March 15, 2009

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - Senior forward William Walker of Bethel (Ind.) College, who has scored over 2,000 points, grabbed more than 1,000 rebounds and blocked over 400 shots for the Pilots, has been named the 2009 State Farm Coaches' NAIA Division II Player of the Year selected by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Walker received his award from NAIA President/CEO Jim Carr on Sunday (March 15) night at the NAIA Division II Hall of Fame & semifinalists banquet on the Showboat Branson Belle, site of the Division II Men's Basketball National Championship.

Walker was named the Mid-American Collegiate Conference Player of the Year this season while averaging 20 points and 8.9 rebounds heading into the NAIA Division II National Championship. Bethel won both the MCCC regular season and tournament this year and claimed the No. 2-seed in the national tournament.

Walker was a second team All-America selection a year ago for the Pilots, who entered the NAIA Division II tournament as the No. 2 seed.

About the National Association of Basketball Coaches Located in Kansas City, Mo., the NABC was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently claims nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men's basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today's student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education. Additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, can be found at www.nabc.com.

About State Farm State Farm insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve more than 78 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 2 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 32 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm®.ca.

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