INDIANA, Pa. – Junior guard
Malik Miller was named the 2018-19 IUP Men's Breakthrough Athlete of the Year, announced Friday, June 21 by the IUP Athletic Department.
The award is part of the Crimson & Gray Awards, which recognize the top athletes, coaches, teams and performances of the IUP Athletics season. The Awards are in their third year of existence.
In his first year as a starter for the Crimson Hawks, Miller earned first team All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West honors as one of the top guards in the league.
Miller improved his scoring average by more than six to 16.4 points per game in 2018-19 and was one of the top 3-point shooters in the PSAC with 72 treys. A dynamic scorer, he went for more than 20 points 10 times, including a season-high 26 points in games against Gannon and Edinboro.
Miller was IUP's top rebounding guard with 4.4 boards per game and was second on the team with 106 assists and 3.2 assists per game.
Miller is the first IUP men's basketball player to win Breakthrough Athlete of the Year.
About the Breakthrough Athlete of the Year Award
The IUP Breakthrough Athlete of the Year Award is given each year to a first-year starter or first-time key contributor who has improved their season performance dramatically over the last year. The Breakthrough Athlete of the Year Award began in 2017 with the creation of the Crimson & Gray Awards.
About the Crimson & Gray Awards
The Crimson & Gray Awards are in their third year of existence and consist of 18 total categories - nine women, nine men - with top performers and performances from the 2018-19 year eligible.
Awards include: Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Coach of the Year, Performance of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Breakthrough Athlete of the Year, Postseason Performer of the Year, Senior of the Year, Team of the Year and Athlete of the Year.
The IUP Sports Information Office collected award nominations from its coaches, with those nominees voted on by a select panel to narrow each category down to finalists. That panel votes again to determine the winners.
Up next
The 2018-19 IUP Men's and Women's Postseason Performer of the Year awards will be announced Monday.
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Athletics on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk.
