SEWARD, Neb. – In conjunction with the special awards announced after the NAIA national championship game, Head Coach Ben Limback and the Concordia University Men’s Basketball team were recognized with the Dr. James Naismith-Emil S. Liston Team Sportsmanship Award on Tuesday (March 22). The honor is selected by the national tournament committee and rewarded to the team that best exemplifies the NAIA Champions of Character core values of integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership.
Limback and the 2021-22 Bulldogs finished the season at 28-7 overall as part of a journey that included GPAC regular season and tournament championships and a run to the quarterfinals of the national tournament. There was a lot more to this team than the success. A squad led by CoSIDA Academic All-American Carter Kent carried itself with class, win or lose.
Said Limback following the season’s final game, “I think everybody’s going to remember the SportsCenter moment and some of the trophies and the elite eight run. I think what they’re going to remember most is the brotherhood. That’s what the people saw when they watched them play. That’s what I saw when I got to coach them and enjoy it with them. God truly blessed this team with a lot of fun memories, but I think what they’re going to take away is the brotherhood and the love they share. That’s what made them special.”
Concordia’s Noah Schutte was also honored as a NAIA Men’s Basketball Championship All-Tournament Team selection. For more on that award, click HERE.