May 22, 2006

Allendale, Mich. - Grand Valley State second-year head coach Ric Wesley has been honored by the Basketball Coaches Asscociation of Michigan as the Men's College Coach of the Year. Wesley guided Grand Valley State to the 2005-06 GLIAC regular-season and tournament titles en route to a 27-4 record. GVSU, which ended the season ranked #4 in the DII coaches poll, advanced to the NCAA DII National Tournament for the first time since the 2000-2001 season. Wesley has guided GVSU to a 45-14 record in his two years at the helm. GVSU's 27 wins and the 17-game winning streak were both the second-longest such streaks in school history during a single-season. Wesley's 45 wins in his first two years guiding the Laker men's basketball program is the best two-year total among men's basketball coaches during the first two years of their careers at Grand Valley State.