D3hoops.com All-Region Release

D3hoops.com, the popular website dedicated to covering all things NCAA Div. III basketball, named College of Wooster first-year Jamir Billings as its Region 7 Rookie of the Year on Tuesday.

Billings, the first North Coast Athletic Conference player to earn the league's Top Defensive Player and Newcomer of the Year awards in the same year, authored one of the top rookie seasons in the tradition-rich program's history. Billings passed out 164 assists on the year, two shy of Sam Dixon's single-season program record set all the way back in the late 1970s. Billings' ability to get the ball, whether it be via deflections, pokes, or intercepted passes, led to 84 steals, the most in single-season program history.

Billings tied Mike Stoll's single-game record set in 1972 with 12 assists during a 91-77 win over Kenyon College on January 12, and he went on to pass out 10 in his debut against archrival Wittenberg University. Billings' run of double-digit assist performances hit three with 11 against Denison University. Of note, he is just the first player in program history with three games with at least 10 assists and the first to hit double-digits in consecutive outings.

The Lorain, Ohio, native tied Wooster's single-game record with seven steals against Wittenberg, and he later took over the record outright with a 10-steal night at Hiram College. He ranked fourth on the team with 11.5 points per game, and his high of 25 came at Ohio Wesleyan University. He also had two games with double-digit rebounds on the year.

Through the national quarterfinals, Billings ranks sixth nationally in total steals, 10th in total assists, 13th in steals per game (3.00), and 18th in assists per game (5.9).

He is the third Scot to earn Rookie of the Year honors from D3hoops.com and the first since Justin Hallowell during the 2008-09 season.

Wooster went 19-9 this year, marking the program's 33rd consecutive full season with at least 18 wins.