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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Fort Lewis College center Alex Herrera became the first men's basketball player in school history to be named to a National Association of Basketball Coaches all-district first team, the NABC announced this morning.
 
“I think it's a nice honor for Alex,” said 17th-year FLC head coach Bob Hofman. “I'm sure he'd be the first to credit his teammates for achieving this award. We look at all of our individual awards as collective awards. He and his teammates have worked very hard for this.”
 
Herrera was named to the NABC All-South Central District first team — a first in FLC's 51-year history as a four-year college.
 
Skyhawks have earned second team NABC all-district honors three times: Kirk Archibeque (2008-09), DeAndre Lansdowne (2009-10) and Matt Morris (2011-12) were all named to the NABC All-Central District second team (RMAC schools, including Fort Lewis, switched from the Central to the South Central this season).
 
Herrera was chosen by sports information directors to a separate All-South Central Region team last week — one sponsored by Daktronics.
 
A 6-foot-10, 235-lb. sophomore from Ignacio High School in Ignacio, Colo., Herrera became one of the nation's premier defenders in 2012-13. He blocked 84 shots this year, setting a new FLC single-season record (eclipsing Brice Searle's mark of 83, which stood for nearly 30 years). His 2.80 blocks per game leads the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and ranks sixth in NCAA Division II.
 
Herrera was named the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2012-13. He's also been named to the All-RMAC first team and the All-RMAC Shootout team and was a four-time RMAC/Baden Player of the Week — twice for offense and twice for defense.
 
He leads the RMAC in blocked shots (83) and field goal shooting (60.3 percent) and ranks among league leaders in field goals (second, 167), rebounds per game (third, 8.8), defensive rebounds (third, 180), total rebounds (fourth, 265), offensive rebounds (fourth, 85), points (fifth, 459), free throws (seventh, 125) and points per game (12th, 15.3).
 
Although he's played just two seasons in a Skyhawk uniform, Herrera already ranks fifth in school history in career blocked shots (110). He twice blocked eight shots in a single game in 2012-13 — tied for second most in the FLC record books.
 
He ranks among the NCAA Division II Top 25 in blocked shots per game (sixth, 2.80), field goal percentage (21st, 60.3 percent) and double-doubles (21st, 12).
 
Ten student-athletes from the South Central District were voted to the all-region first and second teams. First team all-district performers are eligible for the NABC All-America teams, which will be announced at a later date.
                                           
Other NABC All-South Central District first teamers included Craig Foster (Cameron), Brandon Jefferson (Metro State), Kevin Kotzur (St. Mary's), Jonathan Morse (Metro State) and Corbin Thomas (Midwestern State). Metro State's Derrick Clark was chosen as the NABC South Central Coach of the Year.
 
Second team selections included Shamar Acuay (Newman), Nick Fox (Dallas Baptist), Chuck Guy (Tarleton State), Kaimyn Pruitt (Adams State) and Dionelle Rucker (Incarnate Word).
 
Fort Lewis finished its 2012-13 season with a 22-8 overall record (.733) — the fifth best mark in school history. The Skyhawks went 16-6 in RMAC games (.727) and tied for second place in the league standings. FLC earned its eighth trip to the NCAA Division II playoffs, beating Adams State 95-73 in the opening round before losing to St. Mary's (Texas) 62-50.
 
The Skyhawks lose four seniors to graduation — Matt Mazarei, who ranked ninth in NCAA Division II in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.57); second team All-RMAC performer Marcus Ayala; and four-time RMAC All-Academic selections Torrey Udall and Matthias Weissl.
 
Located in Kansas City, Mo., the NABC was founded in 1927 by Forrest “Phog” Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of basketball inventor James Naismith, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as “Guardians of the Game.” The NABC currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men's basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today's student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education. Additional information about the NABC, its programs and memberships, can be found at www.nabc.org.