KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NABC has selected College of Idaho’s Colby Blaine as the 2023 NABC NAIA Coach of the Year and Jamestown senior Mason Walters as the 2023 NABC NAIA Player of the Year.
Blaine guided the College of Idaho to the NAIA national championship, where his program defeated Indiana Tech 73-71 in the title game. After losing their first game of the season, the Yotes won 36-straight on their way to the championship – including a perfect 22-0 mark in the Cascade Conference. College of Idaho outscored its competition by over 22 points per game this season and held opponents to just 39.4 percent shooting.
Walters finished second in the nation in scoring average at 26.6 points per game, leading Jamestown to a 27-7 overall record and an appearance in the NAIA Tournament round of 16. The forward shot 63.8 percent overall – ranking among the top 20 in the NAIA – and 82.7 percent from the foul line. He also averaged 9.4 rebounds per game and blocked 63 shots.
