KANSAS CITY - Carroll College forward Ryan Imhoff was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Player of the Year. The honor was announced Tuesday evening after the conclusion of the NAIA DI championship game. 

"It was something I dreamed of, but It was something that I didn't think would happen," Imhoff said. "I am kind of shocked. It is an honor to say the least. I am still at a loss."

Although Imhoff is shocked, it comes as little surprise to his teammates or coaches. He was dominant all season, averaging 19.8 points per game, 7.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, all team highs. He was No. 2 in NAIA DI in steals, eighth in total scoring and 15th in points per game. He ranked in the NAIA DI Top 50 in nine other statistical categories. 

He scored double figures in all but one game all season and hit the 30-point mark three times, including a 30-point performance in the opening round of the NAIA DI National Championship against Lindsey Wilson and their lineup that includes a 6-foot-11 forward and a 7-foot-0 center. 

"All the Carroll coaches and players are thrilled for Ryan," head coach Carson Cunningham said. "We know how hard he works, what a great teammate he is, and how awesome he is at playing the game of basketball."

On top of his strong statistics, he was also a team captain, a leader in the locker room and in the classroom where he is a chemistry major. Typical of Imhoff's style, he is quick to credit everyone around him.

"This award is not all me," Imhoff said. "It is coaching staff. It is my team. It is everyone involved in the program. To be trusted to be the captain of this group and to have everyone's trust as a leader is a great honor and I am glad that I could follow through and earn this honor."

Many of Imhoff's talents are quantifiable on a stat sheet, but many are not. 

"Ryan's ability to mix sheer force with gracefulness, strong finishes with exquisite dimes, power rebounds with ballet-like movements on his array of around-the-rim finishes is super-special," Cunningham said. "To boot, he's a monster academic -- I mean to excel in chemistry, a flat-out tough and uncommon major and be national player of the year is stunning."

Imhoff is the first to say how honored he is to receive the nod, but he is even more stunned when he saw some of the incredible athletes in action at the national championship in Kansas City.

"When you look at all of the guys in the NAIA, there are a lot of great players and to be mentioned as the best them is an honor and honestly a blessing. To come from where I was as a freshman to where I am now is pretty exciting," he said.

Imhoff joins Carroll greats J.D. Solomon and Zach Taylor just last year as the only NAIA All-American First Team players.

"There have been some great players to come through Carroll and to be mentioned in the same sentence is pretty amazing," Imhoff said. "Zach Taylor was my favorite guy to ever play with. To get this award and prove that I am up there with him is just awesome."

Imhoff's freshman year, he was unpolished and wasn't considered the best player among his fellow Carroll freshmen. For Cunningham, it has been a fantastic process to have a player that worked his way to the honor through incredible work ethic. It is something that he will draw from for the rest of his life.

"My wife and I have five kids and if one of them comes to me and asks how to go about becoming excellent at something, whether a sport or a musical instrument or an academic subject, I can sit them down and say, 'Let me tell you about Ryan Imhoff,'" Cunnigham said. "And for the rest of my coaching days, I can say the same to any player who asks me what it'd take to become a national standout. I'm so grateful to have been able to coach Ryan Imhoff. Congratulations!"  

Three other Saints have earned NAIA National Player of the Year in all sports with all three of them coming on the gridiron. Tyler Emmert (2003, 2005), Owen Koeppen (2008), Chance Demaries (2011).