Lake Superior State redshirt sophomore Omar Suleiman was named a First Team All-GLIAC selection, while junior guard Nino Carter-Smith earned Second Team All-GLIAC honors. Redshirt freshman guard Karter Richards was named the GLIAC Freshman of the Year, the league office announced on Friday.

Suleiman stamped his claim to the honors with a magnificent 44 point outing on Wednesday against Purdue Northwest, after the selections had been made. But the game was a fitting testament to a great player at the peak of his powers.

Suleiman shot 10-of-12 from three, breaking the LSSU record for three-pointers in a single game. He put the Lakers ahead near the end of regulation with a triple, tied the game at the free throw line moments later, then won it in overtime.

It was far from his first special performance of the year. Suleiman announced himself on the GLIAC stage with a 24 point outing against Lake Erie to open the year, then hammered St. Cloud State for 32 points on November 21^st. He shot 10-of-20 from the floor, showcasing his ability to shoot for quality and quantity in the face of tough matchups. His 19 points against then-9^th ranked Gannon mostly came in the second half, as he attacked the rim with determination and shot 11-for-13 at the free throw line.

Suleiman closed the season spectacularly, scoring 24 points in a win over then-15^th ranked Grand Valley State. He put up 16 against Wayne State, then 19 against Purdue Northwest in the regular season finale. He shot over 50% in each of his last four games of the season, and in five of the last six.

A gifted scorer, Suleiman showed that he's more than comfortable leading a high-powered, fast-paced attack. This season, he's averaged 17.6 points per game to date, shooting 45.5% from the field and 41.7% from three. He's 5^th in the GLIAC in points per game. Suleiman ranked second in the league and 25^th nationally in three point percentage. He's second in the GLIAC in threes made per game and 16^th nationally at an even three per game.

Carter-Smith has certainly had his scoring touch this season, but has wowed with his steady, classic point guard approach. He's twice passed for double-digit assists, racking up 10 against Ferris State on February 26^th and 11 in the win over GVSU on February 21^st, and his defense has sparked LSSU.

The junior has posted several incredible performances, including a 24 point, six steal effort against Minnesota Duluth on November 22^nd. He shot 10-of-17 in the game, hitting all four three-pointers, passed for three assists, and grabbed two rebounds. Four days later against Gannon, he shot 7-for-10 for 16 points and passed for a then-career-high seven assists.

Carter-Smith registered five steals in three of the last five games of the regular season, against Ferris State, Davenport and Wayne State.

He ranks fourth in the GLIAC and 68^th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.10. He's second in the league and 22^nd nationally in total assists as well. Carter-Smith leads the GLIAC in steals per game with 2.2, rankings him 31^st nationally. He's 18^th in total steals at 66.

Carter-Smith averages 10.8 points per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. He averages 4.8 assists per contest and 3.2 rebounds per game.

Richards, a Grosse Pointe Park, MI native, saw a remarkable rise throughout the regular season. A rotational player during the first half of the season, he broke into the starting lineup with several excellent games in the month of January.

On January 10^th, in a 59-52 win at Roosevelt, Richards led the Lakers with 16 points, shooting 5-for-8 from the field and 2-for-2 from three. That started a run of four straight games scoring double-figures, which led him to the starting lineup on January 29^th against Roosevelt. In that game, Richards shot 6-for-8 from the floor, scoring 13 points. Since then, he's been a fixture in the Laker lineup.

The 6'3" guard has shot over 50% from the field in each of his 11 starts to date and set his career high at 25 points in the 82-79 win at Wayne State on February 26^th. That win secured the #4 seed in the GLIAC Tournament for LSSU. Richards then shot 6-for-6 against Purdue Northwest two days later in another Laker win.

He grabbed seven rebounds against Wayne State, stole the ball three times and blocked a shot. Then against PNW, he tallied another three steals for LSSU. His play earned Richards his first GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week honors, with an Honorable Mention for Offensive Player of the Week. He earned another Offensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention on January 27^th, after scoring 16 points while shooting 8-of-10 from the floor at SVSU.

Richards' phenomenal play coincided with the LSSU's fantastic run to close the season. Lake State closed the regular season by going 7-1 in February, and the Lakers entered the GLIAC Tournament on an eight game winning streak, the best in the league.

Lake State faces Northern Michigan on Saturday at 2:00 PM in the GLIAC Men's Basketball Tournament semifinals. Buy your tickets at tickets.nmu.edu, watch live on FloCollege, or listen live on News Talk 1400 with Dave Watson on the call.