UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – Four members of the Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball team received conference honors this morning (March 8) when the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) announced the 2023-24 Men's Basketball conference awards.
Senior Tre Garrett highlighted the recipients for the Cardinals as he was named First Team All-GLIAC as well as being on the all-defensive team.
Freddie McIntosh was named Second Team All-GLIAC for the second consecutive season. He was joined on the second team by Toodles Seal.
Kevonne Taylor earned back-to-back GLIAC all-defensive team honors.
Garrett earned first-team all-conference honor for the first time in his career while being named All-GLIAC for the second-straight season (2nd Team 2022-23). The Saginaw, Michigan native set career-high marks in almost every statistical category this season. He also hit two milestones with 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds. He was eight points short of the single-game scoring record with 41 points against Davenport on February 8. Garret finished the season leading the league in free throws made with 152 and was tied for third in scoring with 17.4 points per game.
"We are incredibly proud of Tre for earning First Team All-GLIAC," said SVSU head men's basketball coach Randy Baruth. "His journey to get to this point was one built on hard work, passion, and just pure effort and toughness on the court. He put in countless hours this past summer, so it's no surprise that it paid off and he had the season that he had. Even though he had a 40-point game and broke program records, his work in the classroom in pursuit of his master's [degree] is even more impressive and impactful to the community."
Garrett was a leader on the defensive side of the ball as well this season, earning his second-consecutive all-defensive team nod. He led the GLIAC in steals with 59 (16 steals ahead of the second-best mark in that category) and was ninth in rebounds per game with 5.8.
"Only two other players in the league were named 1st Team and all-defensive, so a big-time honor for Tre," lauded Baruth. "He is always someone we put on the opposing team's best perimeter players. He is so disruptive with his athleticism, length, instincts, and no-fear mentality."
McIntosh finished seventh in the conference in scoring with 16.2 PPG. That mark was third-best on SVSU and helped him earn back-to-back second-team honors. The junior guard hit the 1,000 career-point milestone with one season of eligibility left.
"We are happy for Freddie for being named All-Conference for the second consecutive season," said Baruth. "He is a leader and warrior for our team and had three games of 30+ points. Freddie shot a career-best in field-goal percentage and was an efficient 37% from three while taking over six attempts. Congratulations to Freddie for the recognition and we know he is going to work harder this off-season than he ever has before."
Seal made an immediate impact in his debut season for the Cardinals. Seal ranks second in the conference in scoring with his 18.5 PPG. Seal was the third of four SVSU players to reach 1,000 career points in college. The Detroit, Michigan native led the team in scoring and rebounds (5.9) this season.
"Toodles was the most impactful newcomer to the GLIAC this season, and we are proud of him for earning Second Team All GLIAC," stated Baruth. "After an All-American season at Henry Ford CC last year, he continued his impressive run both on the court and in the classroom. He finished our season scoring 20+ points in 10 of our last 11 games while shooting very efficiently. We are happy for Toodles and excited for his offseason to grow his game even more."
Taylor dominated at the rim this season for the Cardinals to earn his second-straight all-defensive team recognition. He led the GLIAC in blocks by almost 20 with 59 on the season. The sophomore from Detroit, Michigan hit his career-high of seven blocks twice this season.
"We are proud of Kevonne for earning All-Defensive honors back-to-back seasons," said Baruth. "Only a sophomore, he still has so much room for growth but has come a long way in being one of the top rim protectors in the country. Kevonne finished the season 6th in the country in blocks per game at 2.59."