Brandon Friedel has become the first Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys basketball player in 13 years to earn All-America recognition.
Friedel, a 6-foot-3 senior guard from Victoria, Texas, was named to the Division II Bulletin NCAA Division II All-America team on Tuesday as an honorable mention selection.
He is the first Wonder Boy to be so honored since the 1996-97 season, when Bryan Hodges earned the second of his back-to-back All-America awards.
Friedel becomes the 15th All-American in the 95-year history of Arkansas Tech men’s basketball.
He joins a list that also includes E.C. O’Neal (1953 and 1954), Donovan Horn (1955), Ronnie Kennett (1958), J.P. Lovelady (1961), Kenny Saylors (1962 and 1963), Terry Hankton (1972), Joe Bob Wise (1982), Alan Cozart (1989), Maxie Mathis (1991, 1992 and 1993), Eric Burnett (1993), Thayer McKinley (1994), David Bevis (1994 and 1995), Chad Keaster (1995) and Hodges (1996 and 1997).
Friedel averaged 15.0 points per game in 2009-10, eighth-best in the GSC.
He also ranked among the league leaders in 3-point field goals made (3rd, 3.06 per game) and 3-point field goal percentage (4th, .424). He was among the top 25 shooters in all of NCAA Division II basketball in both of those categories.
Friedel finished his four-year career with 233 made 3-pointers, fifth-most in Tech men’s basketball history. He is also one of just 30 Wonder Boys to ever score 1,000 or more points in a career.
His efforts in 2009-10 helped Arkansas Tech finish 30-2 overall and win the GSC West Division regular season title and the GSC Tournament championship.
Friedel was named 2009-10 GSC West Division player of the year. He earned a spot on the All-GSC West Division first team, the All-NCAA Division II South Region squad and the GSC All-Academic team.
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