MIAC Men's Basketball Athlete-of-the-Week

The Bethel men's basketball team won its final two regular-season games last week to finish on a strong note and secure a spot in the 2012-13 MIAC Men's Basketball Playoffs. Junior Kyle Zimmerman (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park) continued his sensational play down the stretch, as the forward averaged 20.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 66.7 percent from the floor in the Royals' two wins last week. For his performance, Zimmerman was named the MIAC Men's Basketball Athlete-of-the-Week.
 
“His consistency has been remarkable,” said head men's basketball coach Jeff Westlund. “He has continued to improve throughout the season and his confidence level has grown each game.”

Zimmerman went for 20 and 10 in both victories, starting with exactly 20 points and 10 boards - to go along with three steals and two assists - in Wednesday's 79-59 win over Hamline. Zimmerman was nearly perfect (10-for-11) from the free throw line against the Pipers, and shot 5-for-9 from the floor. In Saturday's final game against Macalester, Zimmerman recorded a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double with three assists, two blocked shots and a steal while going 9-for-12 from the field. During the regular season, Zimmerman ranked ninth in the MIAC in scoring with 14.0 points per game, second in rebounding (8.4 per game) and fourth in blocked shots (1.2 per game).

Thanks to the two wins, Zimmerman and the Royals improve to 15-10 overall and 11-9 in the MIAC to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place. Fortunately for Bethel, it finished atop the three-team tiebreaker and opens the MIAC Playoffs as the No. 5 seed. The Royals will begin postseason play with a quarterfinal game Wednesday at No. 4-seeded Carleton, with tip off set for 7:30 p.m. in Northfield. The winner would travel to No. 1 St. Thomas or No. 2 Concordia for a semifinal game Friday.