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Feb. 28, 2002 Butler senior forward Rylan Hainje was named "Player of the Year" in the Horizon League, highlighting the league's annual post-season honor squad. He was joined on the All-Horizon League first team by teammate Thomas Jackson, who had previously been named Horizon League Preseason "Player of the Year." The Horizon League post-season awards were selected by a vote of league head coaches, media representatives and sports information directors. Hainje, who helped lead Butler to its third consecutive league regular season championship, is the first Butler player to be honored as conference "Player of the Year" since 1997, when Jon Neuhouser earned the same award. Darin Archbold, 1991, in the only other Butler player to receive the honor in the Bulldogs' current conference. Hainje is averaging a team-best 15.2 points and 5.9 rebounds for the 25-4 Bulldogs, who will take the No. 1 seed into the Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship at Cleveland State University, March 1-5. He currently stands 13th on Butler's all-time scoring list and ninth on the Bulldogs' all-time rebounding list. Jackson, a senior guard who is Butler's all-time assist leader and all-time leader in steals, was picked first team all-conference for the second consecutive year. He stands second on the team in scoring with a 13.4 average, and he leads the Bulldogs in assists with 4.6 per game. Hainje and Jackson also were picked to the Horizon League All-Defensive Team, along with teammate Joel Cornette. All three Bulldogs were honored on the All-Defensive squad for the second straight year. |
