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EspañolMar. 3—GRAND FORKS — UND senior guard Eli King is already a two-time member of the Summit League All-Defensive team.
This season, he's been recognized as the best defender in the conference.
King was named the Summit League Defensive Player of the Year by the conference on Tuesday afternoon.
He's the fourth player in program history to receive the honor.
King has 71 steals this season, good for eighth in Division I men's basketball. His 2.2 steals per game ranks first in the Summit League.
King earned a season-high seven steals against Oral Roberts on Jan. 22.
King has 145 steals in his three years with the Fighting Hawks.
King also has 25 blocks. He is the only Division I player in the country with more than 70 steals and 25 blocks this season.
King has played a
pivotal role in the Hawks' revamped defense this yea
r. UND averages 8.66 steals per game, which is the best in the Summit League and ranks 32nd in the nation.
That aggressive defense intent on forcing turnovers has helped the Hawks to a 4.7 turnover margin. That's the sixth-best margin in the nation.
In addition to his stout defense, King has seen
an uptick in offensive production
this year.
King is averaging 11.6 points per game this year. He averaged 8.3 points per game a season ago.
Redshirt freshman Greyson Uelmen also received conference honors. He was named to the Summit League All-Newcomer second team. Uelmen is the first freshman since 2011 to be on an All-League team.
Uelmen leads the Hawks in scoring, averaging 15.4 points per game. That ranks fifth in the Summit League.
Uelmen,
a former walk-on
, scored a career-high 30 points in a road game against Denver on Jan. 24.
King and Uelmen were both named to the All-League second team.
UND ended the regular season with a 16-16 overall record and 10-6 mark
in conference play.
The Hawks earned the No. 3 seed in the Summit League tournament. They'll open against sixth-seeded Denver in the quarterfinals this Friday at 8:30 p.m.