RAPID CITY, S.D. --- South Dakota School of Mines senior Konor Kulas was named to the 2016-17 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Second Team announced Tuesday by the league office and teammate Jake Heath earned RMAC Men's Basketball Co-Freshman of the Year honors.

"I couldn't be happier for Konor, Jake and their teammates," said Hardrocker men's basketball head coach Jason Henry.

This marks the second consecutive year for Kulas to earn RMAC Second Team Honors. Kulas is 6-foot-7-inch post player from Appleton, Wis., majoring in Industrial Engineering.
 

Kulas had an outstanding final season for the Hardrockers collecting a team-high 474 points to average 17.6 points per game. He also led the team in rebounds, recording 237 total to average 8.8 per game and added 10 double-doubles on the season. He finishes his SD Mines men's basketball career seventh on the all-time scorers list with 1,478 points.

Kulas ranked seventh in the RMAC for overall points (474); second  in total rebounds (237); third for field goal percentage, making good on 169-276 attempts for 61 percent; and first in offensive rebounds, recording 92 on the season to average 3.4 per game.

"Konor has had an incredible career and has done so much for our team and for his school," Henry said. "He is a role model and has been a favorite player of so many people in our community --- including my two daughters. We are going to miss him and he is more than deserving of this award with his exceptional play on the floor."
 

Heath, a 6-1 guard from Melbourne, Australia, majoring in Interdisciplinary Sciences, earned Co-RMAC Freshman of the Year honors after a stellar campaign with the Hardrockers. He led the team in three-point-goals-made (56) and shot 40 percent from behind the arc --- and averaged 8.8 points per game.

"Jake had an outstanding season for the Hardrockers and was a young man that played a lot of minutes  -- as he was hard to take off the floor," Henry said. "The RMAC was dominated as usual by upper classmen this season but Jake shined in his own way. We are extremely excited with our freshmen class this year and are looking forward to having Jake and his teammates continue to improve each year."

Fort Lewis' Joshua Blaylock was named RMAC Men's Basketball Player of the Year, announced on Tuesday with the rest of the All-Conference teams.

Blaylock was one of five players to pick up a major award. CSU-Pueblo's Nelson Kahler was named Defensive Player of the Year. The three-way tie for Freshman of the Year was with Fort Lewis' Riley Farris, Regis' Christian Little and Heath. Head Coach Pryor Orser from Colorado School of Mines is your Coach of the Year.

The major awards, along with the All-RMAC First and Second Teams were voted on by the conferences' 15 head coaches. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.

Ten student-athletes were named First Team as well as Second Team. The ThunderWolves led the RMAC with three earning All-RMAC honors. Fort Lewis, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado Christian, Regis, and Westminster each had two players land on the list.

Blaylock, a senior from Lancaster, California, led the Skyhawks to a 23-5 overall record and an 18-4 record in the RMAC. The 6-2 guard averaged 20.1 points in the regular season, along with 2.5 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game. He has a 50.7 field goal percentage, shoots 45.7-percent beyond the arch and 86.0-percent at the line.

RMAC Men's Basketball Player of the Year: Joshua Blaylock, Fort Lewis
RMAC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year: Nelson Kahler, CSU-Pueblo
RMAC Men's Basketball Freshmen of the Year: Riley Farris, Regis; Christian Little, Regis; Jake Heath South Dakota Mines
RMAC Men's Basketball Coach of the Year: Pryor Orser, Colorado School of Mines