Findlay's Josh Bostic Named NABC D-II "Player of the Year"

Release courtesy of David Buck, University of Findlay Sports Information Director

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Senior forward Josh Bostic was selected as the 2009 State Farm NCAA Division II National Player of the Year on Tuesday, March 24 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), marking the first time an Oilers basketball player has ever received the prestigious honor.

Bostic, Findlay’s only two-time All-American at the NCAA Division II level, had quite a senior season. He was named the Midwest Region Player of the Year, the Midwest Regional Tournament MVP, the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Player of the Year and the GLIAC Tournament MVP.

Before the season started, the 6-5 forward from Columbus, Ohio was tabbed the NCAA Division II Player of the Year by the DII Bulletin and has led the top ranked Oilers to a perfect 33-0 record on the year.

The 33 straight wins are a new school record for Findlay as well.

This season, Bostic has averaged 18.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.4 steals per game for the top ranked Oilers.

In his last game, Bostic scored a career-high 37 points during an 89-86 overtime victory against Bellarmine University which propelled Findlay into the Elite Eight for only the second time in school history.

He is also the only player in the history of the program to record 1,500 points, 700 rebounds, 200 assists and 200 steals. During his career, Bostic has scored 1,655 points, grabbed 737 rebounds, dished out 268 assists and made 232 steals.

His 618 points scored this season is the sixth highest in school history and his career total of 1,655 points ranks ninth at UF.

Bostic has led Findlay to an incredible run during his four-year tenure. Since stepping on the floor as a freshman during the 2005-06 campaign, Bostic has led the Oilers to a 115-12 record which includes a 68-5 mark in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).

A fan favorite at home, the Bostic led Oilers have achieved a record of 69-1 during his four years with the program inside Croy Gymnasium.

Findlay has also won three GLIAC South Division titles (2005-06, 2006-07, 2008-09) and a pair of GLIAC Tournament titles (2007, 2009) with Bostic in the lineup and reached the NCAA National Tournament all four years.

They advanced to the Sweet 16 during the 2007-08 campaign and have reached the Elite Eight this season for the first time since 2005.

In addition, Bostic was selected to participate in the Hershey's College All-Star game which will take place at the NCAA Division I Final Four in Detroit, Michigan. The event, which is scheduled to take place on Friday, April 3, will be held at Ford Field. The game will be shown on television, courtesy of CBS College Sports.

Bostic’s teammates have not been announced as of this time but the two coaches for the event will be former Purdue coach Gene Keady and former Arkansas skipper Nolan Richardson.

He will also be honored on Sunday, April 5 at the annual AT&T/NABC Guardians of the Game awards show at the Max M. Fisher Music Center.

About the National Association of Basketball Coaches
Located in Kansas City, MO, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently claims 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 membership, can be found at www.nabc.com.

About State Farm

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