The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference men’s basketball regular season champion Fort Lewis Skyhawks were rewarded for their efforts as the conference announced All-RMAC and annual awards.
Fort Lewis junior transfer point guard Joshua Blaylock took All-RMAC First Team honors in his first year playing for the Skyhawks. Rasmus Bach and Cade Kloster made the second team, and Will Morse was listed as an honorable mention.
The players weren’t the only Skyhawks getting attention, as first-year head coach Bob Pietrack was named the RMAC Coach of the Year.
“I’m humbled to have been named Coach of the Year, especially in a conference that has as many great coaches as the RMAC does,” Pietrack said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “My assistant coach (Daniel Steffensen) deserves credit as well. The only reason any of us are getting recognition is because of all the hard work these young men have done.”
Blaylock led the Skyhawks in scoring in almost half the team’s games, and his 17.2 points per game average is seventh in the RMAC. Bach has developed into a versatile forward who can step out and hit 3-pointers or score in the paint. He leads the team in field goal percentage and rebounds per game and is second to Blaylock in points per game with 14.1.
Kloster ccame on strong down the stretch of his senior season. He led the Skyhawks in scoring in two of the last three games, and his 12.7 points per game average is third on the team. It is the second consecutive season in which Kloster has been named to the All-RMAC Second Team.
“It is hard to put into words what Josh Blaylock means to our team,” Pietrack said. “Kloster is a true ’Hawk in every sense, and he’s had a great career here. It’s just the tip of the iceberg for Rasmus. He improves every night.”
At 24-3, 19-3 in the tough RMAC, Fort Lewis had its best regular season in school history and earned the top seed in this week’s RMAC Shootout.
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
