
Williams is the fourth student-athlete from the Men’s Basketball Huskies to be named ACAC Rookie of the Year, joining Stefan Jovcic (2017-18), Terrence Crisostomo (2016-17), and Blake Gallatly (2013-14).
A product of Hamilton, Ont., the forward from Hamilton, Ont. is in his first year of eligibility and is currently studying Business at Keyano College.
This prestigious award will be recognized at the 2022 ACAC Men’s Basketball Championship hosted by SAIT in Calgary, Alberta.
South Rookie of The Year:
The Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) is pleased to announce Eduardo Crespo of the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings has been selected as the 2021/2022 ACAC Men’s Basketball South Rookie of the Year.
As Crespo adjusted to playing basketball in the ACAC, his ability to positively impact a game steadily increased over the season. The six-foot-three forward averaged 14.4 points per game.
“We saw Eduardo’s game evolve throughout the year,” said Darren Graham, Red Deer Polytechnic Kings Basketball Head Coach. “He is really grabbing the game by the horns and is having a huge impact. His statistics show that he impacts the game in so many different ways.”
The first-year Academic Upgrading student brought an energetic style to the Kings that translated into 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. Crespo, who is from Sao Paulo, Brazil shot 49.4 per cent from the field, 31.1 per cent from three-point range and 71 per cent from the free throw line.
Graham appreciates Crespo’s diverse abilities and commitment to playing in all zones.
“Eduardo is an elite intellectual basketball player. He thinks the game so well on both ends of the court,” added Graham. “He is a guy that we can rely on to get some stops on the defensive end. I think he is one of the best playmakers in the ACAC in his first year.”
Crespo averaged 3.2 assists per game.
This prestigious award will be recognized at the 2022 ACAC Men’s Basketball Championship hosted by SAIT in Calgary, Alberta.
– 30 –
About the ACAC: The ACAC is the governing body for intercollegiate athletics in Alberta. Its mission is to provide competitive collegiate sport experiences, promote academic achievement and be a leader of sport development in Canada.
For more information on the ACAC, please visit our website: www.acac.ab.ca
For additional information, contact:
Mark Kosak, ACAC
Chief Executive Officer
403-875-7329
markk@acac.ab.ca
Jonathan Lambert, Keyano College
Director, Athletics & Recreation
780-791-4852
jonathan.lambert@keyano.ca
Randy Stewart, Red Deer Polytechnic
Manager of Athletics & Student Life
403-314-2457
randy.stewart@rdpolytech.ca
Twitter: @acac_sport / #ACACVB2022
Instagram: @acac_sport / #ACACVB2022
Facebook: AlbertaCollegesAthleticConference