Stevie Elam and Aaron Franklin of the Milwaukee Panthers men’s basketball team received Horizon League postseason honors, according to an announcement from the conference office.
Elam was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team. Over his first season, he averaged 10.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He started in 11 of his 24 appearances, missing more than a month due to injury earlier in the winter. Elam shot 35.8 percent from three-point range and 84 percent from the free throw line this season. He is only the third player in program history to earn a spot on the all-freshman team and the first since Elijah Goodman in 2023.
Elam reached double figures in scoring on 14 occasions, including two games with at least 20 points: against Cleveland State on February 1 (21 points) and at Detroit Mercy on February 20 (22 points). He led Milwaukee in scoring twice and topped the rebounding chart for four games. Elam also earned Horizon League Freshman of the Week honors twice during the season.
Franklin received the Horizon League Sportsmanship Award for his contributions both on and off the court. As a veteran player, he helped guide teammates through injuries while seeing increased playing time himself. Franklin averaged 6.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, starting in 21 of Milwaukee’s 31 contests and shooting 56.7 percent from the field overall. His rebounding average ranked sixth among league leaders. On February 1 against Cleveland State, Franklin nearly recorded a triple-double with 17 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists.
According to a conference statement: “The Sportsmanship Award recognizes student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior. Sportsmanship is defined as behavior exhibited during competition by student-athletes based on values, respect and integrity.”
Other Horizon League awards included Player of the Year DeSean Goode (RMU), Coach of the Year Clint Sargent (Wright State), Newcomer of the Year TJ Burch (Wright State), Freshman of the Year Kellen Pickett (Wright State), Defensive Player of the Year TJ Burch (Wright State), Sixth Man of the Year Chevalier Emery (Cleveland State), and Sportsmanship Awards for Tre Beard (Cleveland State) alongside Franklin.
The Milwaukee Panthers men’s basketball team represents University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee athletics officially, competes at NCAA Division I level within the Horizon League, and operates out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin according to its website.
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