Men's Basketball | 3/19/2026 10:00:00 AM

NABC Release

Kansas City, Mo. - University of Wisconsin-La Crosse junior guard Sam Grieger of Randolph (H.S.) has been voted the 2025-26 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Player of the Year for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III, the NABC announced Thursday.

He is the first player in school history to earn the honor and the sixth in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) history. Grieger joins UW-Platteville's Merrill Berunson (1998-99) and Logan Pearson (2023-24), UW-River Falls' Richard Melzer (2003-04), UW-Stevens Point's Jason Kalsow (2004-05) and UW-Whitewater's Chris Davis (2011-12) in being named the NABC Player of the Year.

Grieger was one of 10 players named to the NABC All-America First Team Wednesday. He was voted the NABC District 9 Player of the Year and selected to the NABC All-District Team on Tuesday.

The NABC awards are voted on by NABC member coaches across NCAA Division III. 

 
Grieger became the third player in school history to be named to the NABC All-America Team, including the inaugural to earn First Team honors. Joe Werner was a two-time NABC All-America selection, earning Third Team accolades in 2006 and Second Team honors in 2007. Tony Mane was named to the NABC All-America Third Team in 2011.
 
Grieger is the sixth player to earn All-America honors in school history, including the only to be named All-America First Team. Five players have been selected to the D3hoops.com All-America Team, including Werner (2007 Third Team), Mane (2011 First Team), Jared Staege (2016 Third Team), Wyatt Cook (2021 Third Team) and Ethan Anderson (2022 Fourth Team). 
 
Voted to the 2025-26 D3hoops.com All-Region 9 Team, Grieger was selected the D3hoops.com All-Region Player of the Year.
 
Named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 25 Watch List and one of 11 finalists for the Jostens Trophy this season, Grieger was voted the WIAC Player of the Year while earning all-conference first team honors. He is the seventh player in school history to be named the WIAC Player of the Year, joining Eric Haug (1974-75), John Mielke (1980-81), Werner (2006-07), Mane (2010-11), Jared Staege (2015-16) and Wyatt Cook (2020-21). 

Currently seventh in NCAA Division III in scoring at 25.7 points per game, Grieger led the WIAC in scoring, free throws made (212) and attempted (248) and assist/turnover ratio (2.5). He also led the league in field goals made (275) and attempted (533). Grieger leads NCAA Division III in field goals made while currently being third in attempts. He is tied for fourth in the country in free throws made and ranks fourth in attempts.
 
His 797 points this year breaks the single-season school record of 666 by Mane in 2010-11. The 797 points ranks fourth in single-season conference history. Grieger scored a school record 46 points at UW-Oshkosh on January 7, breaking Eric Dudek's single-game record of 43 versus UW-Whitewater on February 22, 1995. 
 
Scoring in double figures in all 31 games this year, Grieger had at least 25 points in 17 contests. He became the 19th player in UWL history to eclipse 1,000 career points this year and currently ranks sixth with 1,503. Grieger set single-season school records for free throws made (212) and attempted (248) and field goals made (275) and attempted (533) this year. He is eighth in school history in career field goals made (539) and ninth in attempts (1,067) while ranking third in free throws made (346) and fifth in attempts (422). 
 
A starter in all 31 games, Grieger finished third in the WIAC in assists per game (3.5) and free throw shooting (85.5%), eighth in field goal shooting (51.6%), tied for 11th in steals (1.1) and 12^th in rebounds (5.1).

?UWL finished 24-7 this season, recording its second-most victories in school history. The Eagles were 25-6 a year ago. UWL advanced to the 2026 NCAA Division III Sweet 16, falling 83-78 at fifth-ranked the University of Mary Washington (Va.) on March 14. The Eagles advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 with a 79-62 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (Calif.) on March 7 after a 75-61 victory over Hope College (Mich.) in the first round on March 6.
 
The Eagles earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships after capturing the WIAC Tournament title with an 81-78 victory at UW-Whitewater on February 28. It marked UWL's first conference tournament title in school history.