In two years at Fort Lewis College, basketball star Joshua Blaylock led the Skyhawks to heights never seen at the school. Tuesday, he received an honor that no FLC player has ever received.
Blaylock is the first Skyhawks basketball player to earn a spot on the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-America First Team. The senior guard joined 15 other Division II players from around the nation to receive the highest athletic honor.
“I honestly can’t believe it and I really didn’t expect it,” Blaylock said. “I’m just thankful for the opportunity I had to come to Fort Lewis and play basketball. My teammates always had my back and the coaches took good care of me. I can’t thank them enough.”
The 6-foot-2 guard began the season as the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year and finished it off as the RMAC Player of the Year. His work led Fort Lewis to its second-best season in school history with an overall record of 26-7.
The lefty led the conference with an average of 20.8 points per game and played a league-high 35.7 minutes per game.
He set the all-time Fort Lewis record for points in a single season with 687. He had 36 points in an NCAA South Central Region Tournament opening-round upset win against Tarleton State. It was the first time Fort Lewis defeated a Lone Star Conference team in the regional tournament.
Speaking of firsts, Blaylock was the key to many in his time at FLC. He led the team to its first back-to-back 25-win seasons, and they were the first Skyhawks teams to be nationally ranked at the end of consecutive seasons.
Blaylock was the catalyst behind Fort Lewis’ school-record 30-game home winning streak. He also paved the way for an all-time school-best 22-game winning streak against RMAC opponents.
“There is very little doubt that Joshua Blaylock had the best two-year stretch in Fort Lewis College history,” Skyhawks head coach Bob Pietrack said. “I can’t overstate how good of a basketball player he is – and he’s just as good of a guy. He’s an All-American in every sense of the meaning.”
Though the Skyhawks’ season is over, Blaylock still has one more game on the calendar, as he will play in Reese’s Division II College All-Star Game on Friday during the Division II Elite Eight in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
“Everyone knows how hard Josh worked and everyone knows he deserves every award he gets,” Pietrack said. “We’re all just so happy for him. This cements his legacy not just as one of the best basketball players at FLC, but one of the best athletes across the board.”
jfries@durangoherald.com
