Olivet Nazarene University

Posted: Tuesday, March 30, 2004

Two Olivet Nazarene University men’s basketball players were named NAIA Scholar Athletes. Senior Aaron Hird and junior Brandon Barr were the only Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Division I players among the list released by the NAIA on Tuesday.

Hird, an Elementary Education major from Potomac, Ill., was named a Scholar Athlete for the second year in a row. Hird was the starting point guard for 30 of the Tigers’ 31 games and led the CCAC with a 2.40 assist-to-turnover ratio. He averaged 3.0 points per game and dished out a team-leading 129 assists. He also played 789 minutes, the second most on the team. Hird scored a career-high 10 points and grabbed six rebounds in the Tigers’ win over Illinois-Springfield on Feb. 8.

Barr, an Economics/Finance major from Falmouth, Maine, was named a Scholar Athlete for the first time. Barr appeared in 29 games for the Tigers this past season — all coming off the bench. He averaged 3.5 points and 2.0 rebounds. Barr also was one of eight Tiger players to hit at least 10 three-pointers, connecting on 10 beyond the three-point stripe. Barr scored a career-high 15 points against East-West (Ill.) on Dec. 4, and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds on Feb. 17 against Illinois Tech.

Hird is the second Olivet player to be a two-time NAIA Scholar Athlete, joining Matt Bromley (2001 and 2002).

The Tigers have had at least one NAIA Scholar Athlete since the 2000 season, when Brian McCauley and Drew Neal were named.

The Tigers finished 15-16 this past season, marking their first losing campaign since 1986–87 and snapping their 15-season streak of at least 20 wins.