Levi wins D3hoops.com National Rookie of the Year
IRVING, Texas - After leading the University of Dallas to a tournament berth for the first time since 2015, the team's freshman forward, Spencer Levi, was named the National Rookie of the Year by D3hoops.com. This is the 21st year the organization has selected and published an All-America team. It was announced in Salem, Virginia, as part of the pregame show for the 2018 men's basketball national championship game. Earlier in the week, Levi earned the Rookie of the Year accolade for the South Region, and was on the 2nd Team.
Levi helped guide a turnaround season for the Crusaders, which included a 7-1 start and matched the most wins in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) play at 8-6. The forward was an effective inside shooter, hitting over 70 percent and remaining ranked top-5 in NCAA Division III all season. At the end of the season, Levi checked in with a 70.2% clip from the field, which ranks fourth in the country.
Levi averaged a double-double with 19.0 points-per-game (ppg) and a conference-leading 11.3 rebounds-per-game. He accumulated 17 double-doubles during the campaign, including 12 against SCAC opponents. Levi eclipsed double-digits in all but two contests during a 15-11 season for UD.
Levi etched his name in the program's record books early on in the season when he shattered the blocks record in a single-game with nine on December 2nd, 2017, versus Johnson & Wales (CO). His total individually that game actually matched the previous team record for blocks. Levi would go on to swat 71 blocks during the year, which marked a new school record. His 2.73 blocks-per-game rank seventh in the nation and led the league.
Levi paced all D3 freshmen in: scoring average, rebounding average, double-doubles, and field-goal percentage. He won the school's first SCAC Newcomer of the Year and was All-SCAC 1st Team. Levi also was tabbed on the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) All-American 1st Team.
Besides his postseason awards, Levi was named to D3Hoops.com Team of the Week, a two-time SCAC Player-of-the -Week, two-time USCAA Player-of-the-Week, and was among the top 100 candidates for the 2017-18 Bevo Francis Award.
To see the full D3hoops.com All-South Region Team, click here.